Issue - meetings

Report No: CAB/JT/18/051

Portfolio Holders: West Suffolk Lead for Housing/SEBC Cllr Sara Mildmay-White, SEBC Cllr Susan Glossop and FHDC Cllr Lance Stanbury

Lead Officers: Julie Baird, David Collinson, Davina Howes and Simon Phelan

RECOMMENDED TO SEBC AND FHDC COUNCILS: (18 and 19 December 2018)

That the West Suffolk Housing Strategy 2018-2023, attached as Appendix 1 to Report No: CAB/JT/18/051, be adopted.

and

RESOLVED:

That the West Suffolk Tenancy Strategy 2018-2023, attached as Appendix 2 to Report No: CAB/JT/18/051, be adopted.

(Report No: CAB/JT/18/051)

The Joint Committee received this report which set out the recommendations from the SEBC/FHDC Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s meetings held on 7 and 8 November 2018 in relation to the following documents:

(a)         West Suffolk Housing Strategy (Appendix 1)

A review of West Suffolk’s Housing Strategy was due in 2018.  By adopting this new Strategy, priorities would be aligned for housing with the Strategic Framework 2018-2020 and responding to new legislation and additional duties such as the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and the revised National Planning Policy Framework 2018.

The formal consultation took place for a six week period between 9 October and 20 November 2018.  This involved an online survey which was available on the Councils’ website and which was also directly sent to Members, Parish Councils and a number of the Councils’ partners.  There were a total of 31 responses to the online consultation and three responses submitted by letter.

A number of themes emerged during the consultation, mainly around the following themes:

-      The need for infrastructure and services to support growth.

-      The need for social and affordable housing in the towns and rural areas which was appropriate for local needs.

-      Providing accessible properties to meet the needs of vulnerable groups and those with additional needs.

-      Providing sufficient housing in the right places to ensure that local people could find suitable employment.

The points raised during the consultation had been addressed through the robust Implementation Plan.  The action in the Plan had also been further developed and refined during the consultation period.

Whilst discussing the Strategy, it was noted that some of the Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury figures on page 8 of the Housing Strategy’s Evidence Base (Appendix B) had been transposed.  Therefore, these figures would be corrected accordingly.

(b)         West Suffolk Tenancy Strategy (Appendix 2)

A review of West Suffolk’s Tenancy Strategy was due in 2018.  The Localism Act 2011 required all local authorities to produce a Tenancy Strategy that outlined how councils and Registered Providers (RPs) approached issues which affected tenants living in their area.  Through this Strategy the Councils’ worked with RPs to provide good quality housing where successful tenancies could be sustained.  The Strategy was intended to promote quality and fairness and to offer a guide to RPs who may manage stock within West Suffolk.

The formal consultation took place for a six week period between 9 October and 20 November 2018.  This involved an online survey which was available on the Councils’ website and which was also directly sent to a number of the Councils’ partners.  There were a total of 3 responses received (two from RPs and one from a resident). 

There was general support for the principles set out in the Strategy, with all respondents agreeing that the maximum affordable rents being charged should be capped at the local housing allowance level.  Officers were still in the process of collecting the necessary monitoring data from some of the RPs who did not respond  ...  view the full minutes text for item 84