[Councillor Mager arrived at
5.25pm during the consideration of this item.]
The Committee received report
number OAS/WS/24/001, presented by the Cabinet Member for Housing,
which set out:
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Progress and challenges against the current Housing
Strategy and the current Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping
Strategy.
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The council’s strategic priorities for housing
for the period 2024 to 2028.
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Emerging actions and plans for the development of
the new Housing, Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy
for 2024 onwards. Emerging actions
would be the subject of further investigation and consideration as
the council moved forward with its planning of the new
strategy.
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The current situation regarding refugees and asylum
seekers in West Suffolk and how the council was addressing issues
being faced in the district.
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Responses provided to questions which the committee
had raised with the Cabinet Member for Housing in advance of
tonight’s meeting.
The report also set out a
number of known challenges, including:
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An insufficient supply of some types of housing,
particularly affordable housing in West Suffolk in meeting housing
needs.
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Providing and retrofitting homes to reduce the
impact on the environment. Providing
good quality housing which were a safe place to live in and thermal
comfort which would impact positively on people’s lives and
reduce costs to residents.
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The cost-of-living crisis was making affordability
of housing more challenging for many families. This had a detrimental impact on physical and
mental health and wellbeing with long-term negative impacts on the
population and placing additional demand on the wider Suffolk
system. The lack of affordable housing
placed additional demands on the housing register with people
finding it difficult to maintain a tenancy in the private rented
sector.
The
Committee was then asked to consider the report, and in particular
the emerging actions currently being considered for inclusion in
the new strategy; plans on how the new strategy should be
developed, including consultation and engagement and how the
committee would like to be involved.
The
Committee scrutinised the report in detail and asked a number of
questions to which the Cabinet Member for Housing provided
comprehensive responses. In particular
discussions were held on the differentiation between affordable
housing and social housing; how the council was addressing empty
homes across the district; the various refugees and asylum housing
schemes; Houses in Multiple Occupation; barriers being faced by
young people accessing housing; the ageing population and
appropriate housing; retrofitting heritage homes; house conditions
in the private sector; disabled facilities grants and stalled
housing development sites.
In response
to a question raised in relation to the types and number of people
in bed and breakfast accommodation, officers agreed to provide a
written responses on the breakdown of the types of people in bed
and breakfast, for example young people; single people;
families.
In response
to a question raised on shared equity to help young people to
access housing, the Cabinet Member for Housing advised he would
look into the options around shared equity.
In response
to a ... view
the full minutes text for item 268.