Agenda item

From Mr John Grocock

“Recent Liberal Democrat literature informed us there are ‘766 households in urgent need of affordable rented accommodation’.  Once the action plan to tackle this has been published, how frequently, and by what means (other than online), will the public be updated on progress?”

21/23   

  It was noted that the following public question had been received in accordance with the Council Procedure Rules, for consideration at this meeting:

From Mr John Grocock:

“Recent Liberal Democrat literature informed us there are ‘766 households in urgent need of affordable rented accommodation’. Once the action plan to tackle this has been published, how frequently, and by what means (other than online),will the public be updated on progress?”

Response from Cllr O’Callaghan (lead Executive Member for Housing):

In her response, Cllr O’Callaghan made the following statement:

‘Trying to provide good quality genuinely affordable housing is a top priority for this Council administration.  We are also committed to trying our best to help people.  At its meeting yesterday, the Executive approved measures to help tenants to take action against landlords who are failing to help with issues of damp, mould and disrepair through a streamlined reporting process following which the Council has the power (in serious cases) to inspect homes, challenge landlords and ultimately (in the worst cases) impose civil penalties and prosecutions.

Often, its hard to even move to escape with the freeze on Housing Benefits since 2020 drastically reducing the number of homes covered by benefit, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies figures suggesting that its now only 5% of homes.

In one of the richest countries in the world, people should have a basic right to damp and mould free homes in reasonable repair and a right to get redress if they don’t.

We’ll also be looking to improve the quality of our housing stock – through grants we have begun upgrading energy inefficient homes for people on low incomes and helped low income landlords improve insulation and draught proofing for example, but we need to do more.

As Mr Grocock’s question suggests, all too many people on the Devon Home Choice housing waiting list in South Hams are having problems getting affordable housing in the first place.

Nationally, we have inherited the problem of Council Housing offered as ‘Right to Buy’ from the Thatcher era onward not being replaced in sufficient numbers.  In my own ward of Kingsbridge, there are plenty of houses being built – just not enough of them that locals can afford.

In the private rental market, prices are soaring, exacerbated by rising mortgage rates and there is a shortage made worse by some landlords switching to more lucrative AirBnB short-term lets.

The fact that there are I think 4,000 second homes in the district and only 3,450 social rented homes tells its own story.

The new administration wants to help and take action where it can and lobby Central Government where it cant.

We want to get genuinely affordable homes on the Ropewalk site in Kingsbridge for example and have asked for a review of all Council Capital projects and land owned by the Council to see where we could build further such homes.

We also want to invest in suitable property in our towns and villages to provide affordable/social rent homes.  Government funding has enabled us to acquire seven homes to support Ukrainian and Afghan refugees, which can also be used as general purpose temporary accommodation.  These are being built currently and should be ready for Christmas.

Next year, the Joint Local Plan (which covers the South Hams) is up for review and we have the opportunity to lobby for a higher proportion of affordable homes in developer led housing.

Whilst a long introduction to the question, I wish at this first Full Council meeting to set out an idea of what our priorities and aims are in this key area.

Our action plan involves, of course, over the coming weeks and months of talking to and consulting with our communities to establish what they (or in fact you) want to see and to help guide us on to the right track.  We will prepare a draft document after talking to town and parish councils and other key partners and stakeholders.

We will then carry out a four week public consultation in early Autumn, as well as online engagement (for example, we will have on-street surveys).  We do not want to be seen as doing things to you, we want to do them with you in a spirit of partnership working.

The Council intends to publish an annual delivery plan, with regular performance monitoring.  Housing updates will be provided on a regular basis to the Council’s Executive.  All these formal meetings are open to the public, livestreamed if you are unable to attend and available afterwards on our Council website.

We update the public via our Communications Team on social media and in the local press and District Councillors attend their local town and parish council meetings to provide updates and these meetings are also open to the public.

Councillor contact details are publicly available should constituents wish to ask questions about housing policy or anything else.

Finally, thank you Mr Grocock for your question and your interest.