Affordable housing delivery strategy

Housing & Social                    Development and Environment

Services Directorate               Directorate

____________________________________________________                                              _

 

AFFORDABLE HOUSING DELIVERY PLAN

2005 – 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


July 2005

 

CONTENTS                                                                                              PAGE

 

 

Introduction                                                                                                                 3

 

the council’s enabling role                                                                              3

 

the key challenges we face                                                                              3

 

aims of the affordable housing delivery plan                                     4

 

links to other strategies and plans                                                           5

 

about the district                                                                                                     7

 

regional context                                                                                                       8

 

delivering affordable housing                                                                       11

 

planning and affordable housing                                                                 13

 

partnership working                                                                                              14

 

resources and investment                                                                                 15

 

maximise affordable housing delivery                                                       18

 

working with the private sector                                                                   22

 

priorities for action                                                                                                23

 

                                   

 REferences                                                                                                                   24

 

Glossary of Terms                                                                                              25 

 

appendices:                    a.  Consultation  responses                              

                                                b.  capital programme

                                                c.  Projected affordable housing completions

                                                d.  local tier partnership agreement

e.   SUMMARY of the Affordable housing delivery        group actions

                                                f.  bid form

           

Introduction

This Plan has been jointly developed by Officers from Development and Environment and Housing and Social Services.  A working group consisting of Officers and three members of the Finance and Policy Scrutiny Panel together with three members from both Strategic Planning and Housing, Health and Adult Social Care Panels have had significant input to the development of the Delivery Plan, ensuring it is realistic and achievable.   The Plan forms one of the action plans of the Housing Strategy to show how the Council’s resources, including the potential usable capital receipt from the proposed Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT) of the council’s housing stock will be flexibly invested to achieve the maximum number of affordable homes to address the housing needs of the District.  It will outline specific plans, processes and targets for the delivery of affordable housing over the next three years.  It will align with the Regional Housing Strategy Regional Spatial Strategy and Local Plan Policies, and will be reviewed at 3 yearly intervals.  These policies together with those developed in conjunction with our partner agencies in the West of England partnership will determine our ability to maximise the stock of available affordable housing in the District to meet local housing needs and develop sustainable communities in North Somerset.  The Plan has been widely consulted on (Appendix A), with our partners and key stakeholders.

 

The Council’s Enabling Role

The Council is no longer a direct provider of new affordable housing, it has a strategic and enabling role, developing policies and procedures which allow best use of available resources and by establishing strong and effective partnerships with key stakeholders both internally and externally.  The provision of new affordable housing is now carried out by Registered Social Landlords (RSL).  The 2004 Housing Act now also allows private developers to compete for the allocation of Housing Corporation funding.  The government has set out what it sees as the new broader strategic housing role for councils in Sustainable Communities – Homes For All.  The expectation is that council will work across housing markets and regions to integrate Regional Spatial Strategy, Housing Strategy, economic development and infrastructure to ensure that we have vibrant economies and sustainable communities.  Our enabling role is critical to this objective.

 

This Plan outlines how the Council will use its enabling role to maximise the provision of affordable housing in North Somerset.

 

 

The Key Challenges We Face

.

·        High demand for affordable housing well outstripping supply

·        20% increase in homelessness and high use of Temporary Accommodation

·        Need to raise LA and RSL stock to decent homes standard

·        Need for appropriate supported housing, especially for vulnerable single people

 

AIMS OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DELIVERY PLAN

 

Housing Strategy

 

The Need for a delivery document for affordable housing stemmed from the Housing Strategy.  The overall Aim of the Housing Strategy 2004- 2009 is:

 

‘Delivering real improvements in housing and support services to meet the needs of our communities’

 

And the priorities are to:

·        Improve Access and Choice in Housing For All

·        Achieve Decent and Safe Homes for our Residents

·        Target Housing Care and Support where it is needed most

·        Increase and Manage our Housing Resources Efficiently

 

The Affordable Housing Delivery will address the priorities within the Housing Strategy by:

 

 

LINKS TO OTHER STRATEGIES AND PLANS

 

Aiming for Excellence Corporate Plan 2004-7

 

North Somerset Community Strategy

 

The North Somerset partnership has set a vision that by 2025

‘We will have choices and access to a decent home for all our residents’

Housing is a key theme of the strategy and the Strategic Housing Service works closely with members of the North Somerset Strategic Partnership (NSSP) and have contributed to the emerging Community Strategy, with housing being a key theme. Actions within the Housing Strategy 2004-2009 reflect the priorities of the Community Strategy.  A representative of the North Somerset Strategic Partnership chairs our Strategic Housing Forum, which is the delivery partnership for this vision and the Forum has responsibility for monitoring the delivery of the Housing Strategy action plan.

 

Corporate Priorities

 

The Council ensures through the Corporate Plan and Housing Strategy, that resources are directed to the areas of greatest affordable housing need.

 

For each of the Council’s six aims, Key Corporate Priorities have been identified. Each key corporate priority has associated Key Corporate Performance Indicators (KCPIs) and/or Key Corporate Strategic Projects (KCSPs).  These allow us to measure progress against our priorities, and ensure the Council meet its continuous improvement aspirations at service, organisational and project levels. 

 

Key corporate priorities for housing are:

 

·         Improve Access & Choice in Housing For All

·         Achieve Decent and Safe Homes For Our Residents

 

In addition to the Affordable Housing Delivery Housing Plan, a number of other housing sub-strategies are also planned for development including:

Supporting People Strategy

The Council has wide ranging responsibilities to the most vulnerable in our communities, for example, people with learning disabilities or those with mental health problems. A Supporting People Strategy will be in place by April 2005 and will set out the key priorities for people who need supported housing and/or housing related support. This has enabled us to plan for appropriate units of accommodation.  However, bids for new supported housing units need to have revenue funding (from the Local Authority Supporting People budget) secured in advance of bid submission. Clearly there is significant need but there is also a real risk that this need may not be addressed due to Supporting People budget constraints.

Private Sector Housing Strategy

The Private Sector Housing Strategy that is currently being developed will illustrate how the Council can simultaneously raise standards of stock condition and management of private rented housing, and ensure access to those on low incomes.  With the shortage of affordable housing for all groups of people it is essential that the Council make best use of this expanding market.  Bringing Empty properties back into use for affordable housing with nomination rights for the local authority and RSLs and private landlords working in partnership will form part of this plan.

Older Persons Strategy

A considerable increase in the number of older people, who need adaptations to their homes or work to help them remain in their own homes, is a key area for North Somerset.  A separate strategy will be developed for these groups of people.  The Council has specific grants from government, to which it contributes and was successful, with other authorities in the region in setting up a consortium called Wessex Home Investment Trust, to provide low interest loans to help private owners who have low incomes