Meeting documents

1 THE ISSUE

2 RECOMMENDATION

2.1 The Housing Strategic Planning Framework set out in paragraphs 4.10-4.17 of this report is recommended to full Council as a change likely to affect the Budget and Policy Framework.

3

3.1 There are no direct financial implications to the proposed new Strategic Planning Framework for Housing. If the new planning framework is agreed, the Housing Strategy and associated Delivery Plans will direct Council resources and delivery in the longer term will depend on a wide range of partners and agencies aligning their financial planning with the contents of the final documents.

4 THE REPORT

4.1 The Local Government Act 2000 introduced a new duty on Councils to produce a Community Strategy `promoting or improving the economic, social and environmental well-being of their area and contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom'. This is often abbreviated to the Council's new power of "well-being".

4.2 The Act was supported by guidance on Local Strategic Partnerships as a vehicle for the delivery of the Community Strategy and a new model for local authorities to play a more prominent role with key partner agencies in Community Leadership.

4.3 The Bath and North East Somerset Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) was formed in June 2002. The stated purpose of the LSP is to `improve the quality of life in Bath and North East Somerset'. The opportunities to do so are enhanced through smarter partnership working in terms of planning, funding, service delivery and organisational development.

4.4 LSP members include the Council, Avon and Somerset Police, B&NES PCT, Somer Housing Group, The Bath Initiative, The Learning Partnership, Association of Local Councils, Bath Federation of Residents, Envolve, The REC, West of England Coalition of Disabled People. The LSP is chaired by the Leader of the Council.

4.5 The Community Strategy sets out a vision for Bath and North East Somerset for the next 10 years. It sets out clear improvement ambitions for the area and means of achieving them. This was subject to extensive consultation in 2003 and was endorsed by Council on 20 November 2003.

4.6 Each of the improvement ambitions is supported by a Key Partnership which is charged with co-ordinating a broader partnership response to the Community Strategies ambitions. The Housing Key Partnership is becoming well established and the Community Strategy includes a "BE: at home" improvement priority for housing with key areas to be addressed as follows:

4.7 Part 7 of the 2003 Local Government Act requires local housing authorities to have a strategy in respect of housing related matters. Under the same legislation the Government can prescribe the form of that strategy, which, for the last round of submissions was set out in the "Fit for Purpose" criteria.

4.8 Council agreed the Housing Strategy 2002-11 on 12 September 2002. This Strategy was submitted to the Government Office South West (GOSW) and was assessed as "Above Average". This was an improvement on the previous year's assessment of "Average". However, the Strategy did not meet all the Fit for Purpose criteria. Indeed, only one Housing Strategy in the Country achieved all the Fit for Purpose criteria on first submission. As a consequence, every other Local Authority in the Country has been required to submit a reviewed Housing Strategy that meets all the Fit for Purpose criteria.

4.9 Bath & North East Somerset has not yet submitted a revised Housing Strategy as at a local level there has been a wish to develop a Housing Strategy that is more closely integrated with other local, sub-regional and regional plans and strategies.

4.10 Within the proposed new framework, a new Housing Strategy would be developed that linked directly to the "BE: at home" improvement ambition for housing as well as picking up on the shared ambitions where they link to housing - for example "BE: safe" - and tackling anti-social behaviour.

4.11

4.12 Within the framework and sitting below the Housing Strategy would be a range of Delivery Plans which would be much more detailed and deal with the specifics about what was going to be done, who was going to do it, when it was going to be done by. The Delivery Plans would include a range of performance indicators and targets to measure success.

4.13 With the explicit link to the Community Strategy and LSP, both the Housing Strategy and the more detailed Delivery Plans would feed into partners' own business planning processes so that they are able to contribute towards achieving the goals, objectives and targets set out in the Strategy and Plans.

4.14 It is proposed that the housing key areas of focus set out in paragraph 4.6 above would be grouped under ten sections in the Housing Strategy as follows:

4.15 Each section in the Housing Strategy would be linked to a Delivery Plan. In some instances, an existing partnership, forum or group could lead the development of a relevant Delivery Plan. For example there already exists a homelessness partnership and homelessness strategy. This could easily become more aligned to the Community Strategy and to a new Housing Strategy. In other instances, students, for example, there is no existing strategy or partnership although it may be possible to build on the work of an existing interest group.

4.16 Partnerships developing and implementing the Delivery Plans would be represented on the Housing Key Partnership thus ensuring clear links between partnerships and to the LSP along with clear lines of accountability.

4.17

5 RISK MANAGEMENT

6 RATIONALE

6.1 Such an approach would provide a structure which would allow greater partnership engagement with the process of developing the Housing Strategy and associated Delivery Plans. It would be possible to establish a fully integrated Housing Strategy which set out clear strategic direction for all housing issues with implementation supported by the detailed Delivery Plans. The proposed approach would enable greater joined up thinking, greater joined up planning and consequently greater joined up delivery of services for the benefit of people living in the communities of Bath and North East Somerset.

6.2 The proposals would also better fit with the development of sub-regional partnerships and would enable a more co-ordinated approach to resources bidding and allocation at a local level.

7 OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED

7.1 Consideration has been given to reviewing the Housing Strategy 2002-2011 to ensure compliance with the Fit for Purpose criteria. The Housing Strategy would then be presented for Council for agreement. However, this option does not take advantage of the opportunities presented by the establishment of a Community Strategy and Local Strategic Partnership for Bath and North East Somerset. In turn, opportunities to strengthen links to sub-regional partnerships and plans would be lost.

8 CONSULTATION

8.1 GOSW was consulted on these proposals at an early stage. GOSW has confirmed in writing (9 August 2004) that GOSW has now adopted a far less prescriptive stance in the application of the Fit for Purpose criteria and that there is no particular reason why a Housing Strategy produced within the framework set out in paragraphs 4.10 to 4.17 of this report would be less likely to achieve a fit for purpose assessment than one that wasn't. GOSW has made the observation that: "The alignment of Housing Strategies with Community Strategies and the effective involvement of LSPs in preparing them is already encouraged by the criteria".

8.2 Some informal consultation was undertaken at a private workshop for Elected Members in May this year. Those Elected Members present were broadly supportive of the proposal to link the development of the Housing Strategy more closely to the LSP and Community Strategy. Emphasis was placed on the importance of ensuring that affordable housing was a fully integrated and integral part of the Housing Strategy although it was accepted that further detail on the delivery of affordable housing could appropriately be contained within a Delivery Plan.

8.3 At its meeting on 9 June 2004 the Local Strategic Partnership endorsed the approach to the development of the Housing Strategy set out in this report.

8.4 The second annual Housing Conference held in July this year and attended by more than 80 stakeholders endorsed these proposals.