Decision details

Shared Ownership Affordable Housing (WL)

Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Council House Building, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Resources

Decision status: Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

Aequus, the Council’s wholly owned development company, is delivering a range of market housing, for both rent and sale. It is proposed that some of these homes are converted in shared ownership affordable housing units, targeted to local residents.

Decision:

The Cabinet Members agree:

 

1 The development of the shared ownership housing programme detailed within the original report and the attached business case;

 

2 To establish a fully approved shared ownership housing programme for 2021/22 of £1,218k, recognising an allocation from provisional affordable housing programme of £278k along with new sources of funding;

 

3 Future shared-ownership schemes are authorised through the established corporate process for affordable housing budget approvals.

Reasons for the decision:

The programme rationale include:

 

• Delivering a genuinely affordable housing product for those residents who aspire to home-ownership but cannot compete on the open market;

 

• Leveraging the benefits of Aequus housing delivery & providing increase social value to developments;

 

• Developing our direct delivery and management of affordable housing knowledge and skillset;

 

• Reassures both the Regulator of Social Housing and Homes England of our commitment to directly deliver and manage affordable housing.

Alternative options considered:

Not to proceed with delivering shared-ownership housing. However, this option would not accrue the benefits detailed above and within the report.

Publication date: 17/08/2021

Date of decision: 17/08/2021

Effective from: 25/08/2021

Accompanying Documents: