Issue - meetings

Cabinet have informally expressed an ambition to deliver a council house building programme to support and complement the existing affordable housing programme.  The rationale for this has been articulated principally as:

•  increasing the delivery of affordable housing, particularly rented homes; and

•  having greater control over the homes being delivered, including design and environmental standards, rent, allocations and management.

This report provides Cabinet with an update on the programme plan.

Councillor Tim Ball said that this was a high level report and a more detailed report would come to future Cabinet and Council meetings.  The programme would enable Council to have greater control over the homes being delivered, including:

• design and environmental standards, (eg carbon neutral)
• rent, (eg social rent)
• allocations and management. (eg greater control over who goes in)

Councillor Ball also said that after considering various options it was decided to investigate further the option to register with Homes England as a “developing Registered Provider”.  This approach has had a number of benefits, including being able to access Government funding for affordable housing.  The Council would commission independent advice on financial, legal and operational matters.  Any established Registered Provider would work in partnership with ADL/ACL (who would take Council sites forward) with the resultant affordable housing being kept by the Registered Provider.  The Council would be looking at some other options which may help local residents with housing, including shared-ownership schemes; equity partnership schemes and using empty properties for local cost rent.

Councillor Tim Ball moved for report to be noted.

Councillor Rob Appleyard seconded the motion by saying that thousands of people were looking to move into permanent homes which would not only help their health and wellbeing but also their children and families. 

Councillor Richard Samuel said that this report has shown that good progress has been made in terms of the Council House Building Programme, and that he was looking forward for the Council having greater control over the homes being delivered.

The Cabinet noted the high-level programme plan and the options shortlisted for further investigation and detailed analysis.

NOTE: Councillor Dine Romero abstained from voting.