Agenda item

Graham Sabourn (Head of Housing, Bath and North East Somerset Council) to give a presentation on Health and Wellbeing and housing issues.

(40 minutes)

Graham Sabourn and Ann Robbins gave a presentation on Housing and Health and Wellbeing issues as summarised below:

Housing, Health & Wellbeing

·  Well established causal relationship between physical housing defects and poor physical health outcomes.

o  Estimated £2.5b annual cost to NHS.

o  63,000 excess winter deaths (1/3 due to cold homes).

·  Developing evidence that non-physical housing factors can also have a significant and negative impact on mental health and wellbeing.

o  Harder to quantify but linked to depression, stress and anxiety.

o  Control, autotomy, status & empowerment all affected and linked to health & wellbeing.

Local Housing Challenges

·  Supply challenges

o  Older poor-quality housing

o  Large (and unbalanced) private rented sector

o  Large numbers of HMO

o  AirBnB usage (2,000+ units) having impact

o  Land limited

·  Affordability challenge

o  12.4x lower quartile house price to average earnings

o  78% of all first-time buyers unable to afford an average terraced property

o  £1,200 mean 2-bed rent (LHA £847)

·  Demand challenges

o  6,000 households on Homesearch & 474 homes available (2021/22)

o  58 households in temporary accommodation (100% increase in 3 yrs)

o  Trend of complication: homelessness casework, disabled adaptations, rough sleeping all getting more complicated & resource intensive

o  Challenging financial climate

More Homes

·  Enabling activities:

o  Delivered 1,848 affordable homes in past 10yrs

o  Facilitating delivery of 100% AH schemes

o  Enhanced Empty Property CPO/enforced sale process

o  Refreshing housing needs evidence base to support Local Plan update (

o  Developing overarching Housing Strategy

·  Direct Delivery

o  B&NES Homes Programme, comprising supported housing, shared-ownership & social rent

o  26 units completed, 21 on site, 208 in medium-term pipeline

o  Energy efficient: Shared-ownership EPC A rated EPC; Grosvenor House reduced energy consumption by over 40%; Theobald air-source heating

·  Supported Housing

o  Pemberley Place Extra Care Scheme; 72 flats mixture of social rent & shared-ownership

o  Delivered 24 units of accommodation for former rough sleepers; on site for 14 units of temporary accommodation; working up planning application for 16 units for LD clients

o  In partnership with Adults, Children & Families developing Supported Housing Strategy

Better Homes

·  Regulation & Enforcement

o  Enforcement of housing conditions across 33,000 rented homes

o  Proactive HMO Licensing scheme

o  Improved 364 properties through enforcement action

o  Commissioning house condition survey & post 2023 licensing position

·  Adaptation Services

o  Deliver, commission or fund range of adaptation services: disabled facilities grants; hospital discharge service; rails contract; home improvement agency.

o  Recently incorporated the Community Equipment Store providing specialist community equipment to residents.

o  Urgent repair grants

·  Affordable Warmth

o  Energy at Home Service provides advice, signposting and financial assistance to low-income residents.

o  Work with Public Health team and Sustainability team on promotion and targeting to vulnerable groups

o  With BCC/SG successful HUG bid to assist 170+ households living in fuel poverty (£3m for B&NES).

Happy and Healthy Lives

·  Housing Options

o  2,000 approaches p.a. with 40-50% homeless/threatened with homelessness

o  60% of prevention duties successful helped by Homefinders & Supported Lodgings Scheme

o  Households in temporary accommodation increasing (100% increase in 3 years to 58) but low compared to national rate

·  Homesearch

o  Single access point for 85%+ of social housing in district

o  6k households on scheme & 474 vacant homes in 2021/22

o  Urgent & high priority households waiting 44 & 70 weeks to be housed (2021/22)

o  But, demand/supply ratios very high at 18yrs & 186yrs for 3bed & 4bed properties.

·  Rough Sleepers

o  Cohort of around 60 individuals who fall in/out of rough sleeping

o  Comprehensive range of local services, including direct access hostel, floating support, reconnection service, mental health etc.

o  £2m NSAP bid provided move-on accommodation; £1.3m DLUHC bid providing further expansion of services; inc. Housing First, specialist women worker etc.

A Last Few Thoughts

·  The challenges are likely to get worse in the short-term

o  Squeezed household incomes

o  More landlords exiting residential market & rising rents

o  Funding & recruitment challenges

o  Housing supply likely to reduce in short-term & planning reform challenges

o  Increasingly frustrated and agitated clients

o  Trend of complication likely to continue

·  Locally we are better positioned and more resilient than we have ever been

o  Covid has provided a number of learning experiences

o  We better understand where we can add value & where our partners add value

o  More ambitious and willing to intervene where perceived market failure

o  Partnership working, both internally and externally, continues to improve

o  Opportunity to further simplify housing commissioning arrangements

The Board were asked to contact the Housing Team if they were aware of clients with housing condition issues, require adaptations or likely to become homeless.

The following comments were raised:

1.  Kate Morton referred to Section 21 notices and stated that there was a need for more effective alignment between social care, housing and the third sector and that she welcomed the experience of the Council in this area.

2.  Paul Harris referred to the case in Rochdale of a child who had died after extensive exposure to damp and mould and stated that this was not just a housing issue but a health and poverty issue.  He stated that overcrowding was an issue faced by housing providers and Curo were getting more GP letters on behalf of clients requesting appropriate housing.  He concluded that there was a need for better joint working to help people into appropriate housing and made the following suggestions:

a.  A scheme such as the one in the Forest of Dean where heating vouchers were given out to help with ventilation.  This would save money in terms of the cost to the NHS associated with poor housing.

b.  The best use of existing housing stock, such as encouraging under-occupiers to move by offering good quality alternatives.

3.  Cllr Alison Born asked if there was retrofitting funding available to source dehumidifiers to help with damp/mould problems.  Graham Sabourn responded that the Council did not offer de-humidifiers but there was the HUG scheme money to assist households living in fuel poverty and there was also a new Government Eco Plus scheme which would help householders with insulation.

4.  Joss Foster also emphasised the importance of joint working to meet the short-term risks over the winter period.  It was noted that there was a Winter Pressure Plan but there was also a need for a system wide approach to look at opportunities around preventative measures.

5.  Ronnie Lungu referred to the issue of overcrowding in accommodation and the pressures on young people which may force them to spend a lot of time on the streets and be at risk of anti-social behaviour.  He suggested that it would be useful to offer incentives e.g., vouchers to attend gyms to offer young people positive alternatives.

6.  Cllr Alison Born asked if there were any schemes to encourage elderly people with extra space to rent rooms to students.  Ann Robins confirmed that this had been considered in the past but too many barriers had been identified to make the scheme viable, however it was something that could be revisited.

7.  Concern was expressed about the increasing number of AirBnbs and the impact on the availability of housing and the Board questioned whether anything could be done to address this issue.

It was agreed that Graham Sabourn, Laura Ambler and Paul Harris would meet to discuss the issues raised in more detail and would report back to the next meeting of the Board.

The Board RESOLVED to;

1.  Note the presentation.

2.  Agree that Graham Sabourn, Laura Ambler and Paul Harris meet to discuss the issues raised in more detail and report back to the next meeting of the Board.