Agenda item

Members will receive an update on the Council’s approach to delivery of Affordable Housing, following Cabinet’s adoption of an Interim Affordable Housing Position Statement in May 2022.  This statement set out the Council’s plans for encouraging more Affordable Housing in the county including the possibility of delivering affordable residential properties on Council owned sites. 

Contributors:

Councillor John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources

Nigel Dicker, Service Director, Housing and Regulatory Services

Michael Veryard, Head of Housing

The Chairman welcomed Cllr Mark Winn, Cabinet Member for Homelessness and Regulatory Services, Cllr John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources, and Nigel Dicker, Service Director, Housing and Regulatory Services to the meeting.

The following points were highlighted from the report:

·         The Cabinet Member for Homelessness and Regulatory Services noted and recognised the difficulty in addressing the need for affordable housing within Buckinghamshire.

·         Housing costs in Buckinghamshire are far above average for the whole of England. The price of land was expensive and this affected the ability to house key workers and recruit staff for key sectors.

·         In Buckinghamshire, developers continued large house building projects, averaging 643 homes a year (Aylesbury & Wycombe areas) affordable homes since the unitary authority formed in 2020.

·         Affordable Housing by definition is up to 80% of market rent. It was acknowledged that this was too expensive for many within the county due to high costs.

·         There are 4800 people registered on Bucks Home Choice awaiting social housing.

·         Discussion was ongoing with Buckinghamshire Councils registered providers to see how we could increase the number of affordable homes. A small development was set to be announced that looked at providing affordable homes at social rent level for over 55’s who are looking to downsize.

·         The number of empty homes has been catalogued for Buckinghamshire, work would now take place to review these properties. This would be part of the Housing Strategy.

·         Opportunities were available to use Section 106 funds to convert affordable housing to socially rented.  Within the planning system, breaking down the definition of required affordable housing to include socially rented could be looked at.

·         The delivery of affordable housing on council owned land continued to be investigated. An update on the progress of the former Stoke Mandeville sports & social club site was highlighted in the report. Cabinet approval was given for 30 units out of 100 for affordable housing units.  This was called into GHIS and was again considered by Cabinet on 12/7/2022 when permission was given to work towards submitting an outline planning application

·         Outline planning permission had been secured for the site at Horns Lane which included affordable housing provision of 48 percent in accordance with the Wycombe Local Plan. This followed a public consultation which included local Members and other stakeholders.

·         The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources drew attention to several developments. Outline planning consent had been secured for 68 apartments of affordable housing on Bellfield Road in High Wycombe subject to reserved matters. Collins House on Desborough Road was in the process of being transferred to a Housing association, where the Council will retain 100 percent of nomination rights on units constructed, ensuring they are usable by those on the Buckinghamshire Housing register.

During discussion, comments and questions raised by the Committee included:

·         Members expressed concern on the length of time it was taking to achieve development of affordable housing. The Council aimed to accelerate delivery as quickly as possible, however the complexity of affordable housing proposals could limit these efforts.

·         The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources assured the Committee that there were significant potential numbers of truly affordable housing from Council owned assets. Where development was pursued, it was noted there had been significant pushback from local Town and Parish Councils in some cases.

·         The Key Worker Housing definition was considered wide ranging and the need for Key Working Housing questioned. A survey was done to establish the case for a need for key worker housing, and recruitment shortages for key workers was noted as prevalent for Police/NHS/Fire service and internally for front line Council staff which key worker housing could address.

·         Affordable Housing could be converted from affordable rented [up to 80% of market rate] to around the more affordable social rented level [50% of market rate] levels through a variety of means including the use of section 106 and right to buy receipts and this had been achieved previously at Aylesbury Vale District Council.

·         Concerns were raised about flooring - when new tenants moved into social housing in some cases flooring was not provided. There were charities and support mechanisms in place to assist those who needed this. Previous Carpets were sometimes gifted to new occupants where appropriate.

·         The affordable housing position statement was noted as an interim statement while the Housing Strategy was being put together. Milestones were not present in the interim statement but these could be incorporated into the Housing Strategy.

·         Purchasing new properties to convert to Affordable Housing had also been considered however wasn’t considered viable.

·         The purpose of the development of the former Bucks sports and social club was confirmed as a net loss to the council, but was being developed to deliver on the aspiration for affordable and key worker housing and to regenerate a site in decline. The development would still allow for significant public green space.

·         The Cabinet Members recognised the urgent need for affordable housing. Along with the use of Council owned assets, and development agreements, the development of the local plan which would include provisions to address this. The Housing Strategy would also examine the efficient use of the Housing stock, as well as possible usage of Section 106 funds to convert ‘affordable housing’ to socially rented.

·         The number of households awaiting social housing was increasing. A Member reported that there were 480 new social housing applications per month, but only 154 lettings per month.

·         Members raised concerns about the existing level of registrations on Bucks Home Choice and the additional pressures that might arise with demand from Ukrainian refugees and possible increase in homelessness due to the cost of living crisis.

·         All vacant properties were under constant review and brought back into use where possible. The Council was actively seeking new opportunities where they could house people on a temporary basis. These include looking at opportunities for using former care homes.

·         Waiting times for social housing were reported to vary across the county, from several months to years and might be dependent on the size of property required and the location For example those seeking 1-bed housing typically had lower waiting times compared to families seeking larger homes and residents in the south of the county could face longer waiting times.

·         Resources were acknowledged as a limiting factor in pursuing Affordable Housing aims and Members were assured that Cabinet Members were pursuing all avenues to achieve this.

·         The Cabinet Members were happy to attend the committee in future and further address Members concerns. The Housing Strategy would likely return to the committee at a future date for scrutiny. ACTION: Nigel Dicker/Michael Veryard