New five year housing strategy
“A decent place to live is the foundation on which people build their lives.”
This is the focus of a five year housing strategy that is due to be approved by Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet.
Last year the council held a ten week consultation to seek views on the original draft strategy before creating the final version. It had three key objectives:
•To create sustainable, accessible, affordable and integrated communities
•To make the BEST use of our existing homes
•To provide homes to support and empower our most vulnerable people
The consultation attracted overall support for the strategy. Key themes from the responses were:
•New house building and infrastructure – including ensuring the right number of homes are provided, that new houses are of a good size and quality and supported by infrastructure and services.
•Existing homes – that we make best use of the homes we have and address the quality and condition of existing homes in certain areas.
•Affordable homes – that we continue to deliver more affordable homes where possible, particularly for families, single households and young people
•To make sure we are meeting the housing needs of the growing number of older, disabled and vulnerable people..
•The importance of ensuring we are tackling Climate Change.
Councillor David Wright, Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “A decent place to live is the foundation on which people build their lives. The importance of this has become even more apparent during the Covid-19 crisis. During this time we have seen many more households seek the Council’s support as they face homelessness following the loss of employment or family breakdown or challenges with the condition of their homes.
"Our aim, through our Housing Strategy, is for every resident to be able to access a safe and affordable home by building more new ones, improving those we already have and raising standards in the rented sector. This strategy is a key element of how we will continue to respond to housing needs across our Borough to ensure there is suitable housing for all, and in particular, the most vulnerable and how we futureproof and build resilience into our communities.
"Thank you to everyone for their many and, in some cases, very detailed contributions to this consultation.
"The response to consultation has been extremely helpful. The Housing Strategy has been amended to acknowledge the themes, reflect the impact of the pandemic and set out arrangements with partners and for further consultation to deliver this strategy. The answers we have received are informing and will continue to inform our approaches to investment and policy development, for example in the council’s Local Plan and Climate Change Action Plan.
"We are already responding to the points raised in the consultation. These include:
•Using the review of the Local Plan to strengthen the policy on new house design, space and gardens
•Launching a new ‘report an empty’ mailbox and a new Strategy to deal with empty homes
•Bidding for more funding to tackle fuel poverty
•Working closely with housing associations to make sure available social housing goes to those most in need through an updated allocation policy.
•Make best use of Section 106 money from developers to deliver more affordable and specialist homes.
•Plans to create new public open spaces of ecological value
•Plans to introduce electric vehicle charging across the borough and a new policy to support walking, cycling and public transport.
•Licensing more than 240 Houses in Multiple Occupation and working through our new Safer, Stronger Communities programme to target housing management and maintenance concerns across our neighbourhoods
•Providing housing advice and support to over 3,000 residents each year
•Supporting more than 350 individuals/families to adapt their homes to enable them to continue living, independently, at home
“With this strategy, we want to take the quantity and quality of housing to the next level. It’s a vital part of our vision to protect, care and invest to create a better borough.”
Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet is recommended to approve the final amended version of the strategy when it meets on Thursday 18 March. The Cabinet would then receive an annual update on the progress of the strategy’s implementation.
