Agenda item

To consider a report by the Development Planning and Policy manager (copy attached) to seek Members’ approval to adopt the draft Denbighshire Housing Strategy and endorse the accompanying Action Plan.

 

The Lead Member for Modernisation and Housing, Councillor Barbara Smith, introduced the Draft Denbighshire Housing Strategy Report (previously circulated) to seek Members’ approval to adopt the Draft Housing Strategy and endorse the accompanying Action Plan.

 

At this juncture, the Lead Member thanked everyone who had worked on the Draft Housing Strategy including Angela Loftus and her Team together with the Members of the Task and Finish Groups.

 

The content of the Draft Housing Strategy and Action Plan represented the culmination of consultation with partners, work with officers across the Council and input from Members. 

 

Access to good quality housing was a key corporate priority and the development of a clear and robust Housing Strategy would provide the framework for all relevant Council functions to successfully address the priority.  The intention of the Housing Strategy was to provide a clear statement of the Council’s vision and aims for housing in the county for the next five years.

 

The strategic vision was as follows:-

“Everyone is supported with pride to live in homes that meet their needs, within the vibrant and sustainable communities Denbighshire aspire to”.

 

Within the Strategy, to ensure consistency, there were seven local principles:-

·       Supporting the local economy – through house building and regeneration

·       Reducing inequalities – by aiming to ensure that decent homes are available for all and vulnerable people are supported

·       Engagement and involvement – with partners to help to collectively deliver decent homes and with residents in the regeneration of their neighbourhoods

·       Sustainability – supporting a sustainable housing market and delivering sustainable communities

·       Welsh language and culture – consideration & promotion in new development

·       Monitoring & review – an annual review report will be produced to outline progress and any changes to agreed actions

·       Outcome focussed – the strategy will focus on the delivery of the identified outcomes.

 

The Strategy identified five “themes” which were priority areas for action to be addressed and these formed the core of the Strategy.  The five themes were:-

·       More homes to meet local need and demand

·       Creating a supply of affordable homes

·       Ensuring safe and healthy homes

·       Homes and support for vulnerable people, and

·       Promoting and supporting communities

 

Indepth discussion took place and the following points were raised:-

·       Achievability of target dates.  Some of the actions were already in progress and some had almost been achieved.  The actions were to be reviewed and would be flagged up if there was a prospect of the time line slipping.

·       There were a number of actions under Theme 2 – Affordable Housing.  Officers were talking of council housing and social housing all being grouped together.  Lead Members were to take responsibility of the Action Plan and would be held to account.  It was advised that if any Members had any issues which were not being delivered, they should be put forward to a Scrutiny Committee.

·       Councillor Jason McLellan requested that with regards to Action 2.10 – “to develop a business plan to ensure more Council homes are provided” – an update be brought back to Council in April 2016.

·       Promotion of the Welsh language and culture – any application over a certain size, the developer would be required to submit a Welsh Language Impact Assessment.  The Draft Housing Strategy itself, once approved, would be translated and published in Welsh also.

·       The current numbers on the housing waiting list was:-

Ø  1915 general applications

Ø  264 transfer requests

Ø  28 homeless

·       Empty Homes – Develop the Council’s Empty Homes Delivery Plan, investigate innovative mechanisms for bringing empty homes back into use and work with partners to develop new initiatives.  The performance was quite good regarding working on empty homes.

·       24% of the population had an activity limiting illness or disability and because of this, the type of housing being made available would be imperative

·       176 properties were built between 2014/2015 which was up 17 on 2013/2014

·       The Council had a duty to undertake and submit a Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment prior to February 2016.  This was a statutory requirement and would provide up to date information on gypsy & traveller accommodation needs in Denbighshire.

·       During the previous ten years, just under 500 available homes had been provided in Denbighshire. 

 

A consensus of gratitude was extended from Members to the Lead Members and Officers for all their work on the Draft Housing Strategy.

 

RESOLVED that subject to the above, the Council adopt Denbighshire’s Housing Strategy with accompanying draft Action Plan.