Agenda item

A briefing note of the Strategic Director of Housing, Planning, Regeneration and Regulatory Services setting out the actions the Council is taking and plans to take to meet affordable housing needs in the Borough.  The Board wished to receive this information to assist it in deciding whether more detailed scrutiny of the matter would be useful and add value.

Considered a briefing note of the Strategic Director of Housing, Planning, Regeneration and Regulatory Services setting out the actions the Council was taking and planned to take to meet affordable housing needs in the Borough (item 8 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

The Board had wished to receive this information to assist it in deciding whether more detailed scrutiny of the matter would be useful and add value.

The Strategic Director of Housing, Planning, Regeneration and Regulatory Services assisted with consideration of the report.

The following provides a brief summary of the Board’s consideration of this matter, including responses given to questions:

(i)        The shortfall position set out in the table on agenda page 85 was explained.

(ii)       The issue of developers challenging affordable housing requirements based on viability was discussed, this was often due to the time taken until sites were developed.  When requirements were recalculated as a result, developers often favoured other Section 106 obligations over affordable housing.  The difficulty that developers faced in securing Registered Social Landlord partners to deliver affordable housing on sites and the reasons for that were also explained. 

(iii)      The considerable challenge the Borough faced in meeting its affordable housing needs were clear, with some factors being very difficult for the Council to influence.

(iv)    Affordable housing need was regularly assessed using the most up to date information available.

(iv)      Purchasing new properties from developers could be more cost effective than the Council building those properties and that was an option.  The resources available were dependent on what the Council wished to invest.

(v)       The view was expressed by some members that developer profits suggested that affordable housing provision was viable.

(vi)      Reference was made to the proposal to consider setting up a Housing Development Company (considered by Cabinet in December 2018) and the assistance that could provide in meeting affordable housing need.  Effective scrutiny of the company would be needed.

(vii)    The issue of meeting affordable housing needs in the Borough was important and should be kept at the forefront of scrutiny’s work.  Particular areas of concern were the shortfall position and that developers were looking to re-negotiate agreed affordable housing provision.  It was acknowledged that the current position in respect of the Council’s Five Year Housing Supply placed the Council in a stronger position.

(viii)   Any future scrutiny of the matter needed to be clear in its scope and in how that scrutiny could add value.

The Board thanked the Strategic Director of Housing, Planning, Regeneration and Regulatory Services for the information provided.

RESOLVED that Councillor Bebbington, with the assistance of the Democratic Services Manager, drafts a proposed scrutiny scope document for a scrutiny panel to consider the issue of meeting affordable housing needs in the Borough, aimed at adding value in that respect, with a view to consideration of that proposed scope by the appropriate scrutiny committee under the new scrutiny committee structure effective from the start of the 2019/20 council year.

Reason

Having considered the submitted briefing note, the Board considered that the issue of meeting affordable housing needs should be kept at the forefront of scrutiny’s work and that a scrutiny panel would be the most appropriate means of doing so.  The Board recognised that it would be from the new scrutiny committee structure to decide whether a panel should be established, having considered the scrutiny scope document which the Board had agreed should be drafted.