Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Corporate Manager for Public Health, Regulation and Housing providing Members of the Cabinet with an opportunity to adopt the proposed revised corporate Housing Strategy (Annex 1) following the recent completion of external and public consultation. Details of the consultation are set out within the report. The consultation responses and outcomes are set out in Annex 2.

The Cabinet had before it a * report of the Corporate Manager for Public Health, Regulation and Housing providing Members of the Cabinet with an opportunity to adopt the proposed revised corporate Housing Strategy (Annex 1) following the recent completion of external and public consultation. Details of the consultation were set out within the report. The consultation responses and outcomes were set out in Annex 2.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Property Services outlined the contents of the report initially thanking officers for their work in creating such a comprehensive document which would provide a strategy for housing for four years.  The strategy had been considered by the Homes Policy Development Group and the Scrutiny Committee.

Consideration was given to:

·         The consultation process, the lack of responses and the various platforms used for the consultation

·         Whether the strategy was ambitious enough with regard to affordable and social rented housing

·         A mechanism to monitor housing numbers and the need for an integrated approach to performance management, how the delivery of the strategy would be reported via the Homes Policy Development Group and that there was a commitment to review the strategy on an annual basis.

·         The need to identify the village communities, specifically community housing schemes, the meeting was informed with regard to a housing needs survey which had been sent to parishes.

·         Funding for projects, affordability and possible grant funding

·         Objective 26 – climate change and existing Council housing stock and affordability

RESOLVED that the Housing Strategy for 2021-25 be approved.

(Proposed by Cllr R B Evans and seconded by Cllr C R Slade)

Reason for the Decision – there is a need to ensure that an updated strategy is formally adopted allowing for the delivery against the strategic priorities and objectives over the strategy period of 4 years.

Note: *Report previously circulated, copy attached to minutes.