Agenda item

[The report of the  Director for Planning, Regeneration and Development. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Planning.]Cabinet to agree the Housing Strategy and put this forward to Full Council in November for adoption.

The Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Planning introduced Haringey’s Housing Strategy, following completion of a second stage of consultation for agreement and referral to full Council for adoption.

Although there was an existing Housing Strategy in place, the Cabinet Member felt it important to revise the strategy in response to a changed legislative and market environment and to set out clearly what the Council was trying to achieve for housing in the borough with a vision and priorities. Also, at the same time, having flexibility in the strategy to respond to nationally changing housing environment.

The Cabinet Member outlined the importance of housing: in building strong and successful communities, its impact on health, in childhood, in old age, and for influencing life chances.

The Cabinet Member set out the 4 housing priorities/objectives being followed which also underpinned the proceeding housing Cabinet reports on the agenda concerned with Housing supply, Temporary accommodation, Housing investment and intermediate housing. This included:

·         A step change in new homes being built – there was an evident need to build more homes as there was shortage of all types of housing and all types of    tenure as set out in the report due to previous government polices limiting the new build of homes. There was a need to serve people on low income left behind in the open market.

·         Improve support and help to prevent homelessness. The number of preventions had gone up through working with Home for Haringey but there was more to do.

·         Quality of housing for all residents includes working with providers in the borough to improve the quality of homes, being tougher on the design of the private homes, pushing up the quality of homes in the private rented sector.

·         Delivering wider community benefits such as more jobs and apprenticeships.

The Cabinet Member referred to the engagement with residents and homelessness residents when developing the strategy and spoke of the challenges being put forward to housing providers through the housing strategy discussions, generating new ideas to come forward, and demonstrating the Leadership value of the strategy.

In response to Councillor Engert’s questions:

• Tougher action was being taken forward on bringing empty private homes into use with more home owners coming forward to find solutions for these homes.

·         The AD for Regeneration provided examples of where flexible finance options had been taken forward to increase the numbers of affordable housing. At Hornsey depot where a change in the pricing of the Council land was taken forward to facilitate a higher number of affordable homes, also work with a Development Vehicle in which the Council takes an equity stake and brings in partners – High Road West  was an example of this

• All tenure of homes retro fitted - The grant from government to promote and provide funding for retrofit in private homes was ending and had had a good take up. Future zero carbon requirements for new homes will allow Councils to collect money from developers to meet this environmental requirement and allow a source of future funding for retrofitting home in the borough.

RESOLVED

1. To note and consider the feedback from and the response to the second stage consultation conducted on Haringey’s Housing Strategy, set out in appendix 1.

2. To note the comments and resolutions of Regulatory Committee, set out in appendix 4.

3. To recommend the revised and final version of Haringey’s Housing Strategy, attached as appendix 2 to this report, having considered the revised and final version of the Equalities Impact Assessment, attached as appendix 3, for adoption by Council.

Reasons for Decision

Regulatory Committee was required to provide informal recommendations to Cabinet and Full Council about the draft Housing Strategy.

Cabinet was required to recommend that Council adopt the draft Housing Strategy.

A decision was required from Council formally to adopt Haringey’s Housing Strategy, taking into account any recommendations from both Regulatory Committee and Cabinet.

Each body must consider the consultation responses, the changed national and local housing landscape and the updated Equalities Impact Assessment.

Alternative Options Considered

The Council already had a Housing Strategy in place covering the period 2009 – 2019, so it would be possible to continue with the current strategy.  However, at its meeting in October 2014, the Cabinet rejected this approach given the scale of changes to housing policy since 2009.  The scale of these changes has increased further since the general election in May 2015 and the introduction of the Housing and Planning Act 2016. The case for a new strategy is, therefore, now more compelling.

Council could also consider carrying out a simple review and refresh of the 2009 – 2019 strategy.  However, the extent of the changes since 2009 is such that this would not enable the Council to adequately meet the challenges it faces.

Alternatively, the Council could rescind the housing strategy altogether and move forward without one as there is no statutory requirement for a local authority to produce a housing strategy. However, having a strategy is considered both best practice and necessary to articulate how the Council will meet the housing challenges and deliver its housing objectives and priorities with its partners.

The final strategy represents recommended policy choices that aim to achieve the Council’s priorities.  Alternative options were discounted where they:

• Would not have been consistent with the general tenor of consultation feedback;
• Did not comply with current and forthcoming government legislation;
• Would have represented policy choices that are unachievable given known and likely constraints.