Report Format - Decisions of Chief Officer in Consultation with Executive Councillor
South Gloucestershire Council
Community Care & Housing Select Committee
10 November 2010
Housing Strategy Action Plan Refresh 2011-13 (All Wards)
Purpose of Report
- For the Committee to consider proposed revised strategic housing priorities and subsequent Draft Action Plan Refresh 2011-13 for the Housing Strategy 2008-2013.
Policy
2. The Housing Strategy 2008 – 2013, and the completion of this strategic refresh is a key action in working towards achieving the shared vision for South Gloucestershire and of the Sustainable Communities Strategy key priorities, taking into account any subsequent changes to themes and sub-themes. The Housing Strategy links and influences wider council priorities and other relevant organisational plans including the:
· Core Strategy
· Community Safety Plan
This report is written within the context of the above frameworks.
3. In July 2008 South Gloucestershire adopted a new Housing Strategy 2008-13 and Action Plan. Eighteen months on we reviewed what had been achieved against our plan and wanted to find out views on a refreshed focus. We aim to have this new Housing Strategy Action Plan in place by the end of 2010, setting out specific actions for the period 2011-13, the remainder of the period covered by the current Housing Strategy.
4. Key aspects of this revised Action Plan (please see Appendix 1) have been to incorporate South Gloucestershire Council’s response to national and local drivers outlined in:
· South Gloucestershire Council Audit Commission’s Housing Inspection Report (2007)
· Report to CC&HD Select Committee – Implementation of Post-Inspection Housing Improvement Plan (2008)
· Audit Commission’s Key Lines of Enquiry (2010)
· Audit Commission paper – Building Better Lives (2009)
· Housing Quality Network Good Practice/ Learning Points
· Legislative, policy and sector changes proposed by the Coalition Government
- There is a clear link to the Supporting People Strategic Review and Development.
6. The proposed actions will be subject to review/revision to reflect revised national direction following the Comprehensive Spending Review announcements of 20 October 2010.
Background
7. In 2004 South Gloucestershire Council published its first Housing Strategy. Although the action plan in the strategy was planned to run from 2004 – 2009, the transfer of the Council’s housing stock to Merlin Housing Society in February 2007 and a realisation that by the middle of 2007 we had achieved almost all the targets set out in the document led us to develop a new Housing Strategy. Titled ‘More Housing, More Choice – Affordable, Sustainable & Better Quality’, this new Strategy was launched in 2008 and set out an even more ambitious five-year plan to deal with some of the major housing issues facing the people of South Gloucestershire which, following widespread consultation, had been identified as:
· Accessing high quality services
· Ensuring the delivery, affordability and sustainability of new homes
· Ensuring people in rural communities can meet their housing needs
· Improving the condition of homes in South Gloucestershire
· Maximising people’s ability to live independently
· Reducing homelessness
8. From these six priorities, an action plan was developed which set out over almost 150 individual actions to help us tackle these priorities.
9. Eighteen months on we reviewed what has been achieved against our plan and it is our intention to focus on outstanding activities and streamline these in accordance with national and local drivers and develop a refreshed plan.
10. We have published details of the progress we had made as at December 2009 in implementing the Housing Strategy Action Plan we launched in July 2008. Details can be found on our website here: http://www.southglos.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/96862D69-6E9D-4E5E-9564-C4E78633B516/0/HSG100004.pdf
With the full version of our progress report shown here: http://www.southglos.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/310C4D22-C76F-41F5-BB01-FE3D332D567C/0/HSG090012.pdf
11. Our revised Action Plan 2011-13 has reference to national policy from the Coalition Government, improving what we deliver and how we deliver it. This means we will look at:
· how well we work with our partners and local communities to address housing needs and challenges within South Gloucestershire
· whether we are using all of our powers to influence and drive forward our housing vision and deliver better housing outcomes for all the communities in South Gloucestershire
· how we value leadership and working with others in developing our approach, and whether our housing vision supports plans to create sustainable communities
· whether we focus on all types of housing tenure in South Gloucestershire, as well as different types of housing markets.
12. This will result in the targeted improvement of delivery of the strategic housing services, responding to local innovation and enabling further focus on Priority Neighbourhoods. Specifically, this will mean delivering on housing strategic issues, including:
· Addressing current national, regional and local priorities
· Addressing issues of supply and demand
· Improving the relationship between the Housing Strategy and other relevant strategic frameworks
· Involvement and consultation with local communities
13. Deliverables of this piece of work will be:
· 2 year Action Plan 2011–13 (refresh) for external use
· Action Plan Review (of current action plan) for external use
· Appropriate monitoring forum
· Phased Consultation
14. Outcomes we intend on achieving will be:
· Golden thread achieved and embedded
· Advancement of the personalisation/ transformation agenda
· Achievement of SGC CC&HD targets
Consultation
15. We have consulted with our partner and stakeholder views on a refreshed focus. Whilst working toward completing a new Housing Strategy Action Plan Refresh we wanted to ensure that these detailed action points sit beneath appropriate priority themes and that we build an even stronger partnership to champion housing issues and make the links between objectives and desired outcomes.
16. Pre-consultation has informed the seven (7) key themes upon which it was proposed that formal consultation be conducted. We have undertaken some analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats of the Key Lines of Enquiries and ‘Building Better Lives’. Examples of pre-consultation key stakeholders included Community Care & Housing staff and partners/ providers.
17. Pre-consultation did additionally proposed the amendment of our existing strategic housing themes by one:
· Leadership, performance management and improved delivery through Partnerships
· Accessing high quality services
· Ensuring the delivery, affordability and sustainability of new homes
· Ensuring people in rural communities can meet their housing needs
· Improving the condition of homes in South Gloucestershire
· Maximising people’s ability to live independently
· Reducing homelessness
18. There was extensive consultation process undertaken with service users and partner agencies (statutory and voluntary), and formal consultation with service users partner agencies (statutory and voluntary), elected members, and with staff.
19. Whilst we refreshed our action plan, with new targets and new activities we did identify 3 key stages of consultation – formal consultation, consultation with the Senior Officer Groups (SOG) of the South Gloucestershire Partnership Themes Partnerships and the subsequently those Partnership themselves. Please see Appendix 2 which outlines which Strategic Partnership/ SOG fed back, the details on the types of issue received during consultation and how we address these issues in our Action Plan Refresh.
20. Formal consultation was undertaken during June – August 2010. The main points raised during formal consultation were contextualised within the key priorities of South Gloucestershire’s Sustainable Community Strategy. Response was received mainly via (on line and written) questionnaires. There was support for the additional proposed priority, and respondents prioritised their top 3 housing themes:
· Improving the condition of homes in South Gloucestershire
· Reducing homelessness
· Ensuring the delivery, affordability and sustainability of new homes
21. Respondents also gave helpful feedback and highlighted specific issues. The majority of this response was on accessibility, affordability, standards of housing, housing support and services. There were additional comments on providers, eligibility, empty homes and tenants.
22. The Project Team for the Housing Strategy Action Plan refresh will give further detailed consideration of the comments received and how they relate to the themes consulted upon, and where indicated, feedback and/or clarity will be given.
The Issues
23. This is a plan for effecting change:
· It does not include steady state activities and therefore does not serve as a full directory of the Council’s housing services
· It does include some actions that do build and expand on current activities
· It does include actions that are mostly or entirely new.
24. We will continue to:
· Identify those most at risk of financial exclusion/ hardship and ensure they receive appropriate financial advice through targeted campaigns and activities
· Deliver the approved Delivery Infrastructure and Investment Plan (DIIP) through the Programme Board taking into account funding cuts (if any) and maximise opportunities to take up slippage funding from elsewhere in the sub-region
· Promote the development of new mixed tenure Extra Care Schemes and where possible ensure that existing ExtraCare schemes operate as community hubs/ day care provision links
· Implement and deliver Core Strategy: Affordable Housing Policies CS18 and CS19
· Consider and respond to, where appropriate, the housing needs of rural local communities
· Ensure the best value delivery of Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) whilst maintaining a quality service
· Sustain the warm and well scheme
· Continue to develop accreditation scheme to the private rented sector not currently engaged
· Bring an increased number of empty properties back into use by expanding & improving advice & assistance to empty property owners
· Deliver supported housing schemes that further opportunities for independent living for vulnerable people, including older people, people with learning difficulties, women and children experiencing domestic abuse, those leaving Young Offenders’ Institutions or leaving care etc.
· Replace Homes Improvement Agency Contract in place for 2011/2012 by 31 December 2010 and long-term contracting options established by June 2011.
25. We have identified the following priorities for action:
· Maximising the delivery of appropriate sustainable, good quality and genuinely Affordable Housing with a particular focus on sites in Priority Areas for Homes and Community Agency investment (Filton/Patchway, Top of M32, East Fringe, Yate/Sodbury & Thornbury) that support delivery of the 5 year land supply.
· Maximising Homelessness Preventions (including Youth Homelessness) and access to the Private Rented Sector, so as to minimise the number of households who become homeless and the number in temporary accommodation
· Increasing the number of homes that meet the Decent Homes Standard, are energy efficient and, if appropriate, are adapted to meet the needs of their disabled occupants.
· Identifying options for the adoption for launching a social lettings agency
· Building on the strengths of Housing Strategy Review Group, develop a partnership that champions strategic housing aims.
Finance Implications
26. It is intended that the revised Action Plan will be delivered efficiently and effectively by building on and revising current practices and procedures and within forecast resources and will also complement the Transformational Service Review Process.
27. Any new planned specific measures and service developments will be delivered in the first instance through the Strategic Housing Management Team.
28. Long term service development has not been developed in detail. It is likely to require continued funding by the Council (and its partners) and the Delivery Infrastructure and Investment Plan (agreed with Homes & Community Agency). Match funding required from the Council to support new schemes would come from the existing budgets (confirmed by Andrew Birch, Head of Service, Business Management and Budget Strategy, CC&H / Ian Webster, Chief Financial Officer, CE&CR)
Legal Implications
29. There are no specific legal implications arising directly formthis report. Any subsequent legal implications will be considered thoroughly in the appraisal of options for the action plan as it is further developed and implemented (confirmed by Michael Hewitt, Solicitor, Legal and Democratic Services).
Human Resources Implications
30. There are no specific HR implications affecting this report in respect of permanent staff. The majority of the action plan can be delivered efficiently and effectively within existing staffing resources and structure. Any new planned service developments may include the recruitment of temporary, limited contract staff to operate any specific measures piloted (confirmed by Claire Kerswill, HR Manager, CC&H).
Sustainability Implications
31. The revised Housing Strategy Action Plan will demonstrate the contribution it can make to South Gloucestershire’s Sustainable Communities Strategy. Following the formal consultation process, the emerging revised Action Plan was the subject of consultation with the Senior Officer Groups of South Gloucestershire Partnership’s Themed Groups, and with those Groups themselves.
Equalities Impact Assessment
32. An Assessment of Equalities Impact will be undertaken as part of the further development of the action plan refresh to ensure that there is no adverse impact on any groups arising from the implementation of the action plan refresh.
Risks, Mitigations & Opportunities
33. A dedicated Housing Strategy provides the following benefits and opportunities:-
· Emphasises the role of strategic housing services
· Emphasises the role of the Housing Strategy in meeting other strategic objectives
· Maintains the importance of strategic housing role / profile of housing within the department & externally
· Equitable e.g. ensures that all service users’ needs are considered and promotes the Council aim to ensure access for all
· Gives a focus and more detailed plan which supports the Housing Strategy
· Makes best use of partnership arrangements in developing and providing services
· Enables service users to be involved in the development of services
· Tells us what we know about the needs of service users, and identifies gaps and identify best practice provision to address this.
Consideration by Community Care and Housing Select Committee
34. That the Committee approves the revised strategic housing priorities of the Housing Strategy and the Draft Action Plan Refresh 2011-13 as set out above.
Author
Peter Murphy, Director of Community Care & Housing
Departmental Contact
Sabrina McAndrew, Planning and Partnerships Officer.
01454 868270.
Background Papers
· Audit Commission paper – Building Better Lives (2009)
· Audit Commission’s Key Lines of Enquiry (2010)
· Housing Strategy 2008 – 2013
· Project Brief – South Gloucestershire Housing Strategy Action Plan Refresh 2011-2013
· Report to CC&HD Select Committee – Implementation of Post-Inspection Housing Improvement Plan (2008)
· South Gloucestershire Council Audit Commission’s Housing Inspection Report (2007)
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