Agenda item

The following recommendation was made to Cabinet by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee at the meeting held on 13^th October 2021:

Decision

RESOLVED

The Chairman of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, Cllr N Dixon, introduced this item. He said that he wished to raise some key points relating to the recommendation on the use of housing delivery reserves. He began by saying that it had been a missed opportunity for pre-scrutiny and it was only because he had insisted that the report came forward that it was considered. He said that Cabinet and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee must work together more effectively in future and that there was an agreed protocol in place to support this. Consequently, the committee was not able to allocate as much time to the topic as they would have liked. Cllr Dixon then spoke about the recommendation which proposed that the Council worked more closely with the private sector to retain privately rented accommodation in the District. He said that the committee felt that a broader, multi-source approach was needed to address the housing issues in the District and the recommendation reflected this. He concluded by saying that it was felt that there was a contradiction in the proposals to move homes in shared-ownership over to affordable rentals and the Committee requested that Cabinet fully explore this approach and assess the implications.

Cllr W Fredericks, Portfolio Holder for Housing, thanked Cllr Dixon for his comments and acknowledged the issues he had raised regarding process. She said that she had suggested to officers that more homes should be moved from shared ownership to affordable rentals and that it was hoped to convert more as the opportunity arose.

Cllr Dixon replied that she had misunderstood the issues raised by the committee. It was felt that the issue had not been fully explored and that it could be a retrograde step. He said that there could be value in exploring all forms of housing provision. Shared ownership homes had the potential to thrive as well as returning capital receipts. It was for this reason that the committee felt there was more work to be undertaken on this matter. He said that either Cabinet should make the case clearly for converting to affordable rentals or reconsider whether it was the right approach. Cllr Fredericks thanked him for clarifying the issue. She said that the proposals had come about because there were so few larger houses available for private / social rent. A lot of shared ownership homes that were coming onto the market were not suitable for families on low wages and zero hours’ contracts.

Cllr C Cushing referred to the Housing 21 facility in Fakenham which provided a mix of both shared ownership and rental homes and said that both options were proving popular.

Cllr J Rest said that he had raised the issue at the Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting as he felt that it was not the right approach. He said that it was better to own 10% of something than 0% of nothing. He added that banks were becoming more flexible with mortgage options and requested that Cabinet review the approach being taken before moving forwards. Cllr Fredericks thanked him for his comments and assured him that this was not a backward step. The housing list had been reviewed and options explored to see how people could be helped. She said that the situation would be reviewed and monitored.

Cllr Dixon said that Cllr Rest had considerable experience of working with social housing providers and he suggested that Cllr Fredericks could work with him on this matter.

Cllr Fredericks agreed and said that she would arrange a meeting with Cllr Rest. She added that a workshop on housing would be arranged for all members.

RESOLVED