Issue - meetings

Tenancy Strategy 2025 to 2029

Meeting: 27/11/2024 - Cabinet (Item 7)

7 Tenancy Strategy 2025 - 2029 pdf icon PDF 55 KB

Housing Portfolio

 

To consider report SHAP/091 of the Head of Strategic Housing, which was referred to the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission on 25 November 2024.

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

That Full Council be recommended to approve and adopt of the Tenancy Strategy 2025 to 2029 (Appendix A of report SHAP/091) to commence from 1 January 2025, subject to that within 3.0 Council approach, that the final line in the penultimate paragraph be changed to read:

 

‘There are now over 2,500 households on the housing register, and due to the increased demand for housing and reduced supply, households may wait several years for an offer of social housing (dependent on their priority and the availability of properties they are eligible for).’.

 

 

Reasons for the Recommendations

 

To fulfil the Council’s legal duty to publish a Tenancy Strategy to set out matters to which registered providers are to have regard to when formulating their own tenancy policies.

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Housing presented report SHAP/091of the Head of Strategic Housing.  The report sought approval of the new Tenancy Strategy.

 

Councillor Ayling presented the Overview and Scrutiny Commission’s comments on the report to the Cabinet following consideration of the matter at its meeting on 25 November 2024, which included recognition that the Strategy incorporated the recommendations from the Housing Associations Scrutiny Panel which was conducted in 2024 and it was noted that Housing Associations were regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). The Council had no regulatory powers over the activities of Housing Associations operating within Crawley.

 

The Commission recommended that Cabinet be requested to amend Section 3 of the Tenancy Strategy (Council Approach) to provide further clarity upon timescales ‘households may wait “many years” for an offer of suitable housing’.  (Suggested amendments in bold to provide further information): ‘households may wait several years for an offer of social housing (dependent on their priority and the availability of properties they are eligible for)’.  

 

Councillors S Mullins and Jones spoke as part of the discussion on the report and in support of the proposed Strategy. Councillor Irvine responded to the Commission’s proposal, confirming he was happy to accept their proposed amendment to the Strategy.

 

 

RESOLVED

 

That Full Council be recommended to approve and adopt of the Tenancy Strategy 2025 to 2029 (Appendix A of report SHAP/091) to commence from 1 January 2025, subject to that within Section 3.0 Council approach, that the final line in the penultimate paragraph be changed to read:

 

‘There are now over 2,500 households on the housing register, and due to the increased demand for housing and reduced supply, households may wait several years for an offer of social housing (dependent on their priority and the availability of properties they are eligible for).’.

 

  

Reasons for the Recommendations

 

To fulfil the Council’s legal duty to publish a Tenancy Strategy to set out matters to which registered providers are to have regard to when formulating their own tenancy policies.

 


Meeting: 25/11/2024 - Overview and Scrutiny Commission (Item 4)

4 Tenancy Strategy 2025 to 2029 pdf icon PDF 55 KB

To consider report SHAP/091 of the Head of Strategic Housing.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Commission considered report SHAP/091 and assoicated Appendix A of the Head of Strategic Housing. The report sought approval of the new Tenancy Strategy for 2025-2029.

 

During the discussion with the Cabinet Member for Housing, the Housing Needs Manager and Performance, Policy and Projects Officer, the following comments were made:

·         Acknowledgement that the Council had a statutory obligation to have a Tenancy Strategy.

·         Recognition that the strategy incorporated the recommendations from the Housing Associations Scrutiny Panel which was conducted in 2024 and it was noted that Housing Associations were regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). The Council had no regulatory powers over the activities of Housing Associations operating within Crawley.

·         Clarification sought and provided on affordable rent and local housing allowance levels.

·         Acknowledgement that the strategy was a five year document which was dependent on various criteria.

·         It was recommended that Cabinet be requested to amend Section 3 of the Tenancy Strategy (Council Approach) to provide further clarity upon timescales ‘households may wait “many years” for an offer of suitable housing’.  (Suggested amendments in bold to provide further information): ‘households may wait several years for an offer of social housing (dependent on their priority and the availability of properties they are eligible for)’.

     

RESOLVED

That the Commission noted the report and requested that the views expressed during the debate, were fed back to the Cabinet through the Commission’s Comment sheet and requested Cabinet consider the proposed amendment noted above.