Issue - meetings

To consider and approve the Council’s Housing Strategy 2020-24, as recommended by the Executive.

RECOMMENDATION:  That Council approve the adoption of the proposed Housing Strategy 2020-2024.

The Council considered the proposed Housing Strategy 2020/24, set out at Agenda pages 45 to 90.

John Kaiser stated that everyone should have access to good quality housing as a home was a fundamental right. No one living in the UK should be without a place to live that was safe and warm. This was especially true in a place as affluent as Wokingham.

The report stated that the Housing Strategy contained four strategic priorities:

·       Address and understand our housing needs;

·       Support our vulnerable residents through a range of housing options;

·       Improve the quality, sustainability and management of the Borough’s homes;

·       Enriching people’s lives.

Prue Bray stated that the four priorities were acceptable, but there was concern that the Government was not providing the necessary support to enable the delivery of the strategy.

Shirley Boyt highlighted the need to deliver affordable, one-bedroom properties in order to meet local needs.

It was proposed by John Kaiser and seconded by John Halsall that the proposed Housing Strategy 2020/24 be approved.

RESOLVED: That the proposed Housing Strategy 2020/24 be approved.

That Council be recommended to approve the adoption of the proposed Housing Strategy 2020-2024.

The Executive considered a report relating to a proposed Housing Strategy to cover the period 2020-2024.

The Executive Member for Finance and Housing introduced the report and explained why housing was so important to him.  He also informed the meeting that the number of homeless people in the Borough had been reduced, there were currently no rough sleepers except those who chose to be, the housing waiting list was low with the number of people with real need being met by the number of affordable homes which the Council had built over the last few years and all social housing now met the decent home standard.

Councillor Kaiser reported on the work of the Council’s housing companies to deliver affordable homes across the Borough and highlighted the Gorse Ride scheme.  He also drew Members’ attention to the impact of Covid, as set out in the report, and the fact that it was difficult to determine the longer-term problems that the Council might be faced with. 

In response to a query Councillor Kaiser provided an update on phase 2 of Gorse Ride which involved decanting 160 families from their homes to other homes.  In was expected that some of the families would want to return to Gorse Ride and some would want to move to new areas.  It was confirmed that work on the scheme was on target.

Councillor Munro highlighted that when the furlough scheme and the grants come to an end there might be additional pressure on housing need and asked if there was a plan in place to address this possibility?   Councillor Kaiser advised that there was a team within the Council who had been considering this issue and the Council was increasing the number of temporary homes, including the building of such homes in Grovelands.  The intention was, whenever possible, to ensure people were kept in the Borough.

With regard to strategies to assist first time buyers to buy properties in Wokingham Councillor Kaiser confirmed that the Council was building affordable homes which were being offered as part buy, part rental and in future the Council would be looking to see if it could facilitate loans to assist people buying their own houses. 

RECOMMENDATION:  That Council be recommended to approve the adoption of the proposed Housing Strategy 2020-2024.