(See report at agenda item 9 (pages 45 to 52) of the Cabinet agenda of 7 February 2017)
RECOMMENDED BY THE CABINET
1) That the allocation of funding of £1,386,067 for the 2016-2017 financial year from the government’s Community Housing Fund to support community-led housing developments be noted.
2) That authority be delegated to the Head of Housing and Environment Services, following consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Members for Finance and Governance and for Housing and Environment Services, to approve the spend of the funds in para (1) above in line with government guidance issued with the notification of the award (appendix 1 to the agenda report) and Chichester District Council’s Housing Strategy.
Minutes:
Mrs Purnell (Cabinet Member for Housing and Environment Services), seconded by Mrs Lintill (Cabinet Member for Community Services), moved the recommendations of the Cabinet.
Mrs Purnell introduced this report, summarising the objective of the Government’s community-led housing development scheme and how the council, which would be allocated £1,386,067 in two tranches, would be required to use the funds in a prescribed manner. The funds provided by this scheme would enable the council to implement the key priorities of its Housing Strategy.
Registered provider partners were now looking to maximise economies of scale in response to government grant funding reductions and the revenue loss through the government’s 1% per annum rent reduction policy on all affordable rented tenancies. They were no-longer interested in delivering small sites as they were relatively expensive to deliver.
The Council currently holds £435,000 in commuted sums yet to be allocated. A further £1.23m of commuted sums was expected to be received from completed section 106 agreements. The Housing Strategy review approved by the Council last year approved the use of commuted sums both to attract investment to meet specific local needs, such as bungalows and to make small schemes viable, particularly rural schemes. This scheme achieved both of these objectives.
Funding had been determined on the number of second homes in the district and on affordability level. Chichester district has more second homes than Arun, for example, and more on the coastal strip than in the South Downs National Park area.
Council was being asked to note receipt of the funding and not to consider how it was allocated.
Mrs Grange advised that over 25 expressions of interest in community led housing had been received over the last six months. She had spoken to a number of groups – parish councils, landowners and community groups as well as Action in Rural Sussex, housing consultants in the district and to other organisations who provide advice. An options report would now be drawn up to consider how this money could be allocated.
Mrs Duncton supported the scheme, saying that it was the only option in our small communities and rural villages where we could provide housing which did not go onto the open market. Mr Shaxson praised the proactive work that Mrs Grange (Housing Enablement Manager) and her team were doing in speaking to individual parishes. Mr J F Elliott suggested that more one bed properties should be made available in rural villages for widows/widowers.
Mr Dunn considered that it had not been a good decision to transfer our housing to housing associations and that Community Land Trusts should be encouraged to build housing for rental to secure housing tenure.
Mr Dignum asked members to encourage their parishes to get behind the scheme, particularly in the South Downs National Park area. Chichester had received 50% more than the rest of West Sussex combined and there may be more such funding available to us. Para 5.4 of the Cabinet papers gave examples of the sorts of things we could spend our money on.
On the recommendations being put to the vote, they were declared carried.
RESOLVED
1) That the allocation of funding of £1,386,067 for the 2016-2017 financial year from the government’s Community Housing Fund to support community-led housing developments be noted.
2) That authority be delegated to the Head of Housing and Environment Services, following consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Members for Finance and Governance and for Housing and Environment Services, to approve the spend of the funds in para (1) above in line with government guidance issued with the notification of the award (appendix 1 to the agenda report) and Chichester District Council’s Housing Strategy.