Agenda item

To receive the Housing Strategy 2025-2030.

Cabinet considered a joint report by Councillor Richard Overton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Highways and Enforcement and Councillor Carolyn Healy, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Planning and Sustainability, which provided an update on the response to the consultation on the draft Housing Strategy 2025 to 2030 and proposed the final Housing Strategy 2025 to 2030 for adoption.

Councillor Overton said he was pleased to present the Housing Strategy 2025 to 2030, which set out the Council’s vision for housing in Telford and Wrekin.

He said the Strategy was the result of extensive engagement with residents, partners and stakeholders and he wanted to begin by highlighting the importance of that engagement in shaping the Council’s final approach.

Councillor Overton said that over a 12-week consultation period, the Council had reached out through multiple channels, social media and direct invitations to over 100 stakeholders; and face-to-face events, with more than 70 internal and external partners.  He said the Council had also engaged directly with lived experience boards, which included the Health and Well-being Board, Ageing Well partnership, the Making it Real Board, care leavers and Town and Parish Councils.  He added that officers had attended Town and Parish Council coffee mornings and meetings to speak directly to residents about the key themes and objectives.  

Councillor Overton said that the three strategic priorities identified were:

(i)            Making the best use of the Council’s existing homes

Residents had told the Council that improving the quality and availability of existing housing was just as important as building new homes and that this priority focused on raising standards, tackling empty properties and ensuring the Council’s current stock met the needs of all residents, including the most vulnerable.

(ii)          Supporting safe, clean, green, healthy and connected communities.

Feedback had highlighted the importance of neighbourhoods that were safe, well-maintained and environmentally sustainable and that this priority committed the Council to invest in infrastructure, green spaces and community facilities while addressing issues such as antisocial behaviour and climate resilience.

(iii)         Providing homes to support and empower the most vulnerable people.

There had been strong feedback on the need for more supported and specialist accommodation, particularly for adults and young people with disabilities, care leavers and those at risk of homelessness and that this priority ensured inclusivity and continued partnership working to deliver homes and support for those who needed it most.

These priorities were chosen because they reflected the core themes raised on engagement, fairness, inclusion and practical solutions to address both immediate and long-term housing challenges.

He went on to say that a key topic raised during engagement was the impact of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) and that many residents had expressed concerns about the concentration and management of HMOs, linking them to issues such as antisocial behaviour, overcrowding and pressure on local services.

In summary, Councillor Overton said that this housing strategy was a product of genuine partnership with the borough’s community, which set out clear evidence-based priorities that would guide the Council’s work over the next five years.

Councillor Overton expressed his thanks to everyone who had contributed to the engagement process and to the Council’s officers for all their hard work in reaching out and making sure people's views had been fed into this report.  He said he looked forward to working together to deliver on these shared ambitions.

Members made a number of comments, which included:

• Everyone needed a safe and a good quality home to live in and, as a local council, members had that key role in shaping the borough and ensuring that the housing in it met the needs of its population.

• Following the consultation, there was overwhelming support for the housing strategy with the top three priorities above being those voiced by the borough’s residents, partners and stakeholders.

• NuPlace, the Council’s wholly-owned company providing open market rental houses, now worked in conjunction with Telford and Wrekin Homes, to provide rented accommodation that gave security of tenure and created homes that were more sustainable with high levels of insulation.

• The Strategy was not just about building for building's sake but about meeting the housing need within the Borough.

RESOLVED, that:

(a)  The outcome and response to the consultation process in relation to the draft Housing Strategy 2025 to 2030, be noted; and

(b)  The final version of the Housing Strategy 2025 to 2030, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be approved.