Issue - items at meetings - Worcestershire Local Investment Plan and Affordable Homes Programme

Issue - meetings

Worcestershire Local Investment Plan and Affordable Homes Programme

 

 

Meeting: 06/04/2011 - Cabinet (Item 160)

160 Worcestershire Local Investment Plan and Affordable Homes Programme pdf icon PDF 127 KB

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered a report relating to:

 (i)        a proposed Local Investment Plan (LIP) for Worcestershire;

 (ii)       a range of proposed Government reforms to the way that social housing is delivered, in particular the Homes and Communities Agency’s (HCA) new “Affordable Housing Programme Framework”; and

 (iii)      the proposed response of the Council’s Principal Preferred Partners (BDHT and West Mercia Housing) to the Government’s new framework for the delivery of affordable housing. In particular the report gave an overview of the bid currently being formulated by BDHT and West Mercia for submission to the HCA by 3rd May 2011 in order to seek grant subsidy over the next four years. It was clear that the HCA would require confirmation that the bid had the support of the Strategic Housing Authority.

 

In relation to (iii) the Strategic Housing Manager gave an update on the recent discussions which had taken place with BDHT and the amended detail of their developing bid to HCA which now proposed 229 dwellings over a four year period. It was reported that due to the timescale and outcomes required by the HCA the proposal for the ring fencing of 50% of capital receipts from rural disposals was no longer workable and therefore section 6.8 of the report should be disregarded.

 

Members discussed the proposed bid in detail and raised issues of concern particularly regarding the loss of housing stock in rural areas. It was felt however that following the discussions which had taken place with BDHT and in view of the continuing need for cooperation and close working on future bids to HCA it should be possible to address any potential issues at an early stage. Members were also mindful of the commitment which BDHT were making to the bid.

 

RESOLVED:

(a)       that the Worcestershire Local Investment Plan attached as appendix 1 to the report be approved;

(b)       that the range of proposed reforms in respect of the delivery of affordable housing and the summary of key elements of the HCA’s new Affordable Delivery Framework as set out in section 5 of the report be noted;

(c)        that the content and principles of the BDHT bid to HCA as outlined in section 6 of the report and as amended at the meeting be approved, subject to it being made clear to BDHT that there is a requirement for improved communication with the Council’s Chief Executive in respect of approval for proposed disposals, in order to ensure that no unreasonable concentration or pattern of disposals occurs in any particular rural area or other part of the District.