Agenda item

The Leader welcomed Councillor H. Warren-Clarke in his capacity of Chairman of the Housing Task Group to present the Housing Task Group Final Report for the consideration of Cabinet.

Councillor Warren-Clarke stated that he was pleased to present this report and outlined the background to the report for Members and explained that the Task Group had been agreed by the Overview and Scrutiny Board at the meeting held on 23^rd July 2025.

During the meetings of the Task Group there were several areas discussed including fleeceholding and allocation of S106 monies.

There had been detailed discussions regarding these matters along with several other areas which had resulted in the recommendations contained within the report.

Following the presentation the Leader thanked the Task Group Members for the work undertaken on this matter and discussed the recommendations in detail.

·       Recommendation 1 – This recommendation proposed that Officers explore the potential of establishing an initiative whereby a basic start up package be provided to residents who were currently on the housing waiting list. This package would consist of essential items for those who did not have them when moving into a new property.

·       Recommendation 2 – This dealt with the mix of affordable housing provided within a new housing development. The recommendation proposed that the affordable housing allocation be made up of social rent and shared ownership properties only and exclude outright sales of affordable homes.

·       Recommendation 3 – This recommendation proposed an increase in monitoring information for Members to understand the bad debt in terms of non-payment of Council Tax by residents.

·       Recommendation 4 – This was concerned with monitoring the numbers of residents claiming Council Tax Support whilst living in housing Bands F, G and H. It was explained that these residents may be ‘asset rich but potentially revenue poor’ which might result in them claiming this benefit. This recommendation would help the Council to better understand the needs of these residents and any potential areas of support that the Council could provide.

·       Recommendation 5 – this proposal would ensure greater engagement with Ward Members during the consideration of appropriate allocation of S106 monies for developments within the District. Members discussed this recommendation in detail and stated that this matter would be relevant at the pre-Planning application stage in a development. It was felt that should Ward Members be interested in the specific allocation of S106 monies then they should attend pre-application meetings. It was reported that there had been some instances when Members had not attended such meetings. Some Members explained that they were invited to comment on the application but not always invited to the pre-application meeting. The Cabinet Member for Planning, Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) and Strategic Housing undertook to look into this matter further with the relevant Officers. It was suggested that one solution might be that a ‘read receipt’ be included in invitations to pre-application meetings to Members in order for Officers to retain an audit trail of invitations and emails sent on this matter in the future.

·       Recommendation 6 – This recommendation dealt with the matter of fleeceholding. Members felt that increased lobbying of central Government was necessary in order to prevent escalating costs for management of developments in the future. Some Members stated that during recent meetings with developers at Parish Council level, that it had been reported that the Council needed to engage more with developers in respect of management of developments. It was reported that during meetings of the Task Group, Task Group Members had been reassured that this engagement was taking place. This was confirmed by Officers at the meeting, and it was reported that developers were sometimes reluctant to engage with the Council in these matters due to the potential costs involved. The Cabinet Member for Planning, Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) and Strategic Housing undertook to look into this matter further with the relevant Officers. Included in this recommendation were details on a consultation proposal by Government to implement aspects of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. The consultation had closed on 26^th September 2025. Members queried the outcomes of this consultation and whether any information was available. Noting the current timeline for Local Government Reorganisation, Members expressed that this matter would need to be carried forward by the new unitary authority. However, in the meantime, it was suggested that a joint letter be written by the Leader of the Council and Chairman of the Housing Task Group to lobby Government further in this matter.

On being put to the vote it was

RESOLVED that

1)    Officers approach Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (BDHT) and jointly explore a startup crisis package for residents living in social housing including the potential of an increase in housing benefit payment to cover the costs of the crisis package. The findings to be completed in three months and reported back to the Overview and Scrutiny Board.

2)    Bromsgrove District Council’s preference was for the mix of affordable housing contained within a new development be made up of social rent and shared ownership properties only and exclude outright sales of affordable homes.

3)    Officers provide Members with costings of bad debt owed to the Council as a result of non – payment of Council tax by residents.

4)    Officers monitor the number of residents claiming Council Tax Support in housing Bands F, G and H (with metrics built into the performance reporting framework).

5)    Where a planning application had a material impact on the local community and there was a consideration for S106 contribution allocation, the Ward Member (and neighbouring Ward Member(s)) be informed and consulted with prior to consideration of the application. A follow up consultation with the Ward Member (and neighbouring Ward Member(s)) should also take place.

6)    As part of the Local Government Reorganisation process, the Council:

a)    Noted that the Government was currently analysing the feedback from the consultation which sought views on proposals to implement aspects of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 and further reform related to the charges leaseholders, and homeowners on freehold estates, pay and services they received, which had closed on 26^th September 2025.

b)    Suggests that a new unitary authority continued to lobby Government on the matter of fleeceholding within Bromsgrove District.