A report will be submitted by the Assistant Director, Economy and Development Services (Document “G”) which updates the Committee in relation to the progress made towards the objectives within the Council’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy.

‘A Place to Call Home: Housing and Homelessness Strategy for Bradford District 2014-2019’ was endorsed by the Council’s Executive and approved by full Council in March 2014 and is due for review in 2019.

Recommended –

(1)       That the progress made towards the objectives within the Council’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy, as set out in Document “G”, be noted.

(2)       That it be noted that a review of the Housing and Homelessness Strategy is to be undertaken in the near future and that the Assistant Director, Economy and Development Services be requested to submit a report to the Committee in respect of the updated strategy in 2019.

                                                            (Yusuf Karolia – 01274 434362)

A report was presented by the Assistant Director, Economy and Development Services (Document “G”) which updated the Committee in relation to the progress made towards the objectives within the Council’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy.

‘A Place to Call Home: Housing and Homelessness Strategy for Bradford District 2014-2019’ had been endorsed by the Council’s Executive and approved by full Council in March 2014 and was due for review in 2019. This would therefore be the last such progress report presented to the Committee. Two separate but linked strategies in respect of Housing and Homelessness and Rough Sleeping were to be developed and Members would be consulted as part of this process.

The Assistant Director responded to Members’ questions:

·         A project plan was being drawn up in relation to the development of the new strategies. A sub-group of Elected Members had been used previously to facilitate consultation and input and this method could be used again but reports would also be submitted to this Scrutiny Committee.

·         The Government deadline for the Homelessness Strategy was December 2019.

·         At the present time, if a home was empty for longer than 2 years a charge of 150% Council tax was levied. Consultation was presently on-going in relation to legislation to allow this to be increased to 200% if a property was left empty for over 2 years and the House of Lords had proposed an amendment to increase this further for properties left empty for periods in excess of 5 years and 10 years. The Bill had yet to receive Royal Assent local authorities would have discretion on whether to adopt these measures.

·         Some properties were removed from the valuation list, if they were in a very poor condition and structurally unsound, so were then outside the Council Tax regime. This decision was made by the District Valuer and would be on the basis that they were unfit for habitation.

·         The Energy Repayment Loan had been designed as a product to assist homeowners to install energy efficiency measures. Referrals were meant to come from contractors but there had only been 1 referral made to date. Contractors were aware of the product but only £25,000 was available so it could not be promoted too widely. It was hoped to expand the scheme, which was aimed at those who would prefer a repayment rather than an equity loan. If the required works were significant people would be directed towards a Home Appreciation Loan which could be for a higher amount.

·         The Council did work closely with Incommunities and the potential to utilise their empty properties had been discussed with them. However, there were a number of difficulties such as issues in respect of the fitness of some stock, which meant that unless investment was made it could not be used, and others associated with the business planning process. It was considered that any criticism in this regard would be unfair when they were not present to explain their position.

·         In respect of issues with damp in social housing properties; there had been a lot of investment in the social sector and it was believed that the vast majority of issues, if there were any, were minor hazards. Government guidance on enforcement for this type of housing was that providers should be given a chance to address a hazard. Complaints were received about Incommunities properties but not in significant numbers, this organisation was usually very good at addressing any problems.

·         The legislation in respect of homelessness had changed in April 2018. During the preceding 10 year period the numbers presenting as homeless had increased significantly and over the last 3 years more methods had been utilised to prevent homelessness. The Housing Options team were now able to work with partners to place people in suitable supported accommodation and the Private Sector Lettings Scheme had also been expanded; five officers managed access to, and placement in, private rented accommodation.

·         The offer of advice and assistance was always available. A ‘Gateway’ to housing related support provided a single point of access for anyone who was vulnerable and signposting to other agencies was provided where appropriate.

·         Enforcing standards in the private rented sector was a challenge . The legislation had changed significantly over the last 12 to 18 months and there were now a number of new tools that enforcement officers could utilise. Work had been undertaken alongside the other West Yorkshire authorities and across the Yorkshire and Humber region to introduce these new powers consistently. The numbers of health and safety issues raised had increased and a triage approach was being piloted in Bradford, with individuals being encouraged to approach their landlord in the first instance (dependent on the category of hazard reported) and being actively supported in doing so. If they had not received a response within 28 days they were advised to come back to the Service. This approach allowed resources to be targeted at the highest risk issues. There was a particular focus on proactively targeting properties above shops, fire safety issues and letting agencies that were known to let out or manage poor quality properties.

·         From 1 October 2018 any property with 5 or more people comprising 2 or more households would require a licence as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO).

·         The Joseph Rowntree Foundation had recently produced a report which proposed wholesale licensing of rented property, but this could potentially lead to issues with officers having to process paper rather than visiting properties. Many landlords were reasonable and managed good properties and it was considered that resources were better targeted at the poorest accommodation.

·         The vast majority of empty properties were privately owned by individuals. The Council had limited powers in respect of these. There were financial products available to try and assist owners into bringing them back into use and, if they were the cause of nuisance, statutory powers were available to deal with this. Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers could be used but this was a last resort as they could be very time consuming and costly. Efforts were generally concentrated on those properties causing the most problems and focused on persuading owners to either use or sell the properties concerned. Occasionally properties were purchased through a voluntary agreement.

·         A successful project had been undertaken in Wellington Street, Bradford where four properties had been left empty and had been subject to vandalism and anti-social behaviour; one property had been obtained through a CPO and the three others renovated using trainees and now all were let. This had been achieved through partnership working with relevant agencies.

·         The issue of fuel poverty was dealt with by the Climate Change Unit and they would be consulted as part of the development of the new strategy.

It was noted that a specific report on empty homes was included in the Committee’s Work Plan for March 2019.

Member comments were as follows:

·         There was a concern about property being affordable for those who lived and worked in Bradford.

·         At present the facilities at Britannia House were not considered to be particularly fit for purpose, particularly in dealing with more vulnerable clients and people at risk. Going through the system could be a distressing process for some people. In some cases, by the time people got to Housing Support they were in crisis and it may not possible to resolve the issues they had; this was not the fault of staff.

·         The introduction of Universal Credit was of concern.

·         The average income quoted in the report did not reflect the reality for people in the ward she represented.

Resolved –

(1)       That a sub-group of Members of this Committee be formed to facilitate participation in the consultation process in respect of the Council’s new Housing and Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategies.

(2)       That the Assistant Director, Economy and Development Services be requested to submit a report to the Committee in respect of the updated Housing and Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategies in the next municipal year.

ACTION:       Scrutiny Lead

                        Assistant Director, Economy and Development Services