Agenda item

This report provides an overview on the relationships with Social Landlords and the Council.  The report focuses on the main Registered Providers (RPs) operating in Brent, and looks at work that has taken place over the last twelve months and how to move forward with this work.

Tony Hirsch, Policy and Performance Officer in the Regeneration and Growth Department, presented a PowerPoint presentation called ‘Partnership with Registered Providers’ which outlined the present position, the direction of travel and what was needed for the future.  He outlined the background to the Council’s housing strategy with reference to population growth, birth rate, household size and demand.  Linked to this were the economic conditions within the borough, the supply of social rented housing and the impact of the welfare reforms on the levels of homelessness.  He explained that the challenges for the Housing Strategy was the rising population not being matched by the provision of housing, the growth in the private rented sector that now accounted for one third of the local market, rising house prices, rents at unaffordable levels for those on average or below average incomes, poverty and welfare reforms.  The Housing Strategy was due to be submitted to the Executive in June 2014 along with the Employment Strategy and Tony Hirsch invited views from the committee.

It was submitted that if housing associations were working with the Council to secure contracts and the Council procured services properly why a better service was not obtained. Tony Hirsch explained that funding was held by the Mayor of London and there was currently legal action being taken by councils over his approach to setting rent levels.  The outcome of this would influence the Council’s control over the provision of housing in the borough. In answer to a further question, he also explained that overcrowding had become a serious problem with the result that if a household was overcrowded by only one bedroom they got no priority for a transfer.  The committee asked for data on the numbers of such households.

Addressing the issue of demand, Tony Hirsch stated that there was still a plentiful supply of developable land in Brent but there would come a point in the next 20/30 years when London would not be able to meet demand.  Any extra provision would be welcomed but he warned that relaxing planning controls risked the quality of what was provided.  One possible source of supply was the use of retail space.  It was felt that some existing high streets were not sustainable in their present size and therefore afforded the potential for providing housing by conversion of shop premises. He added that there would also be additional tall buildings developed to meet demand subject to assurances that they could be properly maintained and managed.

The point was made that the provision of adequate housing was linked to work around health and wellbeing.  This included the provision of proper family planning advice so that every child born was a wanted child and family size was sustainable.

Tony Hirsch undertook to provide information to members on the Council’s plans for regenerating existing housing estates and what funding models might be used in the future.  He explained that the Mayor of London had a fixed pot of money to allocate across London to meet need beyond what local councils could deliver.  The hope for increasing borrowing capacity to generate funds had not materialised from the recent Government Budget. 

A report on private rented sector licensing was due to go to the Executive in April and would reveal more information around how the welfare reforms had influenced the supply of private rented property.  Work around this was being co-ordinated with work being carried out by Brent Housing Partnership.

Tony Hirsch was thanked for his attendance.