Agenda item

To enable Non-Cabinet Members to raise an issue of relevance to Brent for debate on which notice has been provided in accordance with Standing Order 34 and to receive updates from Cabinet members, as required, on any issues previously raised.

Members are asked to note that the subject identified for debate at this meeting is as follows:

Declaration of a Housing Emergency

Please note: The motion submitted as the basis for this debate has been attached.

In accordance with Standing Order 34, the Mayor advised that the next item on the agenda was the non-cabinet member debate, with the subject chosen for consideration being the Declaration of a Housing Emergency.

Members were advised that the motion submitted as the basis for the debate had been circulated with the agenda and that the time available for the debate was 25 minutes.

The Mayor then invited Councillor Dixon to introduce the motion which had been submitted as the basis for the Non-Cabinet Member debate.  In moving the motion, Councillor Dixon began by recognising the ongoing pressures being experienced by the Council given the 150 families currently presenting as homeless each week and number of households needing to be supported in temporary accommodation by Council’s across London and the country as a whole.  In highlighting the way in which her casework was currently dominated in seeking to advocate and provide support for residents in housing need, Councillor Dixon took the opportunity to provide some specific examples of the impact on individuals and families relating to their health and wellbeing, attainment and employment.  In welcoming the pledges made by the new Labour government the motion, in seeking to support the declaration of a housing emergency and delivery of the necessary interventions following what was felt to be the failure of the previous Conservative government in this respect, had been designed to highlight the Council’s support for the changes proposed in relation to the National Policy Planning Framework (including restoring mandatory housing targets) and work to reform Local Plans and strengthen the planning presumption in favour of sustainable development alongside tackling Section 21 no fault evictions.  As a result, Councillor Dixon hoped all members would support the motion submitted as the basis for the debate.

The Mayor thanked Councillor Dixon for introducing the motion on behalf of the Labour Group and then opened the debate for contributions from other members.

In opening the contributions, Councillor Kelcher began by paying tribute to Councillor Dixon for the way in which she had introduced the debate and  recognised that the approach required to address the housing emergency in terms of encouraging affordable and social housing development would not always be easy and would require strong leadership as, he felt, had been demonstrated in Brent.  The support already identified by the new government had also been recognised and welcomed in terms of the reintroduction of mandatory housing targets, consultation on a new growth-focused planning system, creation of a new task force to accelerate the delivery of new housing sites and programme of funding to increase capacity across planning departments as well as proposals to open up grey belt sites for new housing.  Taken together he felt the benefits arising from the proposed reforms in relation to planning and infrastructure planning reform would help to stabilise and grow the economy delivering wider social benefits.  Support was also expressed for the approach adopted by the new government and intervention by the Deputy Prime Minister in relation to the delivery of major infrastructure projects, including new data centres in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire and for more of these type of decisions to be brought under the remit of the critical infrastructure process in order to ensure they were delivered at pace and encouraged further investment.  As part of the new government’s approach, the lifting of restrictions on the development of in shore wind facilities within the UK was also supported and whilst recognising that some of the decisions needing to be made would attract opposition he hoped members, in support of the motion, would recognise the need for action to deliver the necessary changes in seeking to address the challenges outlined.

As a further contribution to the debate, Councillor Maurice highlighted what he felt was a need to address the lack of family sized dwellings being delivered within housing schemes being approved across the borough and also the failure of many schemes being able (based on current viability) to meet the required target for provision of affordable housing units, which he felt also needed to be considered as an approach towards alleviating the current housing crisis.  Concern was also expressed at the proposal within the motion seeking to suspend the right-to-buy discount, which Councillor Maurice advised he did not support given what he felt were the wider benefits in seeking to encourage home ownership including, as an example, the way in which properties were maintained.  In outlining further concerns relating to the motion, it was also felt further clarification was required in relation to the proposal focused on the provision of financial support to purchase more homes from private landlords and how that would be delivered.

As a further contribution in support of the motion, Councillor Molloy also highlighted the frustration being faced by ward councillors in seeking to support families in housing need, including those where the only solution involved an out of borough placement moving them away from their extended families and other support networks.  Reflecting on the scale of the crisis (including the associated financial pressures) he hoped all councillors would support the motion in seeking to recognise and declare a housing emergency and endorse the actions and approach being sought in response.

Following on, Councillor Mahmood also spoke to highlight the extent of issues being raised at his ward surgeries, in relation to housing need and suitability of available accommodation.  The current level of households presenting to the Council as homeless was also felt to represent an indictment of the previous Conservative government's housing policy with Councillor Mahmood outlining his hope that the policies being developed by the new Labour government would be able to assist and support local authorities in tackling the crisis including the ability and support to prioritise the delivery of more affordable housing.

Councillor Ethapemi, also speaking in support of the motion, was keen to support the pledge made by the new Labour government to get Britain building again and actions being introduced to support this including the restoration of mandatory housing targets, especially within the context of the financial pressures being faced by local authorities in relation to the cost of temporary accommodation.  As part of the approach outlined, he was keen to ensure the housing being built was genuinely affordable with a focus on increasing the supply of good quality temporary as well as permanent accommodation and on this basis hoped all members would support the motion recognising the pledges made by the government as a means of seeking to tackle the housing crisis.

In highlighting his support for the principle and sentiments expressed within the motion, Councillor Georgiou also felt there was a need to reflect on the ongoing number of households who continued to present to the Council as homeless each week and challenging and often very difficult nature of housing need related casework being received by all councillors.  Whilst supporting the need for action to address the crisis, he felt the motion had failed to focus on an important issue in relation to the need to increase the supply of genuinely affordable and also social housing in order to assist in reducing the Council’s growing housing waiting list, with some residents facing a wait of 10-15 years for a suitable property.  In highlighting specific examples, reference was made to the limited level of social housing being provided within the development of the Council owned site at Cecil Avenue and also at the delay in delivery of the Morland Gardens scheme, given the planned inclusion of social housing on that site.  Concern was also expressed at the number of development schemes being approved which contained less than the required level of genuinely affordable and very little or no social housing with a need identified, he felt, for more ambition in seeking to press developers to meet the 50% target for provision of affordable housing within any schemes being approved.

As a final contribution, Councillor Fraser spoke briefly to outline her concerns at the comments made by Councillor Maurice earlier in the debate relating to the interest of Council tenants as opposed to home owners in maintaining their properties believing that respect needed to be given to all residents irrespective of their housing tenure.

As there were no further contributions, the Mayor then invited Councillor Muhammed Butt, as Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, to summarise and close the debate.

In drawing the debate to a close, Councillor Muhammed Butt thanked Councillor Dixon and members for their support in recognising the ongoing challenges and pressures faced by the Council in relation to the housing crisis along with the impact on those residents and households directly affected.  As a Council, Councillor Muhammed Butt felt it important to recognise the efforts being made to deliver as much social and affordable housing as possible within the borough, with the Council having received one of the highest levels of New Homes Bonus (£7.8m) in the country.  Comparing this to the lack of action and support provided by the previous Conservative government he assured members of the Council’s commitment to work alongside the new Labour government in support of their plans to build 1.5million new homes and in continuing to demonstrate Brent’s ambitious approach in terms of the ongoing delivery of affordable and social housing within developments across the borough.  In addition, he also highlighted the advice, guidance and support being provided to residents which he pointed out would also need to include a focus on use of the private rented sector (supported within the borough through the landlord licensing scheme) as a means of maximising the supply of available and suitable properties to address current levels of housing need.  Taken together it was felt the approach outlined within the motion would best serve the borough in terms of addressing the current housing emergency which he hoped all members would support, as a final outcome of the debate.

Having thanked members for their contributions, the Mayor then moved to the vote on the motion moved as the basis for the Non-Cabinet Member debate which was declared CARRIED.

It was therefore RESOLVED to approve the following motion as the outcome of the non-cabinet member debate:

“Declaration of a Housing Emergency

This Council notes:

·             London is the epicentre of the country’s housing crisis, with a quarter of Londoners living in poverty after paying for their homes.

·             In one of the wealthiest cities in the world, more than one child in every classroom is homeless and living in temporary accommodation, while rough sleeping is up 50% over this decade.

·             Councils in London are spending £90m per month on temporary accommodation for homeless people - up almost 40% on last year.

·             The dream of homeownership is out of reach for young people. The government have failed to act despite the housing crisis acting as one of the country’s biggest barriers to growth.

·             The government has spent billions of pounds on housing benefit every year, which goes into the pockets of private landlords without creating any new assets.

·             Without intervention, the number of new affordable homes built will fall sharply in coming years thanks to high interest rates and runaway construction cost inflation.

This Council further notes:

·             The Housing Needs Service in Brent has seen a 12% increase in homelessness approaches in 2023/-24 (7,300) compared to 2022/-23 (6,529). The total number of homeless families living in B&B and Annexe accommodation has risen to 485.

·             Many Councils are being forced to book rooms in commercial hotels to meet statutory duties. In Brent this has driven a £13.4m overspend. These issues are not unique to Brent and have impacted the whole of the country – but especially London.

·             There are 5,688 households in A-C banding on the waiting list. At Band C, the average waiting time for a 2-bed home is 8 years, with a 4-bed home rising to 24 years.

·             GLA grant funding per unit of affordable housing is approx. £195k, with typical build costs per average unit in the region of £450k. Brent Council has planning permission ready or has submitted applications for 423 more affordable units, but many face a significant funding gap, and will not be viable without an increase in available subsidy.

This Council welcomes:

Pledges made during the current election campaign:

·             To update the National Policy Planning Framework, including restoring mandatory housing targets.

·             To get Britain building again, creating jobs across England with 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament.

·             To work with local authorities to reform Local Plans and strengthen the planning presumption in favour of sustainable development, supported by additional planning officers.

This Council resolves to:

(1)    Work with other local authorities in London that have declared a housing emergency to calling on the incoming government to unlock the funding needed to deliver the affordable homes Brent desperately needs.

(2)    Write to the Secretary of State to recommend the following steps:

·             The suspension of the right-to-buy discount.

·             A new Housing Revenue Account funding settlement to increase the supply of housing, improve standards and support retrofitting.

·             Financial support to immediately purchase more homes from private landlords.

·             To review the Local Housing Allowance available for Temporary Accommodation.”