EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE COUNCIL JOINS OVER 100 OF ENGLAND’S COUNCIL LANDLORDS IN CALLING FOR GOVERNMENT TO SAVE COUNCIL HOUSES
At an event held in Westminster today (Tuesday 3rd September), a cross-party coalition of over 100 council landlords, including East Riding of Yorkshire Council and led by Southwark Council, will jointly publish five solutions for the government to ‘secure the future of England’s council housing’.
They warn that England’s council housing system is broken and that urgent action is needed for the government to deliver its housing promises.
In July, 20 of the largest council landlords published an interim summary of their recommendations. Significant traction, including an urgent meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister, has led to over 80 more councils including East Riding of Yorkshire Council backing their recommendations and signing the final report.
This more detailed report, led by Southwark Council with contributions from housing policy experts Toby Lloyd and Rose Grayston, sets out a full roadmap to renew council housing in England over the next decade and critical policy changes for the realisation of the new government’s social housing ambitions.
It explains how an unsustainable financial model and erratic national policy changes have squeezed council’s housing budgets and sent costs soaring.
New analysis from Savills shows they will face a £2.2 billion ‘black hole’ by 2028.
They warn that unless more is done soon, most council landlords will struggle to maintain their existing homes adequately or meet the huge new demands to improve them, let alone build new homes for social rent.
Across the country development projects are being cancelled and delayed, with implications for the local construction sector, jobs and housing market.
Rather than increasing supply, the reality is that some councils will have no option but to sell more of their existing stock to finance investment in an ever-shrinking portfolio of council homes.
The recommendations include urgent action to restore lost income and unlock local authority capacity to work with the new government to deliver its promises for new, affordable homes throughout the country.
The five solutions set out detailed and practical recommendations to the new government:
– A new fair and sustainable HRA model – including an urgent £644 million one-off rescue injection, and long-term, certain rent and debt agreements.
– Reforms to unsustainable Right to Buy policies
– Removing red tape on existing funding
– A new, long-term Green & Decent Homes Programme
– Urgent action to restart stalled building projects, avoiding the loss of construction sector capacity and a market downturn
They make up a plan for a ‘decade of renewal’, with local authorities and central government working together to get ‘Housing Revenue Accounts’ (HRAs) back on stable foundations, bring all homes up to modern and green standards, and deliver the next generation of council homes.
Anne Handley, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: ‘’East Riding of Yorkshire Council are pleased to be one of the many councils who aim to improve access to affordable homes for our residents through this coalition.
“By investing in council houses together we can improve the lives of many as well as future generations to come.
‘’The five solutions are fundamental in demonstrating to the new government a way in which the urgent needs for council homes can be achieved.
“Furthermore, we want our council homes to be safe, modern and within the green standards. As a council we want to demonstrate a commitment to the best interests of residents within the local community, ensuring that that they are presented with fair opportunities to access council housing and that their homes are of the highest standard possible.’’
