Transcript Slide 1

Tenancy strategies:
can we do better together?
Sue Beecroft
Housing co-ordinator
Cambridge housing sub-region
The Cambridge housing sub-region
 One of four growth areas
 History of joint working between
planners (since 1974) and
housing officers (CRHB)
 LDV set up in 2004 to support
 Cambridgeshire & Peterborough
Structure Plan evolved into East
of England Plan
 And now? Continued support for
good quality growth

www.cambridgeshirehorizons.co.uk/documents/quality_panel/quality_charter_2010.pdf
The Cambridge housing sub-region
 Greater Cambridge - Greater
Peterborough Local Enterprise
Partnership
 Covers 13 partners
 Board up and running
 Bidding for Enterprize Zone
 Business plan being drafted
 Practicalities being agreed

www.yourlocalenterprisepartnership.co.uk
The Cambridge housing sub-region
 Seven districts, two counties
 To meet the housing challenge,
partners worked together on:
– Housing co-ordinator
– SHMA + research officer
– Home-Link CBL system
– HomeTrack subscription x 7

www.cambridgeshirehorizons.co.uk/shma
Jigsaw pieces
LEP
New Homes
Bonus
Localism
Bill
LIP
Private
rented
Affordable
Rents
HCA
funding
?
RP plans
Other
resources
Supported
housing
Housing priorities
 We work to share learning and experience across
our seven districts, to…
– Support economic growth through new homes
– Create balanced, mixed, sustainable communities
– Improve existing homes
– Tackle homelessness and meet housing need
– Secure better health through housing and support
 Each has links to tenancy strategy work
Do we have enough in common?




Established working between partners
Political differences
Stock differences
Are there areas we can work together on, such as
–
–
–
–
–
Sharing data
Communications and terminology
Access, choice and equalities
Monitoring outcomes and trends
Agreeing on outputs
Data
 Stock and tenure profile
 Stock turnover and type
 Housing markets
 Current rent levels and
affordability
 Incomes
 Housing needs register: size
needed
 Lettings to general needs
and sheltered housing
 Length of residence
 Moves out of social housing
 Effect of welfare reforms
locally
 Effect of tenures and
tenancy management
 Plans for new homes
Example: rents and allowances
 Using SHMA and hometrack
data, average weekly rent for
a 3 bed
 Ranges from £100pw…(one
ward only!)
 …to more than £300pw
 Mid range values £150 to
£199 (60% of our wards)
 Impact at the extremes,
gives evidence to support
“affordable rents” may only
be affordable if <80% of
private rent levels
Example: rents and allowances
 This map shows the local
housing allowance (LHA)
based on 3-bed median

http://atlas.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/Housing/LHA/atlas.html
Communication: we want to…
 Minimise confusion
 Make housing options clear through Homelink both at start
and end of fixed term tenancies
 Clarify housing choices without reducing involvement,
understanding and participation. Includes affordability issues
 Support and maintain strong links with housing providers
Example: Language







Lifetime
Fixed term
Secure
Assured
Assured shorthold
Temporary
Flexible







Affordable
Social
Sheltered
Supported
Intermediate
Introductory
Probationary
Example: Language







Lifetime
Fixed term
Secure
Assured
Assured shorthold
Temporary
Flexible







Affordable
Social
Sheltered
Supported
Intermediate
Introductory
Probationary
Need to monitor
 Levels and bands of housing need
 Homelessness and repeat homelessness
 Rent levels for new and existing homes
 Void times, especially following end of a flexible tenancy
 Where and how fixed terms are used
 Who gets which product – is access equitable?

www.cambridgeshirehorizons.co.uk/shma
And trends…
 Numbers of new homes built, tenures and terms
 Overall effects on housing needs and housing market, the
“balance”
 Effect on development activity – all homes and affordable
 Effect on site viability
 Outcome of term-end reviews overall
 Effect on community and family stability
Possible outputs…
To save each district and partner making individual effort,
we could
 Devise an “umbrella” strategy: agreed principles with district
detail and possibly partner’s links nested within
 Include tenancy issues within a new sub-regional housing
strategy
 Monitor investment and outcomes in our LIPs
 Monitor the effect on markets via data analysis in SHMA
provided we identify the indicators needed
 Need to remember public scrutiny – so need accessible
information
Timeline
Autumn 2010
Affordable Rent and flexible tenancies invented
May 2011
June 2011+
Bids submitted to HCA for next 4 years programme
including conversions and disposals
PPS3 amended so AR defined as affordable for
planning purposes
Providers working on Tenancy Policies
Late 2011?
Expect Localism Bill to be passed
+ 12 months
Authorities to publish tenancy strategies
June 2011
In summary…
 Customer is central
 What effect on our housing
market?
 Working together is more
essential than ever
 For all partners we want
co-ordination…
…not fragmentation
…if we are to tackle tenancies together