Transcript Slide 1

Tenancy Strategies:
A Local Perspective
Niki Hollingworth
Housing Strategy and Development Manager
St Edmundsbury Borough Council
The St Edmundsbury model:
It’s good to talk!
 What have we done?
 In December 2010 set up a working group:
• Registered Providers
• Homes and Communities Agency
• Supporting People
• Housing Benefit
• East of England Local Government Association
 Interim statement for Registered Providers to support bids
 Included research and modelling based on SHMA
Political involvement
 Members group established
 Cabinet decisions on
affordable rents and
conversions, and
developing a strategy
 Parish Conference and
workshop
 Member bulletins
 Member awareness session
in July
 Scrutiny committee in
Autumn
Housing
Register
Social Rent
/ Affordable
Rent
Private
Sector
Universal
Credits
Low Income
Households
CBL
schemes
Benefit
Reforms
Under
occupation
Homeless
Households
Mobility
What should tenancy strategies include?
 Provide guidance that RPs should have ‘regard to’ in
developing their policies
 Broad high level objectives
 Better use of social and affordable housing to reduce housing
needs, reduce costs, and bring local accountability
 A view of how the wider market will be used to fill any gaps
 Overall, the strategy needs to be a framework that is
FLEXIBLE !
 Regular monitoring – what’s working, what are the outcomes
and effects?
 Help reduce risks for partners
Framework for strategy:
How it’s working for us
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Themes identified through partner workshops
Establish priorities
Who gets what?
For how long?
When is tenancy renewed / ended / sold?
When do we offer a tenancy in the private sector?
Housing pathway
Challenges
 How do we market affordable rents alongside
social rents?
 Choice based lettings – short listing
 Who does reviews?
 Criteria for ending tenancy – risk of judicial review
 Allocate according to income level?
 Do we let the “market” decide?
 Will homelessness increase?
Opportunities
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Better use of stock
More options to meet differing needs
Local lettings plans
Help those with fixed term tenancies to plan for the future
Better use of whole housing market
Reduce under occupation
What have we still to do?
 Equality Impact Assessment
 More analysis of housing
market
 Develop housing pathway
 Continue working with
partners to develop detail of
strategy – major decisions
still to consider
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Continue Members group
Draft strategy
Scrutiny phase
Formal Consultation
Approval through Cabinet
Implement
Monitor
Explain changes to our
customers
Hot Tips – the “Five Ps”
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Proactive
Pragmatic
Partnership
Process
Prompt