Agenda item

 

To consider the following motion submitted by members in accordance with Standing Order 5:

 

          Affordable Housing

 

Recent research has clearly established that the increasing costs of private rental is a very significant factor in causing in work poverty and an affordable decent home is a fundamental requirement of good physical and mental health. The LGA has recognised this and recommended that local authorities should be allowed to retain 100% of right to buy receipts and to set any discounts locally so that more homes to rent can be built or purchased. 

 

In its role as a Public Health Authority  and in support of its stated agenda to “level up” health inequalities and social inclusion across Warwickshire this Council urges the government to  increase the supply of affordable housing and to  urgently implement the LGA’s recommendations in the light of the developing recession associated with the covid pandemic and the expected  health crises which will develop as a result  of increasing levels of poverty and deprivation.

         

          Proposer: Councillor Dave Parsons

 

          Seconder: Councillor Caroline Phillips

 

 

         

Agreed Motion on Housing

 

Recent research has clearly established that the increasing costs of private rental is a very significant factor in causing work poverty and an affordable decent home is a fundamental requirement of good physical and mental health. The LGA has recognised this and recommended that local authorities should be allowed to retain 100% of right to buy receipts and to set any discounts locally so that more affordable homes to rent or purchase can be built. This council supports that recommendation.

 

Warwickshire County Council, in its role as a Public Health Authority, and in support of its stated agenda to ‘level up’ health inequalities and social inclusion, urges the government to follow through on the recommendations in its White Paper “Planning for the Future” to look at development site viability and how those calculations are determined so that developers cannot choose to diminish or relinquish their affordable housing responsibilities, based upon individual site constraints.

 

Further this council asks that this support is included in its response to the White paper consultation.

Councillor Dave Parsons moved the following motion.

 

Affordable Housing

 

Recent research has clearly established that the increasing costs of private rental is a very significant factor in causing in work poverty and an affordable decent home is a fundamental requirement of good physical and mental health.

 

The LGA has recognised this and recommended that local authorities should be allowed to retain 100% of right to buy receipts and to set any discounts locally so that more homes to rent can be built or purchased.

 

In its role as a Public Health Authority and in support of its stated agenda to “level up” health inequalities and social inclusion across Warwickshire this Council urges the government to increase the supply of affordable housing and to urgently implement the LGA’s recommendations in the light

of the developing recession associated with the covid pandemic and the expected health crises which will develop as a result of increasing levels of poverty and deprivation.

 

Councillor Caroline Phillips seconded the motion and reserved the right to speak.

 

In supporting the motion Councillor Dave Parsons stated that the government takes a lot of money from right to buy receipts. Up to 2018 £920m had been taken out of the housing market. This was money denied to local authorities to build new housing. Council was informed that in 2012 the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, had stated that every house sold under the right to buy scheme would be replaced within five years. This had not happened. Many houses that had been sold under right to buy had now been sold on and were being used as private rentals. Councillor Parsons requested that the Council ask the government to follow the advice of the LGA and allow local authorities to retain the revenue from the sale of houses to build new ones.

 

Amendment 1

 

Councillor Jill Simpson-Vince, seconded by Councillor John Cooke tabled the following amendment.

 

Recent research has clearly established that the increasing costs of private rental is a very significant factor in causing work poverty and an affordable decent home is a fundamental requirement of good physical and mental health. The LGA has recognised this and recommended that local authorities should be allowed to retain 100% of right to buy receipts and to set any discounts locally so that more affordable homes to rent or purchase can be built. This council supports that recommendation.

 

Warwickshire County Council, in its role as a Public Health Authority, and in support of its stated agenda to ‘level up’ health inequalities and social inclusion across Warwickshire this Council, urges the government to follow through on the recommendations in its White Paper “Planning for the Future” to look at development site viability and how those calculations are determined so that developers cannot choose to diminish or relinquish their affordable housing responsibilities, based upon individual site constraints increase the supply of affordable housing and to urgently implement the LGA’s recommendations in the light of the developing recession associated with the covid pandemic and the expected health crises which will develop as a result of increasing levels of poverty and deprivation. Further this council asks that this support is included in its response to the White Paper consultation.

 

Strike throughs are deletions. Underlining is additions.

 

Councillor Jill Simpson-Vince reminded Council that it is the District and Borough Councils that manage housing. All planning offices feature staff who work on securing affordable housing. Developers frequently use the argument of viability to avoid providing affordable housing. However, these assertions need to be challenged. The amendment recognises that the Planning White Paper sets out recommendations to remove viability from consideration in terms of the provision of affordable housing.

 

Councillor John Cooke reiterated that housing is a matter for District and Borough Councils. He noted that Warwick District Council adopts a strong position with developers when it comes to the provision of affordable housing.

 

Amendment 2

 

Councillor Jerry Roodhouse tabled a second amendment. This was seconded by Councillor Sarah Boad who reserved her right to speak. The amendment stated,

 

Recent research has clearly established that the increasing costs of private rental is a very significant factor in causing in work poverty and an affordable decent home is a fundamental requirement of good physical and mental health. The LGA has recognised this and recommended that local authorities should be allowed to retain 100% of right to buy receipts and to set any discounts locally so that more homes to rent can be built or purchased.

 

In its role as a Public Health Authority and in support of its stated agenda to “level up” health inequalities and social inclusion across Warwickshire this Council urges the government by writing to the Secretary of State to allow local authorities to build a new generation of Council housing which are zero carbon and to increase the supply of affordable housing and to urgently implement the LGA’s recommendations in the light of the developing recession associated with the Covid pandemic and the expected health crises which will develop as a result of increasing levels of poverty and deprivation.

 

(Underlined text is additional).

 

Councillor Dave Parsons accepted this as a friendly amendment.

 

Adjournment for Lunch

 

The meeting adjourned for lunch at 12.28 and resumed at 13.30

 

On resuming the meeting, the Chair asked Councillor parsons if he would accept the Conservative amendment (number 1) as friendly. This was declined.

 

Adjournment

 

In order for members to fully understand the amendments and their relation to the original motion the meeting was adjourned from 13.35 to 13.44.

 

Debate

 

During the debate members made a series of observations as set out below.

 

• The District and Borough Councils are best placed to manage council run accommodation. They are the housing authorities that have a clear understanding on homelessness.
• Developers do not like having to provide affordable housing. They get little return on it and it can be seen as reducing prestige. They need to develop more of a social conscience.
• Recession will see a slow down in building. Local authorities can build through recessions and provide rental properties.
• Councils will build the type of housing that is needed eg for the over 65s.
• Councils should take over derelict and un-developed sites and also press developers to complete work on sites they have started to build on.
• As jobs disappear so does their ability to pay rents or mortgages.
• It is wrong to assume that housing is only a matter for the District and Borough Councils. People’s physical and mental health relies heavily on good housing. The matter would be simplified by having a unitary council.
• Affordable housing is not necessarily affordable. It is still expensive.
• Affordable housing and energy efficient housing are not exclusive of each other. Also, affordable housing can be attractive.
• Modular housing should be given more consideration by volume house builders.
• There are a number of concerns over the Planning White Paper. These include a presumption in favour of the grant of planning permission, forcing of design guides onto local authorities which can lead to pastiche design and the way in which CIL will be calculated.
• As the County Council is not the housing authority its influence in this matter is limited. It has responded to the government consultation on the Planning White Paper, but the planning system sustains a monopoly held by the nine principal house builders.
• The argument of viability was used at Camp Hill, Nuneaton.
• There is a need for good quality housing that results in lower fuel bills.
• A policy framework is required which will prevent developers from exploiting loopholes in planning law.
• Some developers are prepared to work with communities to secure satisfactory outcomes.
• People are concerned over the future of the green belt. There is an increase in demand for housing driven by population growth and at the same time restrictions on land availability are pushing up prices.
• Problems with housing impact directly on the health service. This was emphasised in the Black Report (1980) into health inequalities.
• It is important not to dilute the original motion tabled by the Labour Group. Consensus between Groups would have been preferable.

 

Councillor Sarah Boad (Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group) expressed her disappointment at some of the comments made. The County Council, she stated, has been prepared in the past to debate matters that were not directly within its mandate. It is important to look out for the wellbeing of all people. The Liberal Democrat amendment had looked to the Council’s climate change agenda. There are developments around Leamington where there are no solar panels. If fitted at the time of construction these can be much cheaper than when retro-fitted. Councillor Sarah Boad agreed that affordable housing is expensive adding that developers slowly release land to ensure that prices remain high.

 

Councillor Jerry Roodhouse agreed that the Council should be prepared to debate issues beyond its remit. With 1.2 million people on social housing waiting lists action is required to improve the availability of local authority housing.

 

Councillor Caroline Phillips called on the County Council to commence building social housing. She called for support for the LGA recommendations to be able to move away from a social precipice.

 

Councillor Jill Simpson-Vince called for a change in policy to place the onus on developers to prove why a site is not viable.

 

Councillor Dave Parsons expressed his disappointment that it had not been possible to achieve a degree of consensus. He reminded members that there is no bigger factor in health than decent housing.

 

Vote

 

A recorded vote was requested for amendment 1. The voting was as follows.

 

Votes for the amendment

 

Councillors Barker, Singh Birdi, Brain, Butlin, Caborn, Cargill, Clarke, Cockburn, Cooke, Crump, Dahmash, Gilbert, Golby, Gran, Hayfield, Horner, Jenns, Kaur, Morgan, Pandher, Redford, Roberts, Sargeant, Seccombe, Simpson-Vince, Timms, Warwick, C. Williams, P. Williams, Wright (30)

 

Votes against the amendment

 

Councillors Adkins, Boad, Chilvers, C. Davies, N. Davies, Falp, Fradgley, Gifford, Gissane, Holland, Kondakor, O’Rourke, Parsons, Phillips, Rickhards, Rolfe, Roodhouse, Skinner, Webb

 

There were no abstentions.

 

Resolved:

 

Recent research has clearly established that the increasing costs of private rental is a very significant factor in causing work poverty and an affordable decent home is a fundamental requirement of good physical and mental health. The LGA has recognised this and recommended that local authorities should be allowed to retain 100% of right to buy receipts and to set any discounts locally so that more affordable homes to rent or purchase can be built. This council supports that recommendation.

 

Warwickshire County Council, in its role as a Public Health Authority, and in support of its stated agenda to ‘level up’ health inequalities and social inclusion, urges the government to follow through on the recommendations in its White Paper “Planning for the Future” to look at development site viability and how those calculations are determined so that developers cannot choose to diminish or relinquish their affordable housing responsibilities, based upon individual site constraints. Further this council asks that this support is included in its response to the White Paper consultation.