Draft Housing Delivery Strategy Action Plan 2024/2025

The resources required to deliver these actions will either be found from within existing resources, or a separate report for decision will be brought to councillors where additional resources are required.

1.    Providing homes to meet current and future local need.

2.    Delivering housing that is truly affordable.

3.    Valuing and supporting council and community led housing initiatives.

4.    Planning for well-designed net zero carbon housing.

 

Strategic Priority Number

Priorities

Actions

Measurable Outcome

Lead Team responsible for delivering actions

Delivery Timescale (2024/25 unless stated)

1

1,2,3,4

Utilise our stakeholder relationships with Registered Providers (RPs)

a-  Proactively use Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) data to collate information on Registered Providers of housing (RPs) who are active as landlords or developers within districts (compliance, governance, viability)

 

b-  Proactively use RSH data to monitor how RPs are delivering the Charter for Social Housing

 

 

c-   Maintain record of retrofit plans to understand plans to decarbonise social housing stock.

 

d-  Promote the government Social Housing Decarbonisation funding to RPs and support them in preparing funding applications.

 

 

e-  Update internal structures to ensure that bids for Section 106 affordable housing funding will be assessed and handled in line with the council’s Affordable Housing Grant Policy. 

 

f-    Request 6 monthly update on stock holdings from RPs across our district to ensure councils have an up to date and accurate picture of all registered affordable housing.

 

 

 

1.1 An annual information report will be prepared, providing an overview of the information gathered about social and affordable housing in each district area. (a-d, f)

 

 

1.2 Regular updates will be provided on the number of bids in each district (e)

 

 

 

 

1.3 Review new grant process. (e)

1.1 Housing Delivery

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.2 Housing Delivery

(Supported by Finance and Development & Corporate Landlord)

 

 

 

1.3 Housing Delivery

 

1.1 Q3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.2 Q2

 

 

 

 

1.3 Q2

 

 

 

 

 

Strategic Priority Number

Priorities

Actions

Measurable Outcome

Lead Team responsible for delivering actions

Delivery Timescale

2

1 ,2

Obtaining and using accurate data on Housing Needs across the districts.

a-  Work with Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) to ensure that the assessment of the current provision and need for Older Persons Accommodation in each district remains up to date. As part of the Joint Local Plan evidence base, there is a study underway for South and Vale on needs for older person’s accommodation (Consultant is ORS).

 

b-   Work with OCC to ensure that there is an up-to-date assessment of current provision and need for Young Persons and Care leaver Accommodation in each district.

 

c-   Private Rental Sector Strategy - Develop a draft Private Rental Sector Strategy for consultation, leading to formal approval

2.1 The provision of quarterly update to RPs and developers on the number of new affordable housing units being developed, as well as housing needs of both cohorts in the districts. (a, b) 

 

2.2 Report for decision on a Draft Private Rental Sector Strategy. (c)

2.1 Housing Delivery

 

 

 

 

 

2.2 Housing Needs

 

2.1 Q2

 

 

 

 

 

2.2 Q3

 

 

Strategic Priority Number

Priorities

Actions

Measurable Outcome

Lead Team responsible for delivering actions

Delivery Timescale

3

1,2,3

Opportunities to expand the volume of affordable housing across the districts

a-   Community Led Housing schemes – Promote Community Land Trusts (CLTs) whilst supporting them to lead on housing schemes to enable them to deliver new affordable housing. Promote Rural exceptions sites. Ensure that information is made available for parishes so that they can link with CLRTs and NDPs where appropriate.

 

 

b-   Empty Homes – Implement the outcomes of the strategy to identify a process for recovering empty homes in the districts, focussing on support to make them affordable to rent. 

3.1 Report on the work of CLTs in operation in the districts, the work being done to support them and any affordable housing grant funding bids that they have submitted. (a)

3.2 Identify the number of empty homes in both districts and actions needed to bring back into use.

3.1 Housing Delivery

 

 

 

3.2 Housing Needs

 

3.1 Q3

 

 

 

3.2 Q3

 

 

Strategic Priority Number

Priorities

Actions

Measurable Outcome

Lead Team responsible for delivering actions

Delivery Timescales

4

1,2,3,4

Seek opportunities for council acquisitions and developments to deliver more affordable homes

a-   Linked to the Strategic Property Reviews (SPR) to report on the progress of council-owned sites for suitability for use as affordable housing and develop a process to take suitable sites forward for consideration. Review various method of construction e.g., MMC, Modular, Container others as relevant.

 

 

 

b-   Proactively managing Section 106 planning applications and commuted sums balances so that the core four principals as set out above can be achieved.

 

c-    Continue to work with Homes England to explore grant funding opportunities for future developments and acquisitions

4.1 Report to set out the approach of the council towards stock ownership and management. Monitor existing sites. (a)

4.2 Regular information on the balances, anticipated income and committed spend from Section 106 Affordable Housing balances (may be confidential) (b)

4.3 Establish regular partnership meetings with Homes England (c)

 

 

4.1 Strategic Property

 

 

4.2 Housing Delivery

 

 

4.3 Strategic Property

 

4.1 Q4

 

 

4.2 Q2

 

 

4.3 Ongoing

 

 

Strategic Priority Number

Priorities

Actions

Measurable Outcome

Lead Team responsible for delivering actions

Delivery Timescales

5

1,2,3,4

Ensure that the new Joint Local Plan and housing policies work in harmony

a-    Ensure that the process to assess affordable housing commuted sums in new planning applications is in line with new Joint Local Plan (JLP).

 

b-    Update affordable housing policy and process in line with the proposed JLP.

 

 

c-    Complete the new Joint Local Plan with overall housing targets including affordable and specialist housing targets. Review and amend existing policies where necessary. Specifically, to take account of planning policies for:

·         Social rent

·         Threshold for affordable housing in rural areas

·         Percentage of affordable homes and first homes

·         Community led housing.

·         Specialist accommodation

·         Type and size of new homes

·         Self and custom-build.

.

5.1 Update process to calculate commuted sums. (a)

 

 

 

 

 

5.2 Successful progression of Joint Local Plan (b, c)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.1 Housing Delivery

 

 

 

 

5.2 Planning Policy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.1 Q4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.2 Q4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

1 ,2

Review and analyse government initiatives on affordable housing.

a-   Evaluate the local impact of First Homes policy in each district.

 

b-   Shared Ownership Rent Reform. Assess how the Shared Ownership Rent Reform has had an impact on the number of people considering Shared Ownership properties.

6.1 Report on the impact of First Homes and Shared Ownership (only once meaningful information is available (a, b)

 

 

6.1 Housing Delivery

 

 

 

 

6.1 Q4

 

 

 

 

 

7

1, 2

Ensure that the approach to council delivered affordable housing complies with best practice and fully compliant 

a.      To ensure that there is a process for compliance, recording and reporting working in-line with regulator guidelines.

 

b.      Investigate successful approaches to housing in other areas and consider the adoption of any learning.

 

c.       Ensure that the Housing Delivery team is fully resourced.

 

d.      Provide information packs or web content to ensure that the council, as a landlord, meets their needs and remains compliant with Housing Ombudsman (HO) and Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) requirements

7.1 Annual returns to the RSH and Housing Ombudsman. (a)

7.2 Site visits to housing schemes take place and any learning are captured for future policies. (b)

7.3 Recruitment exercise complete and new officers inducted and trained in their roles. (c)

 

7.4 Compliance with the code of the Housing Ombudsman and RSH. (d)

 

7.1 Housing Delivery

 

 

7.2 Housing Delivery

 

7.3 Housing Delivery

 

 

7.4 Housing Delivery

 

7.1 Q1

 

 

7.2 Q3

 

5.3 Q1

 

 

7.4 Q4

 

 

8

1, 2, 4

To enhance available information on affordable housing to the public

a.      Review, enhance and maintain council webpages on housing delivery so that they offer up to date information on affordable housing and the support available by the councils (if combined reports)

 

 

b.      Publish quarterly information on private rental market, and compared to Local Housing Allowance rates, to enable more visibility on the affordability of the private rental sector

8.1 Webpages are up to date (so that users find them useful.) (a)

 

 

 

8.2 Information on average private sector rents, and the relevant Local Housing Allowance rates, are published each financial quarter.

8.1 Housing Delivery

 

 

 

 

8.2 Private sector housing (supported by Housing delivery)

8.1 Q3

 

 

 

 

8.2 Q1

RP: Registered Provider

JLP: Joint Local Plan                                                                                                    AH: Affordable Housing

OCC: Oxfordshire County Council                                                                               RSH: Regulatory for Social Housing

CLT: Community Land Trust                                                                                        BAU: Business as Usual