Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member for Housing on the Tenancy Strategy.

Decision

Cabinet approves the draft South Kesteven Tenancy Strategy for formal consultation subject to an amendment of the wording in respect of DeliverSK (page 36 of the agenda pack) and a further report which will be presented to Cabinet to consider and adopt the strategy following consultation

Reasons for decision

1.         The report of the Cabinet Member for Housing on the draft Tenancy Strategy (Appendix 1 to the report)

2.         The equality analysis undertaken on the draft Tenancy Strategy attached as Appendix 2 to the report

3.         Section 150 of the Localism Act 2011, which required all local housing authorities to produce a Tenancy Strategy

4.         The Council’s existing Tenancy Strategy, which was adopted in 2013 and required review

5.         The Tenancy Strategy aims to make best use of the Council’s housing stock

6.         Longer-term tenancies were especially important to households with dependent children and vulnerable people and helped facilitate more balanced and mixed communities

7.         The requirement placed on local authorities to offer advice and assistance to tenants at the end of a fixed-term tenancy

8.         Longer-term, secured tenancies would help tenants who were in a position to buy as they could buy their property under the Right to Buy

9.         Fixed term tenancies had the potential to undermine community cohesion while making it difficult to achieve tenant involvement and empowerment

10.      Longer-term secure tenancies were more likely to create settled and stable homes

11.      A potential benefit of shorter-term tenancies in the social rented market was ensuring tenancies were reserved for households that did not have sufficient income to rent or buy in the private market

12.      Shorter-term tenancies could provide greater opportunities to deal with tenants who caused anti-social behaviour or were in rent arrears

13.      Affordability information showed that many households needed social housing because the private rented sector was too expensive

14.      Consultation would be undertaken with registered social landlords operating within the district as they would be expected to use the strategy as a guide for their own operation

Other options considered and rejected

No other options were considered.

The Cabinet Member for Housing presented his report on the draft Tenancy Strategy, which the Cabinet was being asked to approve for formal consultation. He explained that the previous version of the strategy had been published in 2013 and it was felt that it needed review. The strategy identified tenancy arrangements that the Council expected to be used across the district and acted as a guide to all social landlords operating in the area.

The Cabinet Member explained that the draft strategy recommended that fixed-term tenancies were used and proposed a recommended length, noting short-term tenancies were contrary to creating sustainable communities and could lead to increased costs as a result of administering their renewal. The strategy proposed a fixed-term 12-month tenancy for new tenants, which, when renewed, could become a long-term secured tenancy. Exceptions to this would include current council tenants moving from one Council property into another, who would go straight into a longer-term secured tenancy.

Cabinet Members asked about who would be consulted on the proposed strategy. Formal consultation would be undertaken with other social landlords operating in the district as they would need to adhere to the parameters set out in the document.

A non-Cabinet member referred to the opportunities through which the Council could take action against tenants who were involved in anti-social behaviour, suggesting the introduction of annual or biannual inspections. The Cabinet Member considered such a stringent inspection regime as an invasion of privacy for tenants who were not causing a nuisance, noting that inspections were already in place to check that all facilities within a property were in order. He added that incidences of anti-social behaviour should lead to greater scrutiny of tenants.

In general, Members agreed with the wording in the draft Tenancy Strategy but noted that an adjustment was required in respect of the paragraph on DeliverSK on page 36 of the agenda pack.

It was AGREED:

Cabinet approves the draft South Kesteven Tenancy Strategy for formal consultation subject to an amendment of the wording in respect of DeliverSK (page 36 of the agenda pack) and a further report which will be presented to Cabinet to consider and adopt the strategy following consultation