2. Links to National, Regional and Local Strategies

The Housing renewal policy should reflect policies at National, Regional and Local levels.

2.1    The National Perspective

The Housing Green Paper "Quality and Choice:- A Decent Home  for All" published in April 2002.

This Green Paper outlined several priorities including.

• The importance of local delivery of housing policies tailored to local  circumstances.
• Developing a framework where owners can afford the commitments of ownership in the long term.
• Encouraging new investment and tackling problems in the private rented sector.
• Bringing all social housing up to a decent standard within ten years. A "decent" home is one which meets the current minimum standards for housing; is in a reasonable state of repair; has reasonably modern facilities and services and provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort.
• Providing new affordable housing, through the Council’s own capital programmes, Housing Corporation’s Approved Development Programme and the effective use of planning powers.
• Tackling other forms of social exclusion - reducing number of rough sleepers; the introduction of the Supporting People Programme; Home Energy Efficiency Scheme etc.

Our private sector renewal policy will have an important role to play in  meeting the requirements of the legislation through targeting appropriate assistance and enforcement action at unfit properties and Houses in Multiple Occupation.

2.2   Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future

This document was published in February 2003 and marks a change in the Government’s approach to maintaining and creating sustainable communities in all Regions.

It is an action plan for building successful, thriving and inclusive communities in which people want to live and have decent homes at a price people can afford.

As part of the 2002 Spending Review, the Public Service Agreement (PSA) 7 target to make all homes in the Social Sector decent by 2010 was extended to include private sector homes. The wording of the target in relation to private sector homes should be read to mean "…and, for vulnerable households in the private sector, to increase the proportion who live in homes that are in decent condition". Vulnerable households have been defined as those on the following benefits;

• Income Support
• Disability Living Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Industrial Injuries Benefit
• Council Tax Benefit
• Disablement Benefit
• Disabled Persons Tax Credit
• War Disablement Pension
• Income based Job Seekers Allowance
• Working Families Tax Credit
• Attendance Allowance

Nationally at April 2001, there were 5.2 million homes which did not meet the decent home standard and of these 1.2 million households were defined as vulnerable for the purposes of the PSA target. This figure represents 43% of all vulnerable households in the private sector, and of these, 70% are owner-occupiers and 30% are tenants.

PSA 7 will include specific targets for the proportion of vulnerable households in the private sector whose homes should achieve the decency standard and regard must be had to this target in Private Sector Renewal Policies.

The newly established Regional Housing Boards (see below at 2.5) will have complete discretion on the distribution of the additional £30 million which will be available in 2004/05 and 2005/06 (as announced by the Sustainable Communities Plan) to support vulnerable occupiers who need help to repair or improve their homes. The Council is a partner in a Countywide Home Improvement Agency (Shropshire Care and Repair) and will hope to access some of this funding to help support the Agency in their future provision and expansion of its services.

2.3  Corporate Performance Assessments for Districts

The Audit Commission has announced that Corporate Performance Assessments for District Councils will include two different types of diagnostic assessments for housing -

• Balancing the housing market
• Decent homes standard

The diagnostic assessment of ‘balanced housing markets" will investigate

• whether the Council has the right research base to understand its housing market
• how well the Council has developed and evolved its strategies and plans
• whether the Council has the right strategies and plans in place to help it balance the housing market
• how well the Council is working corporately to help balance the housing market
• is the Council pursuing the right initiatives and actions to help balance the housing markets
• how well does the Council monitor its progress and assess the impact of its work to help balance the housing market

The diagnostic assessment of ‘meeting the decent homes standard’ will investigate the Council’s ambitions in relation to that of the private sector.

The private sector renewal policy has a crucial role to play in the Corporate Performance Assessment by demonstrating that the Council has concentrated on what matters and has robust plans and strategies which set out a sustained focus for achieving the improvement of private sector housing.

2.4  Housing Bill 2003

Forthcoming Housing legislation will place an emphasis on the revision to the Housing Fitness Standard and on Houses in Multiple Occupation.

2.5  The Regional Perspective

A Regional Housing Statement was issued in 2002 by the Government Office of the West Midlands and the Regional Housing Policy Forum in consultation with other stake holders in the region.

The objectives of the Statement are to:

• Identify key housing issues within the region and to describe how the severity of the challenges faced vary from area to area within the region.
• Provide a regional context to assist local authorities to develop their housing strategies and business plans.
• Provide both an input to and reflect Regional Planning Guidance and the West Midlands Regional Economic Strategy and to reflect other regional policies.

The draft Regional Housing Strategy, prepared by the Regional Housing Partnership on behalf of the Regional Housing Board, has the following key objectives:-

• To contribute to urban renaissance (including addressing issues of house condition)
• To contribute to rural renaissance (including meeting local housing needs)
• To provide pathways of choice for household within different parts of the Region.
• To monitor all aspects of the Housing Strategy.

In the West Midlands, four sub-Regional partnerships have been established to draw up sub-Regional housing strategies. The West Mercia sub-Regional partnership consists of the two counties of Shropshire and Worcestershire, together with the unitary authorites of Herefordshire and Telford & Wrekin.

The key challenges for the sub-Region have been identified as

• Providing sufficient affordable housing.
• Improving housing conditions, particularly in the private sector and private rented sector. Helping vulnerable occupants to have a decent home.
• Securing rural renaissance.
• Addressing housing market weaknesses and housing market failures.
• Implementing "Supporting People" and meeting supported housing needs.

Our private sector housing renewal policy will have an important role to play in meeting these challenges, through, for example:

• Revising the empty property strategy in order to incorporate measures of assistance to bring back empty properties into productive use at affordable prices.
• Improving housing conditions through financial assistance, advice, energy efficiency improvements and tackling fuel poverty and through our proactive enforcement policies.
• Implementing disabled facilities grants and targeted minor works grant to the most vulnerable members of our communities.
• Developing further partnership working with a range of public sector and voluntary organisations including Shropshire Care and Repair Home Improvement Agency (SCAR)

2.6  The Local Perspective

Involving local communities in determining priorities, developing strategies, and improving service delivery are requirements of the Local Government Act 2000. The Council and its partners in the public, voluntary and private sectors have developed a clear vision of how they will improve the social, economic and environmental well-being and to improve the quality of life of the community of the Borough through the Community Strategy.

The key themes are:

• Economic Wellbeing
• Environmental Wellbeing
• Life Long Learning
• Community Wellbeing

The housing services offered by the Council and the Housing Renewal Policy link into these themes, for example:-

• The provision of good standard affordable housing will affect the choices people and businesses make about where they live and work, producing the basis for a sound local economy.
• The use of skills and materials already available within the District to improve the local housing will support the sustainability of local economies.
• The development and support of initiatives in energy efficiency and energy awareness will help to maintain a high quality environment.
• Decent homes will enable older and vulnerable people to remain independent in the community. A decent well heated home is an essential element in producing community well being and health.
• Initiatives in crime prevention and safety will promote social inclusion and community well being.

2.7  Social Care and Health Strategies

Poor housing, particularly when occupied by older and disabled people, can contribute to immobility, social exclusion, ill health, and depression. The implementation of financial assistance and enforcement policies will enable people to stay in their own homes by both facilitating hospital discharge and preventing hospitalisation, and by enabling people to live in secure, safer, well-maintained, warm, and suitable housing.

Shropshire Care and Repair (SCAR) Home Improvement Agency, which is supported by Shropshire County Council Social Services Department, Primary Care Trust and the Shropshire District/Borough Councils will play a key role in delivering these objectives to vulnerable household in the Borough and, in recognition of this important role, will receive significant funding from the Supporting People Commissioning Body from 2003/2004.

2.8  Supporting People Strategy

The organisations responsible for the production and delivery of the Strategy are the five District/Borough Council’s in Shropshire; the County Council; the Primary Care Trust; the West Mercia Probation Service; the Shropshire Voluntary Sector and The Housing Corporation - West Midlands.

The aim of the Supporting People Strategy in Shropshire is;

"To support and sustain vulnerable people in their homes through the provision of a range of housing related support services, enabling them to live rewarding, fulfilling and independent lives within our communities".

Among the main housing and support needs identified across the County are:-

• An increasing need for properties to receive aids and adaptations to support more people at home.
• A need for a handy person service for older and disabled people
• A need to provide housing maintenance advice to older and disabled people.

Shropshire Care and Repair (SCAR) is seen as having a vital role to play in the delivery of these services to priority client groups. Shropshire’s priority client groups include people with a Physical Disability and Older People.

The Council’s Private Sector Housing Renewal Policy is linked in to and supportive of the work of the Shropshire Care and Repair Agency.

2.9  Employment and Economic Regeneration Strategies

Housing renewal activity can in itself generate employment opportunities benefiting the local communities. Many local contractors and building suppliers will continue to be supported as a result of the assistance provided to householders as contained in this policy.

2.10  Equal Opportunities Policy

Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council is committed to the principal of Equal Opportunities. Our Housing Strategy recognises the needs of all members of the community and our new housing renewal policy will be aimed at dealing with the housing issues from our community.

2.11  Community Safety Strategy

The reduction of community crime and disorder is one of the priorities of the Strategy.

A developing Empty Property Strategy, grants for crime prevention measures, enforcement activities, closer working with landlords, through the Landlords Forum, and a potential handy person scheme will all help to reduce the opportunity for property related crime and reduce the fear of crime.

2.12  Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficient Strategies

Housing renewal plays an important role within the broader context of Sustainable Development in helping deliver fuel poverty strategies and meeting the requirements of the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995. The majority of poorly insulated and heated homes are in the private sector and occupied by elderly persons. The Council works closely with a range of organisations in Shropshire and the West Midlands in providing advice and financial assistance to improve the energy efficiency of homes in our Borough. This Policy will enhance and extend that work by offering financial assistance to persuade house owners and tenants to invest in energy efficiency measures.

2.13  Planning and Land Use Strategies

Our Housing and Planning policies are closely related to help facilitate the physical renewal and retention of the district’s housing. The developing empty property strategy will help bring long-term empty homes back into productive use and assist with our targets for the provision of affordable homes as will the draft supplementary planning guidance on Affordable Housing.