Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Chief Officer (Community and Enterprise) sought approval to carry out consultation with internal and external stakeholders, as required by Welsh Government (WG), to gain their approval to support an application to suspend the Right to Buy (RTB) of Council owned housing in Flintshire.

The suspension of RTB could make a significant contribution to ensuring the continued availability of Council social housing and to maximising the housing opportunities available to all households living across Flintshire.

From March 2003 to March 2013 the proportion of dwellings in the social rented sector had fallen from 21 per cent of total housing stock to 16 per cent.

At Cabinet in September 2014 approval was given to the Strategic Housing and Regeneration Programme (SHARP) to undertake a major procurement to appoint a development partner with the aim of developing 500 houses of which 200 would be new Council houses and 300 would be affordable housing.  Under existing legislation, Council tenants allocated to those new homes would be able to exercise their Right to Buy.  The homes and the rental income streams generated by them would then be lost to the Council in perpetuity.

Given that the legislation to end the RTB would not be introduced until following the WG election in 2016 there was the option for all stock-retaining local authorities like Flintshire to apply to WG to suspend RTB in its area through the 2011 Housing (Wales Measure).

Councillor Shotton commented on the progress made in this area since 2012, particularly in the retention of Council properties following the Council’s Housing Ballot Project.  This was a sensible option to protect the remaining stock and the homes to be built under the SHARP project.

RESOLVED:

That consultation with internal / external Stakeholders with a view to making an application to Welsh Government to suspend the Right to Buy in Flintshire be approved.