Memorandum by Councillor Armand Toms (SRH
01)
I am the County Councillor for Looe and St Martins
Ward of Cornwall County Council and I make this submission to
your Inquiry regarding the supply of rented accommodation from
my knowledge of the situation that prevails in my area. As you
may well know, I made a submission to your Inquiry into the supply
of Affordable Housing which, I believe, was the only submission
from Cornwall. This I find disturbing, as the facts show that
the problems of affordable housing and rented social housing in
Cornwall are probably the worst in the country. I have made it
widely known that this Inquiry is about to take place and I sincerely
hope that you will receive more submissions from Cornwall councils
both county and district.
Looking at the current system in this area I
find it too fragmented and too many organisations fighting over
too small a pot of money, providing an inadequate service that
has little or no chance of meeting the needs of the supply of
local rented accommodation. This is in no way a reflection on
each of those organisations but, having at times a number of housing
association and councils trying to work in one area and in fact
many areas at once, can cause confusion. District councils know
the localised problems and have facts and figures to provide the
evidence of need, even into micro areas, so why are they tasked
with solving the nation's problems. A good council, making real
efforts to resolve its own problems, is basically penalised because
current rules allow anyone in the country to bid for social housing
in any area. To show the effects of this I give this example:
back in 2002 the ODPM changed the rules to allow anyone from any
area to bid for social housing; the local District Council changed
its rules to accommodate these changes and its effect was immediate.
Housing need in my own area (a seaside town with limited accommodation),
rose directly because of these rule changes from 110 to a figure
of 795; this has simply stopped local people being able to get
accommodation. The true effect is that many of our young, trying
to raise families and attempting to stay in communities in which
they were born, are forced into costly rented accommodation (the
seaside effect again). By the time some of these families pay
rent, rates and utilities, 60 to 70% of the disposable income
is gone and they live an existence, not a life. The cost to Councils
and taxpayers in support of the people, both in subsidised rents
and rates in my local area, is 12 million pounds alone. Would
it not be better to use some of this money to provide social housing?
The true cost of inaction over this problem will never be known,
but how do we resolve it? May I make the following suggestions:
1. The Council and one housing association
per district area. This would cut costs, as funds for the most
needy areas could be directed via simple partnership working.
This would not include national charitable organisations who would
still be able to do their own work in the poorest areas and of
most need.
2. Social housing should be directed at
local people, ie solve the problem of a local community first
and this will lead to solving the country's needs. By aiding local
people this will give sustainable communities. The current system
allows social housing in communities such as mine to become a
retirement and "A nice place to live" home, with no
regard to local people.
3. Too many popular tourist areas are besieged
by people wanting to live there, and all to often whole areas
are purchased for holiday/second homes. This is to the detriment
of the community as the infra structure fails. In Polperro a large
section of the town has become unpopulated and banks and shops
have closed; in time will this become an un stainable community?
I have no problem with people buying second homes as an investment
but not when it is to the detriment of a small community. I would
propose a limit on the sustainable number of homes that can be
used as holiday homes against those which need to be in full-time
occupation to sustain the community. Anyone purchasing a home
in an area like this should know if the area is over the limit
set for sustainability, then they purchase it knowing it must
be for full-time occupation. This is already done in the Channel
Isles.
4. Councils, Housing Associations, Registered
Social Landlords and any other letting body, should, under direction
of a local land/estate agent, be signed up to giving good accommodation
at fair rents. A tax incentive should be given to landlords who
provide accommodation at fair rents.
5. Special-needs housing should be directly
controlled by councils with a view of meeting the need of asylum
seekers and social care which needs to be reactive to each case.
This should be separated from social housing and funded directly
from central government.
6. The sale of the current stock of social
housing should be limited or stopped and encouragement given to
those who can afford to purchase their own home to move with the
aid of grants etc.
7. Key worker schemes to aid in sustainable
communities in rural areas should be funded via central government.
8. Social housing should be integrated within
larger developments and not, as previously, built as whole estates.
9. The building of social houses should
be grant-aided direct to District Councils on a needs basis and
monies from sales of property should also be put directly into
this fund.
10. Social landlords who build housing directly
for letting via Councils should be given tax incentives to do
so with aid/grants for infrastructure costs.
11. A complete review of letting policies
should be carried out based on solving local problems first.
12. Social housing is key to a sustainable
community as in these days of high house prices housing, such
as so-called affordable housing, is not retained as affordable
or for community benefit.
13. Councils should have direct control
and involvement with all social housing requirements within their
jurisdiction.
14. The provision of social housing should
be directly controlled by the local Council/Planners and not directed
via structure plans. In rural areas Councils/Planners should have
the ability to allow small developments of normal housing with
a benefit, in kind, of land for social housing via section 106
agreements. The ability of local Councils/Planners to be able
to do these schemes will have a very positive effect on the cost
of providing social housing, as land constitutes the main cost
of housing development.
15. Section 106 agreements should be used
to stop the sale of special needs housing and those in small rural
areas where future developments would be restricted.
16. Social accommodation should not be allocated
to people with a private home or homes, allowing them to let these
homes at a profit whilst there are people in private accommodation,
paying inflated rents, on waiting lists.
17. Social housing should be for full-time
occupation only, as occupants who pay rents and rates continuously
may, if they so wish, reside in other accommodation but can reserve
the rights of tenancy. I have two such homes in my area that I
know about and I am frustrated that nothing can be done.
Social housing is the key to a sustainable community
and this Inquiry should have the strength to press government
for the funds to resolve it. All communities should have a sufficient
supply of social housing to meet its needs, which should remain
so for as long as needed. At present the rush to build Affordable
Housing in Cornwall will never solve the housing problem, as only
a small number of local people can afford to purchase them, with
local pay rates being so low. The fact is that Affordable Housing
is affordable only once and is a short-term fix to a long-term
community problem.
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