Agenda item

Agenda item

Motions

To consider the following motion submitted by Councillor R Adams:

 

“This Council acknowledges Prime Minister Theresa May’s recognition of a nationalcrisis in housing, in her speech to the Royal Town Planning Institute conference earlier this month. The Council also notes with interest the comments by the (Tory) Chairman of the Local Government Association, Sir Gary Porter, in response to the Prime Minister’s speech, saying that nothing will change unless more council houses are built.

 

This Council is intent on playing its part in tackling the national housing crisis to the fullest extent and pledges to do everything possible to close the gap in the amount of suitable social housing available in North West Leicestershire. We will -  

 

Commit our current £16 million borrowing headroom to fund an accelerated programme of new-build council housing

 

Utilize compulsory purchase powers to maximum effect to bring sites or properties that are in disrepair and empty houses back into use

 

Lobby Government to reform the Right to Buy, lift restrictions on the re-investment of the Council's £5 million housing Capital Receipts and relax HM Treasury rules on borrowing to fund new council house schemes so that in the future, Councils will be able to respond in a timely manner to identified local housing needs”.

 

Minutes:

Councillor R Adams moved the following motion: 

 

“This Council acknowledges Prime Minister Theresa May’s recognition of a national crisis in housing, in her speech to the Royal Town Planning Institute conference earlier this month. The Council also notes with interest the comments by the (Tory) Chairman of the Local Government Association, Sir Gary Porter, in response to the Prime Minister’s speech, saying that nothing will change unless more council houses are built.

 

This Council is intent on playing its part in tackling the national housing crisis to the fullest extent and pledges to do everything possible to close the gap in the amount of suitable social housing available in North West Leicestershire. We will -  

 

Commit our current £16 million borrowing headroom to fund an accelerated programme of new-build council housing

 

Utilize compulsory purchase powers to maximum effect to bring sites or properties that are in disrepair and empty houses back into use

 

Lobby Government to reform the Right to Buy, lift restrictions on the re-investment of the Council's £5 million housing Capital Receipts and relax HM Treasury rules on borrowing to fund new council house schemes so that in the future, Councils will be able to respond in a timely manner to identified local housing needs”.

 

The motion was seconded by Councillor S Sheahan who stated that what really mattered was the housing crisis and what the Council could do for the 750 people on the waiting list.  It was proposed that the government be lobbied as the Right to Buy scheme was responsible for the net loss.  He added that the Labour group believed the Council could do a lot more. 

 

Councillor M B Wyatt expressed support for the Right to Buy scheme and providing people the opportunity to access the housing market.  He added that the Labour Party had not taken the opportunity to change the Right to Buy scheme.  He expressed his views on the previous condition of the housing stock and felt that the motion was highly hypocritical.  He applauded the Conservative group for retaining the housing stock. 

 

Councillor R D Bayliss moved the following amendment:

 

“This Council acknowledges Prime Minister Theresa May’s recognition of a national crisis in housing, in her speech to the Royal Town Planning Institute conference earlier this month. The Council also notes that the Chairman of the Local Government Association, Lord Porter, is a keen exponent of more council houses being built.

 

This Council is intent on playing its part in tackling the national housing crisis to the fullest extent and pledges to do everything possible to close the gap in the amount of suitable social housing available in North West Leicestershire. We have started building council homes for the first time in three decades and in this very month we will accept the first completions at Linford and Verdon Crescent, Coalville of the 24 homes in the first phase of our programme. A contract to build a further 24 council homes at Ashby Road, Coalville as part of our second phase programme has just been signed. This Council has also increased housing supply through accepting 21 new homes from developers as part of planning agreements in 2017/18, with a further 19 new homes to come through this means in 2018/19. In addition to these ongoing initiatives we will -  

 

-            Utilise compulsory purchase powers to maximum effect to bring sites or properties that are in disrepair, and empty houses, back into use

 

-            Carry out a review of all existing initiatives to increase housing supply (including support for local housing associations) and use this cost benefit analysis to guide the Council in adopting the most economic and effective way forward in delivering new homes. This review will examine all existing funding mechanisms and investigate all available options going forward, including the option to access the borrowing headroom within the Housing Revenue Account. This Council is therefore fully committed to supporting new council housing schemes so that in the future, this Council will be able to respond in a timely manner to meet identified local housing needs”.

 

Councillor R D Bayliss commented that houses were not being lost under the Right to Buy scheme, they were simply in different ownership.  He made reference to the waiting list and reminded members that around 350 tenancy changes were completed each year and many of the remainder of people on the waiting list were low priority as they already had a home. He added that the Council was on course to deliver 88 houses and this had been accomplished without borrowing.  He urged members to accept the amendment. 

 

The motion was seconded by Councillor R Blunt who stated that the administration had shown its willingness to invest in housing.  He expressed pride in the poll undertaken on the retention of the housing stock and thanked members for their support.

 

Councillor T Eynon felt that the electorate were keen to have a debate on housing and did not understand why the £5 million in capital receipts from Right to Buy could not be reinvested in council housing stock.

 

Councillor R Ashman stated that he was proud to be part of an authority that was building council houses for the first time in 26 years.

 

Councillor N Clarke stated that both the key points to the motion had been removed and so he would not support the amendment. 

 

Councillor R Adams exercised his right of reply and stated that he could not support the amendment as it did not refer to the Right to Buy.  He felt that it was necessary to lobby the government to reform the Right to Buy.

 

The Chairman then put the amendment to the vote.  The motion was declared CARRIED. 

 

The Chairman then put the substantive motion, as amended, to the vote.  The motion was declared CARRIED.

 

It was therefore

 

RESOLVED THAT:

 

“This Council acknowledges Prime Minister Theresa May’s recognition of a national crisis in housing, in her speech to the Royal Town Planning Institute conference earlier this month. The Council also notes that the Chairman of the Local Government Association, Lord Porter, is a keen exponent of more council houses being built.

 

This Council is intent on playing its part in tackling the national housing crisis to the fullest extent and pledges to do everything possible to close the gap in the amount of suitable social housing available in North West Leicestershire. We have started building council homes for the first time in three decades and in this very month we will accept the first completions at Linford and Verdon Crescent, Coalville of the 24 homes in the first phase of our programme. A contract to build a further 24 council homes at Ashby Road, Coalville as part of our second phase programme has just been signed. This Council has also increased housing supply through accepting 21 new homes from developers as part of planning agreements in 2017/18, with a further 19 new homes to come through this means in 2018/19. In addition to these ongoing initiatives we will -  

 

-            Utilise compulsory purchase powers to maximum effect to bring sites or properties that are in disrepair, and empty houses, back into use

 

Carry out a review of all existing initiatives to increase housing supply (including support for local housing associations) and use this cost benefit analysis to guide the Council in adopting the most economic and effective way forward in delivering new homes. This review will examine all existing funding mechanisms and investigate all available options going forward, including the option to access the borrowing headroom within the Housing Revenue Account. This Council is therefore fully committed to supporting new council housing schemes so that in the future, this Council will be able to respond in a timely manner to meet identified local housing needs”.

Supporting documents: