Agenda item
- Meeting of The Council, Thursday, 18th July, 2019 1.00 pm (Item 8.)
- View the declarations of interest for item 8.
To submit the
report of the Cabinet Member for Housing
(attached).
Minutes:
Submitted - a report by the Cabinet Member for Housing requesting that
the Council approve the Housing Strategy 2019-2024, confirming the direction
and priorities in the field of housing.
During the discussion, the following observations were submitted by
individual members:
·
The report did not note what
proportion of the additional tax collected through the premium on second homes and
long term empty properties was being reinvested in order to make a difference
in the housing field.
·
The reluctance of the
Planning Department to allow young people to construct homes in their own
villages hindered the Council's vision of supporting all Gwynedd residents to
prosper and to live full lives in their communities.
·
It would be a good thing for
the Council to start constructing social housing once again.
·
The fact that the Cabinet
Member had taken note of all matters raised by the Care Scrutiny Committee and
had incorporated them into the Strategy was welcomed.
·
A reference in the Strategy
to a construction plan was recognition of the disgraceful decision that had
been made to transfer 3,500 Council houses to a private company for free.
·
The Cabinet Member was asked
to reconsider the following aspects that were missing from the Strategy, and to
encompass them in the document:
Ø
Although there was
recognition that there would be an increase of 60% in the number of people over
80 years old living in Gwynedd in 20 years, there was no mention of people
coming to live here from all parts of the United Kingdom and beyond.
Ø
There was no mention that
the Welsh language was a requirement for a house in some areas.
Ø
There was no mention of
offering mortgages for local people to buy houses, although this was within the
Council's rights, and it would be wise to invest in the county's communities
rather than investing in arms companies.
·
As the grants available for
people to upgrade heating systems in older houses were the subject of a means
test, people in employment were not eligible, and pressure should be placed on
Welsh Government to ensure that these people, who were just above the
threshold, were not ignored.
·
All members were witnessing
people in their wards struggling to obtain houses and living in unsuitable
housing, and that the Strategy was a breath of fresh air through the Council
which showed the positive things that could be done to improve the situation of
Gwynedd residents.
In response to some of the above observations, the following was noted:
·
In accordance with the
Financial Strategy adopted by the Council in March, 100% of tax yield on second
homes / long term empty properties (namely, approximately £2.7m net after
collection cost) went towards housing projects.
·
There was a need to change
the old mind-set and the old ways of doing things and find solutions to
planning matters in order to facilitate housing for young people.
·
The housing stock was
transferred to a private company in accordance with instruction from Welsh
Government at the time.
·
Although the new letting
policy enabled the Council to place more pressure on local connection, it was
currently illegal to discriminate on the grounds of language in Wales.
·
In terms of observations
regarding immigration and mortgages, the new Housing and Property Department
would reconsider everything in the coming year.
·
The Minister for Housing had
mentioned the possibility of introducing an ambitious programme over 30 years
to de-carbonise existing residential housing, and should it happen, it would
also solve the problem of heating older houses.
RESOLVED to
approve the Housing Strategy for adoption.
Supporting documents:
- Housing Strategy, item 8. PDF 83 KB
- Appendix 1 - Gwynedd Council's Housing Strategy 2019-24, item 8. PDF 2 MB
- Appendix 2 - Equality Impact Assessment, item 8. PDF 71 KB