Access to affordable, high quality and safe housing is essential for our residents to be able to live and thrive and is a cornerstone of the future success of Dorset.
The challenge
Rising costs and the growing gap between average house price and average salary makes it difficult for local people, especially working-age residents, to afford to live in Dorset.
There is a chronic lack of genuinely affordable housing. Vulnerable residents, including those in crisis or with special needs, often struggle to find suitable homes. The standard of some rented accommodation is not acceptable.
Addressing this requires working with partners and strategic planning through the new Local Plan. We need innovative solutions that help residents access affordable, suitable, and secure homes.
Our approach
We recognise that increasing the availability of affordable homes to meet the needs of local people, improving existing housing stock, and ensuring sustainable development is vital to improve personal health, economic and environmental sustainability.
Working in partnership with the private, social and community sectors and developing our role will support growth and progress to meet these key housing objectives.
Supporting registered providers (also known as housing associations) is important and we value the new affordable housing they provide, and the good housing management and tenant support they offer.
In addition to this, we aim to broaden our role and the range of support we offer on housing. We will look to use our own land and assets to increase the amount of good housing supplied to residents, including specialist, temporary, supported and affordable housing.
An effective prevention approach is vital and makes sure that residents with priority housing needs such as homelessness can be supported earlier and are able find solutions which work well for them. This reduces the need for emergency housing or support services at critical times and provides better outcomes for people and families.
Target measures
- 30% reduction in the number of households in temporary accommodation over the next 5 years
- eradicate use of bed and breakfasts for family households over the next 5 years
- maintain annual homelessness prevention levels consistently higher than the national average
- achieve the desired balanced position of a smaller but sustainable temporary accommodation stock over the next 5 years
- deliver 450 new affordable homes every year through the housing association development programme
- bring forward new housing supply of 100 new accessible homes and 90 larger family homes at affordable rents per year
- implement approved new models of delivery to increase affordable housing supply making best use of council assets
- deliver 100 new supported accommodation homes over the next 5 years secured through grant funding and support from providers
Key actions to deliver this priority
- improve the quality and standard of homes, either rented or owned, working directly with landlords. Support good landlords to meet and exceed minimum standards and use all enforcement options available where we find poor standards of housing. Any financial penalties imposed will be invested in supporting better quality housing
- prevent homelessness and move homeless people into settled homes quickly
- develop an Empty Homes strategy for Dorset
- implement new models of housing delivery that broaden the council’s role and support to increase the amount of new affordable housing that meets the needs of Dorset residents
- develop broader opportunities to meet wider housing needs, including housing for people working in essential roles such as teachers, NHS staff and care workers, and local households on the housing register
Leadership and partnership
- the Home in on Housing programme, delivering the Dorset Council Housing strategy, outlines our leadership in housing. It sets the direction on how to deliver the right homes, in the right place and at the right price and is supported by senior council leaders, members and key stakeholders
- our strategic and operational partnerships continue to mature. Key partnerships with housing associations who own and manage almost 25,000 rented or shared ownership homes and build over 400 new homes per year are regularly supported by key leaders, members and operational experts
- there is regular and effective contract management with specialist providers of accommodation and support. This shares insight and opportunities to achieve good value. It ensures services which enable tenants with support and care needs to live well
- cross-council support and effective forward planning around key strategic plans (such as the Local Plan) and policies enables the most appropriate influence and support for developers and builders to provide the right new homes in the right place for sale or rent, including affordable housing
- strong working relationships with government provide us with grant funding, advice and support to deliver new homes and provide housing advice
- town and parish councils and community groups support understanding of local housing need, and the provision of new homes through Community Land Trusts, led by local people working alongside the council and housing associations
Standing up for Dorset
- ask Homes England and government to provide funding to build a greater proportion of ‘social rented’ homes, at reduced rents
- influence government, Homes England and housing associations for more support to meet Dorset’s housing needs, and to understand that this is broad – including rental and low-cost home ownership options across a range of circumstances
- call on the government to review local housing allowance rates for temporary accommodation. With rates frozen at 2011 levels, this puts a disproportionate financial burden on local authorities and residents, as rents and costs rise