Bournemouth Borough CounCil

Bournemouthhousing Strategy

2013 —2020

www.bournemouth.gov.uk march 2013

housing Strategy

Contents

Page no.

Foreword 1

exeCutive Summary 2

Chapter 1: introduction 4 1.1 Purpose of this Housing Strategy 4 1.2 Partnership working 4 1.3 Housing vision 4 1.4 Brief introduction to Bournemouth 5 1.5 Consultation to develop this Strategy 5 1.6 Links with other Bournemouth priorities 5 1.7 Structure of the Strategy 6

Chapter 2: national Policy Context 7 2.1 National Housing Strategy 7 2.2 Reduced central government grant funding 7 2.3 Reduced funding for affordable housing development 7 2.4 Planning reform 7 2.5 Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) 8 2.6 Local freedoms for allocating social housing 8 2.7 Changes to security of tenure 8 2.8 Reform of social housing regulation 8 2.9 National Home Swap scheme 8 2.10 HousingRevenueAccountselffinancing 8 2.11 Increased discounts for Right to Buy 9 2.12 Empty homes 9 2.13 Greener homes 9 2.14 Homelessness 9 2.15 Welfare reform 10 2.16 Health and housing 10

Chapter3: LocalProfileandIssues 11 3.1 Reduced central government funding 11 3.2 New housing supply 11 3.3 Propertytypeandtenureprofile 11 3.4 Deprivation 11 3.5 Affordability 12 3.6 Existing affordable housing 12 3.7 Need for additional affordable housing 12 3.8 Delivery of additional affordable housing 13 3.9 Choice based lettings 13 3.10 Private sector housing stock 13 3.11 Houses in Multiple Occupation 14 3.12 Student accommodation 14

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Page no. 3.13 Empty homes and second homes 14 3.14 Low carbon homes 15 3.15 Fuel poverty 15 3.16 Independent living and social care 16 3.17 Housing related support 16 3.18 Prevalence of homelessness 17 3.19 Prevalence of rough sleeping 17 3.20 Homelessness and rough sleeping services 17 3.21 People with learning disabilities 18 3.22 Older people 19 3.23 Accessible housing 19 3.24 Young people 19 3.25 Tackling anti social behaviour 19 3.26 Targeted area regeneration in Boscombe and West Howe 20

Chapter 4: Delivery Plan 21 4.1 The right supply of new homes including maximising affordable housing 22 4.2 Making the best use of all existing homes 23 4.3 Professionally managed and well maintained homes 24 4.4 Greener homes 25 4.5 Reduced homelessness and rough sleeping 26 4.6 Specialist accommodation available for people with different needs 27 4.7 Regenerated areas 28 4.8 Resourcesusedinthemostefficientway 29

Chapter 5: resources available to Deliver 30 5.1 General Fund 30 5.2 Housing Revenue Account 31

Chapter 6: monitoring and Conclusions 34 6.1 Detailed delivery plans 34 6.2 Monitoring of the Strategy 34 6.3 Conclusions 34

appendix 1: Supporting Documents 35 appendix 2: national housing Strategy — summary of aims and objectives 36

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ForewordI am very pleased to introduce the new Housing Strategy for Bournemouth. It sets out where we are now across the various housing issues that we face and how we need to move forward over the next few years.

Inacontextofuncertaintimes,significantcentralgovernmentpolicychangesaheadand reduced funding levels for Local Authorities and partner organisations, we have committed to further improving housing for our residents.

We have set out a number of challenging housing aspirations that will form the focus of our efforts and resources over the coming few years.

There has been much progress over recent years but there is still much to do. The Council will continue to work hard with its many partners to deliver these plans and I look forward to seeing them come to fruition over the coming months and years.

Councillor robert lawton Cabinet Member for Housing Bournemouth Borough Council

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executive Summary

introduction 1. This Housing Strategy presents a clear,

ambitious way forward in order to improve housing in Bournemouth. It sets out priorities and aspirations for the Town which will form the focus of activities over the next few years.

2. This Strategy draws together all of the housing issues into one comprehensive document. Rather than requiring additional documents, this Strategy also comprises the Homelessness Strategy, the Empty Homes Strategy, the Private Sector Housing Strategy, the Housing Related Support Strategy (formerly Supporting People) and the Learning Disabilities Housing Plan.

3. The housing vision for Bournemouth is set out in eight key housing aspirations:

1. The right supply of new homes including maximising affordable housing

2. Making the best use of all existing homes

3. Professionally managed and well-maintained homes

4. Green homes

5. Reduced homelessness and rough sleeping

6. Specialist accommodation available for people with different needs

7. Regenerated areas

8. Resourcesusedinthemostefficientway.

4. Local Authorities are required by law to have a Housing Strategy and a Homelessness Strategy.

5. Bournemouth has a population of 183,500 with a predicted growth of 10% over the next decade. The Black and Minority Ethnic (BME)populationhassignificantlyincreasedbetween 2001 and 2011 from 7.5% to 16.2%. Bournemouth comprises a total of 82,374 households.

6. Many consultation activities have been carried out to shape this document including a formal consultation period between October and December 2012.

7. The Strategy will help to achieve a number of the Council’s corporate aims and is well aligned with other Council policies such as the Core Strategy and the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan.

national policy context 8. Chapter 2 sets out the national context which

hasinvolvedsomesignificantchanges.Issuesinclude reduced central government funding, planning reform, impact of the Localism Act inenablinglocalpolicyflexibilities,socialhousingreform,HRAself-financing,nationalhomelessness guidance and welfare reform.

Localprofileandissues 9. Chapter 3 sets out the local issues.

Bournemouth has a target to complete 14,600 new dwellings in the Borough between 2006 and 2006, and 5,510 had been completed by 2012.

10. Bournemouthhashighlevelsofflatsandmaisonettes, pockets of deprivation in Boscombe/Springbourne and West Howe and people struggling to get on the property ladder.

11. Bournemouth has a lower than average social housing sector. The Council retains its own housing stock of 5,130 dwellings. There are also approximately 3,500 units owned by Registered Providers (Housing Associations).

12. The delivery of additional affordable housing is one of the corporate priorities for the Council. The delivery of additional units has fluctuatedsignificantlybetweenyearsfromahigh of 219 units in 2009/10 to an expected 35 units during 2012/13.

13. A Council new-build programme of 105 new Council owned units is being implemented. Additional affordable housing is also secured through developer contributions and Registered Providers (Housing Associations).

14. The private rented sector is high in Bournemouth, 24% of this stock is estimated to have a Category 1 hazard, the Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) stock is large and there are approximately 800 properties empty for more than six months.

15. There is a continued focus on encouraging independent living which includes a £9 million programme of housing related support.

16. There has been an increase in homelessness over the last two years and it is likely that this trend may continue due to the economic climate and welfare reform.

17. There has been much progress made in relation to housing services for people with learning disabilities with almost 60 people moved out of hospital living.

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18. Older people’s housing is being reshaped to make sure it meets current and future needs.

19. Area regeneration is underway for the Boscombe area with a housing action plan agreed.

Delivery plan 20. In light of the eight key housing aspirations,

Chapter 4 presents the delivery plan by setting out key activities to be undertaken to achieve each of these.

21. The key actions to achieve ‘The right supply of new homes including maximising affordable housing’ include introducing a Community Infrastructure Levy and delivering the Council’s new build programme.

22. The key actions to achieve ‘Making the best use of all existing homes’ include the role of anemptyhomesliaisonofficer,implementingfiveyearfixedtermtenanciesandreviewingthe SP HUB.

23. The key actions to achieve ‘Professionally managed and well-maintained homes’ include targeting enforcement activities in the Boscombe and Winton areas, promoting the new accreditation scheme and further developing the annual landlords conference.

24. The key actions to achieve ‘Green homes’ include raising awareness of initiatives, continuing the installation of photovoltaics (PV) on Council housing and piloting new low carbon technology locally.

25. The key actions to achieve ‘Reduced homelessness and rough sleeping’ include increasing debt/money management, delivering the new local welfare assistance fund, remodelling housing related support services for homeless households and a quicker reconnections policy for rough sleepers.

26. The key actions to achieve ‘Specialist accommodation available for people with different needs’ include implementing the Older People’s Housing Delivery Plan, undertaking regular training in the housing sector regarding mental health needs and reviewing people with learning disabilities who moved out of hospital settings.

27. The key actions to achieve ‘Regenerated areas’ include implementing the Homes for Boscombe plan, acquiring and converting HMOs in Boscombe and working with establishments housing vulnerable people in Boscombe.

28. The key actions to achieve ‘Resources used in the most efficient way’ include implementing the core service transformation proposals, continuing prioritising funding for the housing related support programme and homeless services, focussing resources to improve service user involvement and improving information provision on housing options available.

resources available to deliver 29. Chapter 5 sets out the resources available to

deliver this Strategy. As well as staff resources and land/property assets, the Council has a number of capital and revenue funding streams (General Fund and Housing Revenue Account [HRA]).

monitoring and conclusions 30. Chapter 6 presents the monitoring

arrangements and draws some conclusions.

31. The Strategy will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and necessary changes will be managed by the Cabinet Member for Housing through delegated authority.

32. A number of detailed action plans will be developed and in place for the start of the financialyearforthediscreteareasofservicedelivery such as homelessness and housing related support, which will be monitored regularly.

33. A Housing Strategy Review Group will be convened every six months to provide ongoing scrutiny of progress and to help maintain momentum.

34. The Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Panel will be presented with annual progress reports.

35. There are many good services already in place in Bournemouth. However, there will always be scope to improve and further develop services to better meet local needs. This Strategy will help to drive action forward.

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Chapter 1: introduction

1.1 Purpose of this housing StrategyThis Housing Strategy presents a clear, ambitious way forward in order to improve housing in Bournemouth. It sets out priorities and aspirations for the Town which will form the focus of activities over the next few years. Housing is an important issue to get right for any community. The nature of housing in an area develops and shapes the community. The issues relating to the delivery of good housing are complex and are set out in this document.

This Strategy draws together all of the housing issues into one comprehensive document. Rather than requiring additional documents, this Strategy also comprises the following:

• Homelessness Strategy

• Empty Homes Strategy

• Private Sector Housing Strategy

• Housing Related Support Strategy (formerly Supporting People)

• Learning Disabilities Housing Plan.

As well as needing a Housing Strategy to help focus activities across the Town, there is a statutory need to have one in place. Local Authorities are required, in law, to have a Housing Strategy, which sets out ‘a vision for housing in its area’ and ‘objectives and targets and policies’ (Local Government Act 2003). Every local authority is also required by law to have an up to date preventing

homeless strategy that sets out its plans to tackle and prevent homelessness (Homelessness Act 2002). This is a stand alone statutory requirement but can be included within the Housing Strategy as it is here (Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2003).

Whilstitisverydifficulttopredicttheenvironmentin several years time, this Housing Strategy is a document that looks to the future, and plans activities and priorities accordingly. It covers the next seven year period up until 2020. However, the Strategy will be reviewed during 2016/17 in order toconfirmthefocusfortheremainingdurationofthis Strategy.

1.2 Partnership workingWe recognise that the priorities within this Strategy cannot be delivered by the Council alone. Partnership working is required at a local level and there are many players already actively involved in improving housing issues across the Town.

The Bournemouth Housing Forum is important in this regard and meets bi-monthly as an active collective of individuals and agencies interested in housing issues locally. Another key group, specificallyinrelationtohomelessness,istheHomelessness Strategy Group. Chaired by the Council, this group is attended by a range of statutory and voluntary representatives to help focus and coordinate resources to tackle and prevent homelessness. There are many other examples of partnership working to help deliver the housing work across the Borough.

1.3 housing visionThe housing vision for Bournemouth is ambitious and is set out in eight key housing aspirations. They cut across all tenures and will provide the focus of resources over the next few years. They are described in more detail in Chapter 4 and are as follows:

eight key housing aspirations for Bournemouth1. The right supply of new homes including maximising affordable housing.

2. Making the best use of all existing homes.

3. Professionally managed and well-maintained homes.

4. Green homes.

5. Reduced homelessness and rough sleeping.

6. Specialist accommodation available for people with different needs.

7. Regenerated areas.

8. Resourcesusedinthemostefficientway.

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1.4 Brief introduction to BournemouthBournemouth has a relatively short history, growing from a population of just 489 in the parish of Holdenhurst in 1801. One quarter of current housing was built pre-1919. The Borough is constrained by the greenbelt and the coast. As a result, the Borough is the most densely populated local authority in the South West. The Town has a strong tourism industry with several million visitors every year. In addition, the conurbation has a significantfinancialservicessector.

Bournemouth has a population of 183,500 as at the 2011 census, which is a 12% increase since 2001. There are proportionately more 20 — 24 year olds and slightly more over 70 year olds in Bournemouth than the national average. The large number of 20 — 24 year olds is partly due to the Town’s student population. In contrast, the Borough has a smaller proportion of 0 —15 year olds than nationally, despitethesignificantincreaseinbirthstheareahas experienced in recent years.

The latest population projections suggest continued growth of 9.7% by 2021 with a quarter of the increase expected to be in the numbers of people aged 65 and over, with an additional 39% of the population increase in the under 15s.

In line with the increase in population over recent years, the 2011 census shows that the number of households has also increased. There were a total of 82,374 households in Bournemouth in 2011 compared to 72,212 ten years previous (a 14% increase).

Approximately 7.5% of Bournemouth’s population in 2001 were from Black and Minority Ethnic communities.Thisincreasedsignificantlyto16.2%ten years later in the 2011 census. Some of the more established communities in the Town include Portuguese, Polish, Chinese, Jewish and Middle Eastern communities.

1.5 Consultation to develop this StrategyMany consultation activities have been carried out whichhashelpedtoshapethisfinaldocument.This included a formal consultation period between October and December 2012. Activities included the following:

• Bournemouth Housing Forum annual conference — ‘Housing Strategy’ theme

• draft Housing Strategy circulated to a wide range of stakeholders including members of Bournemouth Housing Forum, members of the Bournemouth 2026 Trust, landlords, external voluntary and statutory agency stakeholders, Council colleagues, area forum chairs and Councillors

• consultation Council webpage with draft Housing Strategy and online feedback form

• press release promoting formal consultation period

• Homelessness Strategy Group discussion session

• stakeholder discussion session

• all councillor discussion session, including attendance by members of the Adult and Community Overview and Scrutiny Panel

• service user/customer discussion session

• landlord discussion session

• regularbriefingsanddiscussionswithCabinetPortfolio Holder for Housing.

1.6 links with other Bournemouth prioritiesThis Housing Strategy clearly needs to be aligned with other priorities set by Bournemouth Borough Council and priorities set elsewhere for the Town, to ensure a joined up approach.

LookingfirstlyattheprioritiessetbyBournemouthBorough Council, this Strategy was developed in close consultation with the Portfolio Holder forHousing.Housinghasbeenidentifiedasatop priority for the current administration, as reflectedintheCouncil’sCorporatePlan—www.bournemouth.gov.uk/CouncilDemocracy/CouncilPerformance/CorporatePlan.aspx

The delivery of housing services across the Town, as set out in this Strategy, will help to achieve the following priorities set out in the Council’s Corporate Plan:

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• more services delivered in partnership with other organisations by working with both the private, and the community and voluntary sectors

• vulnerable adults and children safeguarded

• increased prevention and early intervention

• more Council housing built, more affordable housing available, and increased support for the development of homes that are affordable for first-timebuyers

• increased regeneration for those areas most in need

• growth in the Green Economy.

In addition to the Council’s priorities, the Bournemouth 2026 Trust (formerly the Local Strategic Partnership) helps to shape the focus of activities across the Town. The Bournemouth 2026 Trusthasdefined4keypriorities,andHousingiskey to delivering each of these:

• two neighbourhood regeneration priorities — Boscombe and West Howe

• two transformation priorities — Young People Realising Their Potential & Troubled Families.

The Strategy is also well aligned with various other Council documents including the following:

• The Bournemouth Local Plan — Core Strategy

• Affordable Housing Development Plan Document

• Tenancy Strategy

• Allocations Policy

• Boscombe Commitment and Action Plan

• Plan for Older People’s Housing

• Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan

• Corporate Parenting Strategy

• Early Help Commissioning Strategy.

Appendix 1 presents details of the various background documents which form supporting information.

1.7 Structure of the Strategy• Chapter 2 of this Housing Strategy presents the

national context.

• Chapter 3 presentsthelocalissuesspecifictoBournemouth.

• Chapter 4 presents the delivery plan.

• Chapter 5 identifiestheresourcesavailabletodeliver this Strategy.

• Chapter 6 refers to the detailed action plans to be developed and the monitoring arrangements in place. It also presents some brief conclusions.

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Chapter 2: national Policy Context

This Strategy needs to take into account the national position and how it impacts locally. The national housing policy context has seen many significantchangesoverthelastcoupleofyearswhich have shaped the housing sector. Some of the main points of note here include the scale of central government funding, the Government’s Housing Strategy, Planning reforms, changes to the way affordable housing is funded, the Localism Act 2011, the new Right to Buy rules and welfare reforms.

2.1 national housing StrategyThe Government launched its Housing Strategy in November 2011 — ‘Laying the Foundations’. The Strategy comes against a backdrop where house building has slowed over recent decades and there is a shortage of homes, particularly affordable housing. In its introduction, the Government states two broad aims:

• to ‘unblock the market’

• to ‘spread opportunity in our society’.

The Government has outlined a number of aims and objectives which include increasing the supply of new homes, reforming social housing, tackling empty homes, welfare reform, and community and tenant empowerment. More details are set out in Appendix 2. The Localism Act received Royal Assent on 15th November 2011 and introduced a number of these housing reforms. Many of the reforms within the Localism Act focused around enabling decisions to be made at a local level.

2.2 reduced central government grant fundingCouncilsareexperiencingsignificantcutsinthegrant levels they receive from central government. Thishasalreadyhadsignificantimplicationsfor many areas of housing service delivery and will further impact services going forward. Bournemouth Borough Council experienced a significantreduction,ofapproximately50%,intheSupporting People (SP) grant settlement in previous years.Thisclearlyhadsignificantimplicationsforthe delivery of housing related support locally. To address the funding pressures associated with this programme, the Supporting People team at that time led a programme of decommissioning, renegotiating contracts and service remodelling to achieve savings. The Council has now approved the housing related support programme within base budget. Other grant funding such as Private

Sector Renewal Grant no longer exists which was previously used to support the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) programme.

2.3 reduced funding for affordable housing developmentThe grant available for affordable housing development over the period 2011—15 is approximately 50% less than during the previous four year period. In order to sustain development, the government developed a new tenure, known as ‘Affordable Rent’, whereby social housing providers charge higher rents, at up to 80% of market levels, and use the increased rental income to support additional borrowing in order to compensate for reduced grant.

Grant is no longer available to support affordable housing completions as a condition of planning permission. This inevitably affects the capacity for Registered Providers (Housing Associations) to develop, particularly in areas with high land and market rental values. New models of funding affordable housing development are likely to emerge, with approaches relying on selling some homes on the open market to ensure viability. Local Authorities such as Bournemouth have established a Council Housing new build programme through the use of Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) grant, Section 106 monies, capital receipts and rental income surpluses.

2.4 Planning reformFollowing a review of the planning system, the Governmenthasintroducedsignificantreforms,including:

• the abolition of regional planning

• the introduction of Neighbourhood Planning

• a presumption in favour of sustainable development

• a duty to cooperate

• consolidated national planning policy.

These proposals are intended to promote growth andletlocalpeopleinfluencehowgrowthhappens.TheLocalismActseekstofulfilthisambitionbyabolishing Regional Strategies with regional housing targets and creating a powerful, but complex community planning framework. The key aspect for housing is that the target numbers of new homes have been removed and emphasis is placed on Local Authorities to ensure their Local Plan meets the full demand for market and affordable housing in their areas.

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2.5 Community infrastructure levy (Cil)By April 2014, Councils are required to implement a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) involving a single charging schedule if they want to continue to collect pooled developer contributions. Bournemouth is currently working towards its introduction. The implementation of CIL could potentially have implications leading to a reduction of affordable housing developer contributions, because they will fall outside of the CIL calculation and are considered once the CIL is taken.

2.6 local freedoms for allocating social housingUnder previous legislation anyone could apply to live in social housing meaning that Councils were required to have ‘open’ housing registers. Due to the demand on social housing the government now feels that open registers raise false expectations. The Localism Act now gives Local Authorities greater freedom to set their own policies about whoqualifiestogoonthehousingregisterfortheir area. These new powers enable authorities to manage the expectations of applicants who may never be re-housed as a result of low priority. Bournemouth implemented a new Allocations Policy in 2012 which delivers these local freedoms.

2.7 Changes to security of tenureHistorically social landlords were normally only able to grant secure or assured tenancies. Sometimes this has meant that people were able to rent a social home at a moment of need, and then continue to live there long after their circumstances had changed.

The government has protected the security and rights of existing social housing tenants, including when they move to another social rented home. However, the Act now allows for social housingproviderstointroduceflexibletenancyarrangements for people entering social housing. The most common impact of this new legislation willbefixedtermtenanciesofferedforfiveyears,after which time the circumstances of the applicant will be reviewed to ensure they are still eligible for that tenancy. As a result of these changes Local Authorities are required to introduce a Tenancy Strategy by January 2013. Bournemouth’s Tenancy Strategy was adopted in May 2012 involving plans to implementfiveyeartenancies.

2.8 reform of social housing regulationThe Localism Act reforms the way that social housing is regulated. It now provides tenants with stronger tools to hold their landlords to account. Landlords will be expected to support tenant panels — or similar bodies — in order to give tenants the opportunity to carefully scrutinise the services provided. The Act also abolishes the Tenant Services Authority and transfers its remaining functions to the Homes and Communities Agency.

2.9 national home Swap schemeMoving home in the private sector can almost be taken for granted and is expected. Evidence suggests, however, that it is less straightforward for those who live in social housing. The Localism Act introduced a national home swap scheme in which all social housing providers are required to participate. This should provide social tenants with a far greater opportunity to relocate their home to meet their needs.

2.10 housing revenue account selffinancingThe Localism Act has reformed the system for financingCouncilHousing,introducingamodelknownasself-financing.Undertheprevioussystem,some Local Authorities such as Bournemouth paid some of their rental income from the ring-fenced Housing Revenue Account (HRA) back to central government for redistribution elsewhere.

Self-financingwasimplementednationallyinApril2012andinvolvedaone-offfinancialsettlementwith central government. Now all rental income is retained. Bournemouth Borough Council therefore took on £42.488m of additional debt to enable self-financing.TheCouncilnowhastheabilityto use surplus rental income to invest in building additional Council Housing.

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2.11 increased discounts for right to BuyWithin the government’s national housing strategy the decision was made to increase the discounts for tenants under the ‘Right to Buy’ scheme. The cap has now been increased to £75,000 which is significantlygreaterthanthepreviouscapforthisarea which was £38,000. Whilst the government has stated that Local Authorities will be able to retain the receipts for replacement housing they will be limited to use only 30% of the cost of the replacement home. They will also only be able to replace it with an affordable rented property. It is too early to understand the impact these increased discounts will have on our housing stock. There is a concern that family sized properties, where we have the greatest supply needs and pressures, may well be reduced due to the increased Right to Buy discounts.

2.12 empty homesCurrently, there are around 730,000 empty homes in England (October 2010 data), 300,000 of which areclassifiedaslongtermemptybecausetheyhave been empty for more than six months. The government is committed to bringing empty homes back into use, as a sustainable way of increasing the overall supply of housing and reducing the negative impact that neglected empty homes can have on communities.

In particular, to support this it has:

• included the number of empty homes brought back into use as part of the New Homes Bonus funding calculation

• set aside funding to bring problematic empty homes back into use and tackle some of the worst concentrations of empty homes

• introduced an ‘empty homes premium’ on the Council Tax payable on empty homes

• introduced changes to Empty Dwelling Management Orders to target their use on the very worst long-term empty homes causing a nuisance to the community.

2.13 greener homesThe Climate Change Act 2008 aims to help the transition towards a low-carbon economy in the UK and includes a legally binding target of at least an 80% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Act commits the UK to reduce household CO2 emissions to almost zero over the next fourdecades.TheGovernment’sflagshippolicyto achieve energy reduction in buildings is the

Green Deal — a loan scheme for householders and businessestofinancehomeimprovementsandpayback the cost via their energy bill savings.

The Government is also committed to tackling the issue of vulnerable people being unable to afford to heat their homes. The National Fuel Poverty Strategy aims to end fuel poverty by 2016.

Bournemouth Borough Council and its partners will continue to address these issues through the ‘Go Green’ and ‘Affordable Warmth’ strategies to support the growth in the green economy and increased prevention of fuel poverty.

2.14 homelessnessHomelessness has a detrimental effect on individuals, families and communities. As well as a moral case for tackling homelessness, there is an economic case because the effects can be costly to the public purse. A proactive preventative approach is far more effective.

The national approach to homelessness includes the following key principles:

• need to embed a preventative approach

• have clear pathways of accommodation

• have easy access to information

• address homelessness in partnership

• develop links to enable people to access a private sector tenancy

• minimise use of bed and breakfast, especially for young people and families

• need for cross departmental working.

Councils have a duty to provide advice and assistance to households presenting as homeless. Thehomelesslegislationdefineseligibilityforthis in terms of issues such as vulnerability and intentionality. Under the previous rules, people who became homeless could refuse offers of accommodation in the private rented sector in favour of social rented even if this resulted in a need to be housed in temporary accommodation. ThechangesnowallowLocalAuthoritiestofulfiltheir homelessness duty by offering good quality private rented homes which are available for a minimum tenancy length of 12 months.

The ‘No Second Night Out’ vision initiated in London is being promoted nationwide by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) for helping to address rough sleeping. It encourages a more focused approach to those new to the streets, with the principle that peoplewhofindthemselvesroughsleepingforthe

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• under-occupation penalty/(‘Bedroom Tax’) involvingareductioninHousingBenefitifhouseholds are under-occupying

• more ‘direct payments’ to claimants rather than the landlord

• introduction of locally administered welfare assistance scheme to replace Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

• changestoCouncilTaxBenefitundertheLocalGovernment Finance Bill

• restrictions on the annual increase to Local Housing Allowance (LHA) levels.

2.16 health and housingThe relationship between poor housing and poor health has been recognised for a long time. Poor housing has a direct impact on the number of accidents in the home, educational achievement and general well being. Until recently it has not been possible to estimate the cost to society of poorhousing.Inadditiontothewiderbenefitsto society of improving housing, there is a direct benefittotheNHSthroughreducedinjuryratesandtreatment costs where the condition of housing is improved.

The total health cost of poor housing in England has been estimated as over £600 million per year. The total cost to society each year may be greater than £1.5 billion. Although the problems of disease associated with slum living have largely beeneradicatedinEngland,asignificantnumberof health and safety hazards in the home remain, including inadequate heating, damp and mould and the risk of trips and falls.

firsttimewillbehelpedtocomeoffofthestreetsimmediately. It advocates the role of the public reporting rough sleeping to ensure that support services can respond quickly. It also advocates reconnecting people back to their area of local connection unless there is good reason not to return, so that they can access housing, recovery services and support from family and friends.

In May 2009, the Southwark Judgment came into force which puts the responsibility on to Councils and in particular Children’s Services to provide accommodation and support to homeless 16 and 17 year-olds. These young people usually become homeless because of family breakdown.

2.15 Welfare reformWelfarereformisaverysignificantchangenationally which is already having an effect at a locallevel.Theimpactofthisissignificantformany individuals and is likely to increase the risks of issues such as debt and homelessness for householdsfacedwithreductionsintheirbenefits.

The Welfare Reform Act received Royal Assent in March 2012. The Act puts into law the biggest overhaulofthebenefitssystemsincethe1940s with a variety of measures already being implemented.ThereareasignificantnumberofbenefitclaimantsintheTownwhowillbedirectly affected by these changes. The following summarises the changes:

• Lower Shared Room rate for those aged 25 to 35 (already introduced)

• introductionofoneUniversalCreditbenefitpayment per month

• BenefitCaplimitingthetotalbenefitpaymenttoany household

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Chapter3:LocalProfileandIssues

3.1 reduced central government fundingReduced central government funding is affecting all Councils to varying degrees. Bournemouth Borough Councilhasalreadysecuredsavingsandefficienciesover the last few years in preparation for central government funding reductions and has generated reserves to help manage these reductions.

During 2012/13, a programme of ‘Core Service Transformation’ (CST) reviews were initiated across all services with a target for savings to be secured. These savings could be found through service reductions,costsavings,processefficienciesand/or income generation. Future central government settlements to local government will determine whether any more savings will be needed beyond this.

3.2 new housing supplyThe Borough has recently adopted its Core Strategy (October 2012) which sets out the vision, key objectives and policies that replace many of those in the existing District Wide Local Plan. Adoption of the Core Strategy will help deliver the Council’s priorities of improving the environment and promoting a thriving economy. The Core Strategyincludesapolicyofurbanintensificationencouraging housing development in areas which are well served by sustainable modes of travel.

The Core Strategy has set the Borough’s housing target for the period 2006 — 2026 at 14,600 net dwellingcompletions.TheCoreStrategyconfirmsthat residential development will not take place on the Green Belt area of the Borough. Heathland protection restricts the ability to develop on other sites. Bournemouth heavily relies on windfall development.

Between 2006 and 2012 housing completions have averaged 918 dwellings per year (net), delivering a total of 5,510 new homes. The level of development continues ahead of the target of 14,600 dwellings. The net additional dwellings in 2011/12 (555 units) was higher than the previous year (492) but remained lower than the peak in 2007/8 (1,534). In addition to these completions, there were 3,262 commitments as at April 2011 including outstanding planning consents for unbuilt dwellings, dwellings under construction and Local Plan allocations.

net additional dwellings total

2006/7 1,089

2007/8 1,534

2008/9 1,218

2009/10 622

2010/11 492

2011/12 555

total 5,510

3.3 PropertytypeandtenureprofileBournemouth is similar to many urban conurbations inthatithashighlevelsofdensity,flatsandmaisonettes. Between 1994 (when monitoring began)and2011,newflatcompletionsaccountedfor 81% of all residential unit completions whilst 16% were houses and 3% were bungalows. Accordingly, the percentage of houses dropped from 58% of total stock to 56% in 2001, and to an estimated 52% in 2011. The Core Strategy includes a policy to resist the loss of small family dwelling housesinordertomitigatethechangingprofile.

TheprivaterentedsectorissignificantlylargerinBournemouth than nationally (approximately 22% of all housing). Conversely, the proportion of social housing and proportion of owner-occupiers is lower than the national average.

3.4 DeprivationThe 2010 Index of Multiple Deprivation uses different measures of deprivation and ranks Bournemouth as 102nd overall out of 326 Local Authority Districts (1 being the most deprived). There are 17 localities in Bournemouth within the most deprived in England - these include parts of Springbourne/Boscombe and West Howe.

Looking at unemployment locally, there were a total of 3,621 claimants within the Borough, as at November 2012. This equates to 3.3% of the resident population and is higher than neighbouring areas. The rate for Poole was 1.9% and the rate for the rest of Dorset was 1.6%. However, unemployment in Bournemouth is slightly lower than the national average of 3.9%. Between 2007 and 2010 the numbers employed have fallen by around 3,200 people in Bournemouth.

Thescaleofbenefitclaimantsintheareahelpsprovideaprofileintermsofpeopleonlowincomes. As at December 2012, there were a total of18,934CouncilTaxBenefitclaimants,9,156Local Housing Allowance household claimants (for

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those in the private rented sector) and a further 8,845householdsclaimingHousingBenefitinCouncil and Housing Association properties. This is in the context of a total of 82,374 households in the Borough.

3.5 affordabilityAffordabilityisasignificantissueinBournemouth.The latest update provided by the National Housing Federation in 2012 showed a ratio of 11.4 between average house prices in Bournemouth (£217,309) compared with average income levels (£19,022). This is largely in line with the average for the South West region as a whole (11.5) and the national ratio (11.1).

The Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) found that 26% of households across the HMA cannot afford housing at the current market price without some form of subsidy — Bournemouth has the biggest issue in the Housing Market Area (HMA) with a level of 33.1%.

The credit crunch and recession has had a major impact on Bournemouth’s housing market and we have seen an 8.5% drop in house prices since 2007. Conversely, rents have increased by 4.75%.

3.6 existing affordable housingAlongside the general concept of affordability, thereisaspecificdefinitionof‘affordablehousing’which involves housing provided to eligible households whose needs cannot be met by the market and where rents are set with reference to local incomes and local house prices. This includes ‘social rented’ properties, ‘affordable rented’ (80% of market rents) and ‘intermediate’, which includes shared ownership models. This sector is generally well managed and maintained and is regulated by the Homes and Communities Agency. The proportion of affordable housing in Bournemouth islowerthanthenationalfigure.Locally,thiscomprises approximately 10% of the housing stock totally approximately 8,500 dwellings.

As at 1 April 2012 the Town’s affordable housing stock includes 5,130 Council owned dwellings. The Council’s team responsible for the management and maintenance of Council owned housing is the ‘Housing Landlord Services’ team. They show consistently high tenant satisfaction, most recently achieving 92% overall satisfaction with the landlord. There is a strong focus on the planned programme of works and the service runs a number of income generating activities, including the installation of photovoltaics (PV) on its stock and the selling of maintenance services to others. As well as the 5,130 Council owned homes as at April 2012, the Council had a further 487 leaseholder homes.

There are approximately a further 3,500 properties owned by Registered Providers (Housing Associations) in Bournemouth, bringing the social housing stock to approximately 8,600. This is approximately 10% of the total households within the Town which is relatively low compared with nationally. These properties are mainly general needs housing but also include a high proportion of the housing related support in the Town.

3.7 need for additional affordable housingThe delivery of additional affordable housing is one of the Council’s corporate priorities — ‘More Council housing built, more affordable housing available, and increased support for the development of homes that are affordable for first-time buyers’.

The SHMA found that there is a net affordable housing need requirement of 4,974 units per year in Bournemouth (a substantial increase of 60.06% since 2007). However, the report examines historic delivery and future housing supply, and recommends a more realistic annual target of 210 units per year.

Thefollowinggraphspresenttheidealprofileforthe new affordable housing delivery. Looking at tenure, the SHMA recommends that the majority of units should be at the lower social rented levels whilst one third could be at the new affordable rent levels which are 80% of market rents.

tenure Proportion of new affordable housing required (% of total)

Social rented 56

Affordable rented 30

Intermediate rented 10

Equity based intermediate 4

The size of units needs to be across all property sizes, as follows:

01 2 3 4

50

100

150

200

Market

Affordable

New Affordable Housing Target by Unit Size

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3.8 Delivery of additional affordable housingThe delivery of additional ‘affordable’ units is assisted by the Affordable Housing Planning Policy which seeks developer contributions of up to 40% on all applications with a net gain of housing units, subject to a viability assessment. Because of the size of development sites in Bournemouth, commuted payments are often provided rather than onsite units.

Capital receipts retained by the Council in relation to Right to Buy sales of Council properties are also used to fund additional affordable housing. The number of Right to Buy sales have fallen in recent years. However the recent changes to Right to Buy discounts has generated renewed interest. A total of37applicationsweremadeduringthefirsthalfof 2012/13 compared with 16 for the whole of the previous year 2011/12.

Close working with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and Registered Providers (Housing Associations) helps to maximise access to central government funds to enable new units locally. HCA funding allocations have been agreed to enable completion of 178 additional affordable housing units in Bournemouth over the period 2011— 2015.

The Council is now a Registered Provider with the HCA and has subsequently agreed a programme to deliver a total of 105 new units of accommodation over the next few years. These 105 units part of the 178 programme with the HCA. The Council new-build programme involves building on Council owned land, making use of borrowing within the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), use of affordable housing developer contributions and assessing £1,695,000 HCA grant. The programme allows the Council to retain the land assets and secure rental income surpluses in future years. It aims to maximise the number of much needed family houses and bungalows. So far, 17 Council new-build bungalows and houses have been completed with several other schemes in the pipeline.

The delivery of affordable housing is dependent on a number of factors, many of which are beyond local control such as borrowing rates and the overall economic climate. As such, delivery has fluctuatedsignificantlybetweenyears.

A total of 91 affordable units were completed inthelastfinancialyear2011/12,whichisrelatively high compared with delivery within the neighbouring authorities and taking into consideration the economic climate (Poole — 1, East Dorset/Christchurch — 4). A total of 35 additional affordable housing units are expected in Bournemouth for 12/13.

year number of affordable housing completions (units)

2012/13 (expected) 35

2011/12 91

2010/11 51

2009/10 219

2008/9 172

2007/8 209

2006/7 150

3.9 Choice based lettingsChoice based lettings (CBL) has been in place for several years in order to manage access into the social rented stock across the Borough, including sheltered housing, by applicants on the Council’s waiting list bidding for vacant properties. A Dorset-wide IT solution and website was procured across the county in 2012.

CBL delivers the Council’s Allocations Policy which was revised in 2012. Compared with the previous policy of having an open register, the new Allocations Policy requires people to have a housing need to go onto the Council’s waiting list and unless there are exceptional circumstances, those without a local connection are placed in the lowestband.Thissignificantchangeisinlinewiththe recent Localism Act and has reduced the total Housing Register from the 9,425 households (as at 31 March 2012) to approximately 2,500 households.

3.10 Private sector housing stockA survey of the condition of privately owned homes in Bournemouth was carried out in 2008. The main findingsofthesurveyatthattimewere:

• 54% of privately owned properties were built before 1945

• the highest proportion of pre 1919 homes are within the private rented sector, with 51% being built in this period

• 40%ofprivatehomesareflats

• an estimated 4.9% of privately owned homes are overcrowded

• 24% of privately rented homes are likely to have a category 1 hazard when assessed under the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System.

Various national laws govern the Council’s role in improving privately owned homes. There are

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three main approaches to ensuring that housing conditions in the private sector are satisfactory as follows:

1. enforcing legal standards through the inspection and licensing of properties under the Housing Act 2004 and related regulations

2. working with landlords, particularly by increasing the number of landlords in the area who are accredited, to provide advice and ensure they are aware of their responsibilities and current legal requirements

3. providingfinancialassistancetoinsulatehomesandmakethemmoreenergyefficient,improve security and help vulnerable occupiers deal with emergency repairs.

Bournemouth will further work to reduce the number of homes where hazards to health exist through its Private Sector Enforcement team. This is undertaken through a range of mechanisms including landlord engagement, partnership working and enforcement.

3.11 houses in multiple occupationBournemouth has around 3,000 known Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) across the Borough, which is a relatively high proportion compared with neighbouring areas. Of those, 480 are licensed with the Council under the mandatory HMO Licensing Scheme. The highest concentration of mandatory HMOs is around the Boscombe area. These properties developed during the decline in the traditional English holiday market when many guest houses and large family houses became HMOs.

Approximately 2,000 of the total HMOs in the Borough are occupied by students in the Borough, with a particular concentration in the Winton area close to the University. These are mainly smaller, two storey houses and the issues associated with themdiffertotheproblemsidentifiedinBoscombe.

HMOs provide an affordable property type in the area, especially for those in receipt of the Local Housing Allowance Shared Room Rate. Conversely, the high concentration of HMOs in the Boscombe wards has led to local concerns about anti-social behaviour, the impact on amenities and the character of the area.

The adoption of Policy CS24 in the Core Strategy should have the effect of restricting further increases in properties changing into HMOs in areas that are already experiencing a high concentration of such uses. A key action within the Boscombe Commitment and Action Plan is to undertake the targeted acquisition of HMOs through the HRA in

order to convert properties in disrepair into self- contained units and for these to form part of the Council’s housing stock.

3.12 Student accommodationBournemouth University has around 2,500 bedspaces in purpose-built blocks and is looking to expand this to meet undergraduate, postgraduate and international student demand. The Bournemouth University Estates Strategy (2010 — 2019) highlights an aim to provide 2,300 bedspaces from April 2010. Since April 2010, some 823 additional bedspaces have been provided (or arenearingcompletion)andasignificantnumberofother projects are at the planning application stage or subject to pre-application discussions. There are alsoasignificantnumberofstudentslivinginHMOsin the private rented sector, particularly in the areas close to the university.

Student numbers in Bournemouth as a whole are thought likely to drop. With an increase in purpose-built student accommodation and a likely decline in student numbers there is likely to be less demand on private sector housing by students.

3.13 empty homes and second homesAs at April 2012 there were 814 properties within Bournemouth which had been empty for more than six months. Homes sitting empty are a waste of a valuableresource,afinancialexpensetotheownerand a missed opportunity. Properties become empty for many reasons and in some cases there is no need for the Council to be involved to help bring them back into use. However, a certain number of empty properties is inevitable as a result of properties being sold or issues such as the death of the resident where legal proceedings are underway. Sometimes, a lack of information about the options available to owners is the reason why empty home owners have not been able to make a decision about the future use of their property. The properties which are of most concern to the council are those that have been empty for six months or longer.

Contact is made with owners of empty homes on an ongoing basis to help them progress options for bringing their home back into use. The Council promotes the private sector leasing scheme and the charitable lettings agency as a source of potential lettings for home owners. Empty homes grants are also available to home owners in return for homeless nominations to their property for an agreed period. The uptake of these grants fluctuatesandabudgetof£50,000isprovisionallyset for 2013/14. Enforcement powers are also available where needed in order to prompt action.

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TheimminentCouncilTaxBenefitchangesduefor implementation in 2013 have included a recommendationtoreducethebenefitforbothempty homes and second homes. People with second homes will be charged the full Council Tax. Owners of empty homes will be exempt from Council Tax for a shorter period of time and those which are unoccupied and unfurnished for more than two years will be charged 150% of Council Tax.

3.14 low carbon homesBournemouth has a good track record of enabling energy improvements in the domestic sector. The Bournemouth House Condition Survey found that between 2003 and 2008 the average SAP (energy efficiencyrating)ofhousingrosefrom44to50.Examination of over 38,000 domestic Energy PerformanceCertificatesin2012(allthathavebeen produced in Bournemouth to date when homes are sold or let) shows the average energy rating of those properties to be 63, which illustrates that the Town’s housing is continuing to improve and reduce carbon emissions from energy use.

The Council and its partners have played a significantroleinthisthroughaseriesofinnovativeinsulation schemes and grants. One major success is the Rented Property Insulation Project, run in partnership with the Dorset Energy Advice Centre. This commenced in 2004 to increase energy efficiencyinprivatelyrentedpropertiesandhasseen over 9,500 individual bedsit units insulated at no cost to landlords or tenants. The money drawn into Bournemouth from energy companies to fund this scheme totals almost £2 million. It is estimated that this will save over 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. The project was named overall UK winner in the 2010 National Energy Action/Dept for Energy & Climate Change ‘Footprints Award’ for tackling fuel poverty and reducing carbon emissions.

The Council will seek to use the Green Deal and ECO to fund further improvements to the energy performance of Bournemouth’s households as the

Home Energy Conservation Act calls for carbon savings to be publicly reported.

The Council housing team have taken an active roleinimprovingtheenergyefficiencyofexistinghomes. Approximately 900 photovoltaic (PV) installations will have been completed on Council homes by the end of 2012/13. These installations have cost a total of approximately £5.2million, with an income generation of approximately £500 — 600,000 per year through the feed-in tariff.

By 2016, new build properties will have to be ‘zero carbon’ or the developer will have had to provide fundingtofinancecarbonreducingsolutionselsewhere. In the meantime, planning applications for more than 10 dwellings will be assessed against Core Strategy (Policy CS2) that requires, where feasible or viable, at least 10% of the energy used in such developments to come from decentralised and renewable/low carbon sources. The Core Strategy (Policy CS3) also encourages the provision of decentralised and renewable/low carbon energy generation and heat technology and the installation of the necessary supporting infrastructure.

3.15 Fuel povertyAs well as reducing the impact of residential development on the environment, low carbon homes help to reduce fuel poverty, with residents paying lower energy bills. The Council established the Bournemouth Affordable Warmth Partnership to tackle fuel poverty in 2006. The Partnership exceededthetargetsetinBournemouth’sfirstLocal Area Agreement, for referring vulnerable households to assistance. Over 2,500 households received grant funded insulation and heating improvements to help keep them out of fuel poverty. The A-D Insulation Scheme targeted at over 60s aimed to help older people avoid the health impact of cold homes. Initiated in Bournemouth, it has now been adopted by all Dorset Councils.

The 2008 Bournemouth House Condition Survey found that 5,540 households (7.2%) were likely to experience fuel poverty — a reduction from the2003figureof8,082households(11.2%).Thiswas a major achievement for the Council and Partnership against the background of rising energy prices and economic slowdown. However, recent Government predictions indicate that with the continuing recession, there could well be around 12,767 households (16%) now at risk from fuel poverty in Bournemouth, so the continuing work ofthePartnershiptomakehomesenergyefficientand help people to maximise their income is still required.

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3.16 independent living and social careContinued focus is placed on the needs of different groups to help ensure that people are helped to live independently in their own homes. It is important to recognise the value of independent living.Aswellashavingfinancialbenefitscomparedto options such as residential care, independent living helps to maintain people’s quality of life and keep people independent for longer.

One key element of maintaining independent living involves the provision of good quality domiciliary care locally to help people receive the care that they need whilst remaining in their own homes. Housing related support is another key element of housing provision to maintain people’s independence and avoid people moving into residential care/nursing home settings. Other key elements of housing provision here include extra care provision for older people, respite care, assistive technology, lifetime homes, aids and adaptations, and support for carers.

3.17 housing related supportBournemouth has a relatively large housing related support sector, providing housing-related support for various client groups with the aim of helping

ServiCe area PaymentS to Date (01/04/2012—20/01/2013)

£

2012/13 ForeCaSt SPenD

£

annual ContraCt value

£

Older People 728,225 902,469 1,085,594

Mental Health 1,635,029 2,020,184 2,148,372

Offenders or People at Risk of Offending 219,352 271,402 271,402

Learning Disabilities 853,933 1,056,475 1,182,716

Phys Dis & Sensory Loss 200,390 247,248 266,412

Single Homeless, Rough Sleepers and Families 1,448,472 1,792,177 1,792,177

Drug & Alcohol 584,222 722,852 722,851

Young People at Risk 343,217 424,659 424,659

Teenage Parents 64,230 79,471 79,471

HIV/AIDS 11,379 14,079 14,079

Refugees 73,666 91,146 91,146

Women at Risk of Violence 225,610 279,145 279,145

Generic 522,262 646,189 646,189

total 6,909,987 8,547,493 9,004,213

people towards independent living. The expected annual value for the programme during 2012/13 is approximately £9 million. This programme was previously funded by a dedicated Supporting People grant that no longer exists. In response to this, the Council has prioritised these services for vulnerable people by approving a base budget of approximately £9 million per year for the provision of housing related support.

Thehousingrelatedsupportsectorincludesfloatingsupport (housing-related support in people’s own homes) together with accommodation-based services. Whilst the provision is slowly decreasing andcentralgovernmentfundinghassignificantlydecreased over recent years, it provides a valuable resource locally for vulnerable people who need housing-related support. The following table sets out the spend on services according to the primary client group.

Aside from a few services such as the women’s refuge, access into the range of housing related support services is via a newly established SP HUB team. This team went live in 2012 and work is currently underway to implement an IT system. A review is needed to inform any future changes to the work of this team.

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3.18 Prevalence of homelessnessThe preventative approach to homelessness is well established nationally and has meant that levels ofhomelessnessinBournemoutharesignificantlyless than ten years ago. In 2002/3 there were 870 homeless acceptances compared to just over 100 in 2011/12.

Looking at the use of temporary accommodation, this again has fallen considerably over the last ten year period from 137 households in temporary accommodation as at 31 March 2003 compared to 16 as at 31 March 2012. The Council owned hostel — Morrell House — helps to ensure minimal use of bed and breakfast as temporary accommodation. During 2012/13 a review of all the 11 Bournemouth bed and breakfast establishments used for homeless placements was undertaken which resulted in some services being removed from the approvedlistandaservicespecificationbeingissuedtoallproprietorstodefinethestandardexpected for placements.

Whilsttherehasbeenasignificantchangeoverthe last ten years, the extent of homelessness has slightly increased over the last two years. The number of homeless enquiries has increased each year for the last few years with a total of 6,325 homeless household enquiries to the Town Hall seeking advice and assistance during 2012.

year(January to December)

total homeless enquiries

2009 5,283

2010 5,380

2011 6,178

2012 6,325

The number of homeless households where a statutory homeless duty was accepted almost doubled locally between 2010/11 and 2011/12 to just over 100. There are inevitably links to the economic climate and welfare reform which are likely to further increase the scale of homelessness.

As is the case nationally, the main reasons for homelessness locally continue to involve household breakdown (including young people becoming homeless through family breakdown leading to parental evictions, relationship breakdown and domestic violence) or the loss of an assured shorthold tenancy in the private sector.

3.19 Prevalence of rough sleepingRough sleeping is the most extreme case of homelessness and continues to be an issue in Bournemouth as well as nationally. The latest local street count (carried out according to the nationallydefinedmethodology)hasshownanincrease in the prevalence of rough sleeping in Bournemouth over the last two years, with a count of 11 most recently in 2012/13 compared with six in2010/11.Whilstthisisasignificantdeclinefromthe 44 street count in 1997, the focus on this client group needs to remain.

Some of those rough sleeping are entrenched within a street lifestyle, with substance misuse and/or mental health problems. The assertive outreach rough sleeper team, funded by the Council, remains focused on encouraging rough sleepers to come inside and access housing and related services. They reconnect approximately 100 rough sleepers a year to their area of origin outside of Bournemouth, and work with others to access the range of local accommodation, support and care.

3.20 homelessness and rough sleeping servicesBournemouth continues to receive central government grant which is used to enable the delivery of homelessness services. From April 2013, the Preventing Homelessness Grant previously received by the Council will be rolled into general council funding. This funding enables the delivery of a number of homelessness services in Bournemouth, as described below. The multi-agency Homelessness Strategy Group meets every quarterly to further develop these homeless services to best meet needs.

initial advice and assistance

• AhomelessofficerteamofeightFullTimeEquivalent staff located at the Town Hall to provide homeless advice and assistance.

• Aspecialistfinancialinclusionofficerworkingalongsidethehomelessofficersprovidingfacetoface debt/money management advice to people presenting as homeless.

• A court desk advice currently delivered by Bournemouth Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) to help prevent repossessions.

• Advice services available from agencies such as Shelter and Bournemouth CAB.

• A 17 room short stay emergency hostel (including one wheelchair accessible unit) owned and managed by the Council for homeless households whilst more settled accommodation is being found.

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accommodation for whom the Council has a statutory homeless duty

• A rent deposit loan for approximately 250 households per year to help people secure a private sector tenancy.

• A tenancy through a charitable lettings agency — Homes4let — which secures lettings for homeless referrals across Bournemouth and Poole.

• A private sector leasing scheme delivered by Bournemouth Churches Housing Association — securing leased properties for homeless household referrals from the Council.

• Atenancyorlicencewithinoneoffivehomelessleased properties.

• A recently revised Allocations Policy which includes quotas for move-on into settled social housing for homeless households.

• Empty homes grants offered to improve property condition in return for letting the property to homeless households.

housing related support options

• A number of housing related support schemes involving 185 units as at December 2012 for homeless households.

• Several housing related support schemes specificallyforyoungpeople(involvingafurther70 units).

• One emergency bed within one of the housing related support schemes for homeless young people.

• Two housing related support schemes for teenage mothers.

• Floating support services.

• A specialist Domestic Violence refuge.

• A rent deposit fund of £30,000 per year to assist people moving on from housing related support schemes.

• A quota for 10% of one bed social housing allocations for people needing to move out of housing related support schemes.

rough sleepers

• A 40-bed short stay hostel with a range of support services available on site including a day centre and a GP service.

• An assertive outreach rough sleeper team contract of £181,033 per year delivered by Crime Reduction Initiatives who work with rough sleepers to encourage them to access accommodation and support services inside.

• A reconnections policy administered by the outreach team to arrange and fund people to return home where appropriate with a maximum stayinhousingrelatedsupportservicesoffivenights if no local connection.

• Dedicated mental health nurse for rough sleepers and other homeless households which involves referrals into drug treatment programmes.

• Close working with the Police to provide a robust approach to addressing anti social behaviour issues relating to rough sleeping.

• A winter watch scheme involving extra bed spaces during the winter months.

• Offer of accommodation including bed and breakfast to all rough sleepers when the temperature is predicted to fall below zero for three or more consecutive nights.

• Multi-agency complex needs group meeting on a monthly basis to help case manage rough sleepers.

3.21 People with learning disabilitiesThe government published ‘Valuing People’ in 2001definingthestrategyforpeoplewithalearning disability across all services including housing. This included the principles of recognising people’s rights, encouraging people to make their own choices, integrating people within the community, encouraging independence, supporting carers, helping young people moving into adulthood, providing preventative health care, partnership working and improving people’s access to services. The recent exposure of patient abuse at Winterbourne View Hospital in South Gloucestershire highlighted the ongoing need to ensure effective safeguarding for people with learning disabilities.

Bournemouth Borough Council produced a Housing Plan for People with Learning Disabilities 2007 — 2012. Since then, Bournemouth and Poole have published a further document entitled the ‘The Big Plan’ for the period 2012— 2015 which

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covers all service areas including Housing across both areas. The relatively recent focus both nationally and locally on the needs of people with learning disabilities has helped to improve outcomes. The latest estimate is that there are approximately 4,600 adults with a learning disability living in Bournemouth and Poole.

Onesignificantelementofworkwhichhasbeencompleted in the last few years is moving 58 people with learning disabilities out of hospital settings, known as ‘campus reprovision’. These moves were facilitated through the Council with approximately £5.5 million Department of Health funding.

3.22 older peopleFocused work has been undertaken to analyse the provision of older person’s housing in Bournemouth. This is especially important considering the ageing population. Older people’s housing options in Bournemouth include sheltered housing funded through the housing related support programme and four extra care schemes involving self-contained units, one of which provides specialist care for those with dementia. A review of older people’s housing is nearly complete and, based on up to date consultation with older people, the plans will be in place to remodel existing services to help meet current and future needs.

3.23 accessible housingTheCouncilprovidesfinancialhelptoensurethat disabled people can adapt their homes so that they can live more independently and stay in their own homes. It does this by providing Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs). DFGs pay for adaptations to provide access into the property, to assist people with getting around their home and to provide accessible bathing facilities. The Government provides a grant every year to the Council to enable it to provide this help. The government grant for 2012/3 was £741,000 which is predicted to enable 120 homes to be adapted. It is anticipated that this level of funding will continue throughout the life of this Strategy.

A Lifetime Homes standard is a national standard built upon 16 design criteria that provide a model for building accessible and adaptable homes. Whilst this standard is not mandatory, Bournemouth’s Core Strategy encourages properties to be built to this new standard.

3.24 young peoplePopulation projections suggest a marked increase in the 0 —15 year old age group in Bournemouth over the next decade. The issue of addressing the

housing needs of young people therefore remains an important issue. There are already a number of good specialist services available in the Town to help young people in need of housing:

• two housing related support schemes providing high support for young people, including one ‘emergency’ bed for homeless young people

• a further six housing related support schemes (and approximately 40 bedspaces) providing low supportspecificallyforyoungpeople

• two housing related support schemes for teenage mothers

• ‘look after children’ quota of social housing allocations — for young people leaving care

• recently updated joint protocol between the homeless and Children’s Services care teams to ensure that vulnerable homeless young people do not fall between services

• young person’s specialism within the Council’s homeless team

• supported lodgings for care leavers.

3.25 tackling anti social behaviourAnti social behaviour occurs across housing tenures and the Council’s anti social behaviour team works to resolve cases Borough-wide. The Council’s approach includes prevention, diversion and enforcement.

Good housing management of social housing is one key issue to help address community safety. Social housingprovidershavehousingofficerstodealwith such issues and should have good reporting processes and be able to identify vulnerable victims. Often, social housing providers have dedicatedantisocialbehaviourofficerstohelpfocus action. The Council’s anti social behaviour team works with private landlords to help address these issues in the private rented sector to encourage good housing management.

The Government commenced a Troubled Families Programme in 2011 which is delivered locally through the Council’s anti social behaviour team. Bournemouth’s Family Intervention Project (FIP) and Family Support Services provides a key worker role for families and provide long term intensive support.

Anti social behaviour can involve domestic violence and services are coordinated in Bournemouth to help address these issues. Bournemouth has a domestic violence refuge without local connection restrictionstohelppeoplefleeingviolentpartners.

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Provision of appropriate housing is key to reducing reoffending. There are specialist housing related support schemes in Bournemouth available for offenders with a local connection. Work is ongoing to liaise with prisons and ensure planned discharges wherever possible to help avoid homelessness.

3.26 targeted area regeneration in Boscombe and West howeTheCouncil’sCorporatePlanidentifiesregeneration activity as a priority in Boscombe. Also,theBournemouth2026Trustidentifiesfour key priorities, two of which involve the regeneration of Boscombe and West Howe. These two areas have regeneration partnerships in place. The plans for Boscombe have been agreed and are now progressing. The initial Strategic Assessment for the West Howe area is underway.

A Strategic Area Assessment (SAA) was commissioned in 2011 to inform a strategic vision for the regeneration of Boscombe. A housing regeneration strategic vision for Boscombe — ‘Homes for Boscombe’ — has since been compiled and was agreed by Cabinet in October 2012, setting out priorities and detailed plans for improvements over the coming years. The action plan sets out over 40 different actions to be pursued over the next few years. The action plan will be led by the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Partnerships.

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Chapter 4: Delivery Plan

Chapter 1 sets out Bournemouth’s housing vision which involves eight key housing aspirations for Bournemouth, as follows:

eight key housing aspirations for Bournemouth1. The right supply of new homes including maximising affordable housing.

2. Making the best use of all existing homes.

3. Professionally managed and well-maintained homes.

4. Green homes.

5. Reduced homelessness and rough sleeping.

6. Specialist accommodation available for people with different needs.

7. Regenerated areas.

8. Resourcesusedinthemostefficientway.

It is important that this Housing Strategy sets out how we are going to achieve the vision and aspirations. This Chapter therefore describes each of these aspirations in more detail and then sets out the Delivery Plan for how we plan to achieve each of these over the next few years. These actions will be developed into more detailed action plans as described in Chapter 6.

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4.1 the right supply of new homes including maximising affordable housing

• Enable the delivery of the required new units of housing for the Town in line with the Core Strategy.

• Manage the implementation of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) without a detrimental effect on affordable housing.

• Complete additional general needs affordable housing units in partnership with Registered Providers (Housing Associations), including the Council’s own Housing Landlord Services team.

• Use available funds and assets to deliver the Council’s agreed housing new build programme and support Registered Providers (Housing Associations) where funds allow.

• Seektoprovidefinancialassistanceforfirsttimebuyers.

how are we going to achieve that 1. Maximising the delivery of additional affordable housing per year during the lifetime of this Strategy and

setting annual targets to work towards.

2. Introducing a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) within Regulations which gives appropriate priority to the continued collection of affordable housing contributions through Section 106 agreements.

3. Delivering the Council new-build affordable housing programme of 105 units between 2011 and 2015.

4. Prioritising available funds and Council assets to provide for the delivery of affordable housing schemes.

5. Supporting the Community Land Trust in developing affordable housing.

6. Continuing close working with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) so that funding options are maximised.

7. Considering a programme of Council mortgage lending.

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4.2 making the best use of all existing homes

• Bring private sector empty homes back into use.

• Support under-occupiers affected by welfare reform to secure smaller, more suitable accommodation.

• Prioritise local people in the greatest need for social housing.

• Implement a consistent approach to time-limited tenancies in affordable housing across the Borough to assist people to move out of affordable housing when their needs change.

• Adapt homes to meet the needs of disabled people to enable them to live independently in their own homes.

• Continue to prioritise access to housing related support options centrally and further develop systems toimproveefficiency.

• Value and utilise all housing tenures, especially the private rented sector role in preventing homelessness.

how are we going to achieve that 1. Refreshing the Private Sector and Empty Homes action plan each year.

2. Providing regular information, advice and support to owners of empty homes on the various options available to them, especially for those which are long term empty.

3. SeekingadditionalCouncilfundingtosecuretheemploymentofanemptyhomesliaisonofficerforproactive contact with owners, in a ‘spend to save’ capacity, to increase future New Homes Bonus funding within the Council’s core funding.

4. Continuing grant funding to improve empty homes and bring them back into use for homeless households.

5. Using enforcement powers where appropriate to deal with empty homes.

6. Working with Registered Providers (Housing Associations) and other developers to access Government funding targeted at bringing empty homes back into use.

7. Focusing resources to assist those who are under-occupying affordable housing affected by welfare reform.

8. Implementing and monitoring the new Allocations Policy and Annual Plan.

9. Implementing Local Lettings Plans, alongside the Allocations Policy, to enable communities to be involved in determining how housing need is met and managed in their area.

10. Implementingoneyearintroductorytenanciesforallnewtenantsfollowedbyflexibletenanciesoffiveyearsandimplementingatenancyreviewprocessattheendofthefiveyearterm.

11. Working with Registered Providers (Housing Associations) in the development of their Tenancy Policies and monitoring policies.

12. Engaging with other housing authorities to secure the best use of adapted social housing stock through the Dorset Home Choice partnership.

13. Integrating the delivery of aids and adaptations across the Council.

14. Undertaking a comprehensive review of the SP HUB, one year after its introduction.

15. Considering the introduction of a tenants accreditation scheme to promote sustainable tenant conduct and improve access to the private rented sector.

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4.3 Professionally managed and well maintained homes

• Reduce the number of properties with health and safety hazards in the private rented sector through property inspection and advice.

• Maximise use of enforcement powers to deal with rogue landlords and target resources to address disrepair, unsafe properties and management issues within the private rented sector.

• Ensure robust delivery of the mandatory licensing scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).

• Further develop the landlord accreditation scheme to encourage more engagement with landlords and improve standards through advice and information.

• Ensure continued regular engagement with landlords through Landlord Liaison meetings, an annual landlords conference and working together with landlord associations and other recognised bodies.

• Establish a new Housing Governance Board for Council Housing.

how are we going to achieve that 1. Robust use of the full range of enforcement powers to

deal with properties causing a risk to the health and safety of occupants and poorly maintained and managed properties.

2. Closer working between the Private Sector Enforcement TeamandHomelessnessOfficerstoaddressdisrepairissues quickly when an household would otherwise be faced with homelessness.

3. Targeting private sector enforcement resources in particular areas of the Town where a concentration of issuesareidentifiedsuchasBoscombeandtheWintonarea.

4. Improving the landlord accreditation scheme in partnership with national landlord accrediting bodies and other Dorset authorities.

5. Continuing to deliver and develop the annual landlords conference in partnership with the Borough of Poole.

6. Engaging with all known private sector landlords to develop close working and promote good practice.

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4.4 greener homes

• Increasetheenergyefficiencyofhomes.

• Increase the use of renewable energy technologies in homes.

• Reduce the number of households in fuel poverty.

• Raiseawarenessofenergyefficiencyandfuelpoverty.

• Encourage developers to build low carbon homes.

• Use the Planning process to create new low carbon homes.

how are we going to achieve that 1. Usingdifferentmethodstoraiseawarenessofenergyefficiencyandfuelpoverty.

2. Promoting the Green Deal to householders.

3. Working with Bournemouth’s new Carbon Management Centre to encourage the use of energy saving technologies in homes.

4. Using national and local funding sources for area based schemes.

5. Continuing photovoltaic (PV) installation programme on Council Housing.

6. Piloting low carbon technology in a Council Housing new-build scheme.

7. Implementing planning policy to create low carbon homes.

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4.5 reduced homelessness and rough sleeping

• Continue to take a proactive approach to prevent homelessness and encourage people to seek advice early.

• Co-ordinate partnership working in the delivery of homelessness services.

• Work in partnership to mitigate the negative impacts of welfare reform.

• Increase the availability of appropriate temporary and settled accommodation.

• Improve the life chances of homeless households by providing the necessary support services to address associated needs.

• Improve access to information on housing options.

• Focus on tackling and reducing rough sleeping.

how are we going to achieve that 1. Refreshing the Homelessness Strategy action plan each year.

2. Coordinating and joining up dedicated resources and expertise corporately and across the Borough to address the effects of welfare reform, one of the most notable risks being increased levels of homelessness.

3. Increasing debt/money management advice locally and widely promoting to encourage people to seek advice early.

4. Ensuring delivery of the new local welfare assistance fund which prioritises homeless households, especially statutory homeless households.

5. ImplementingasolutionwhichassistsbenefitclaimantsmanageUniversalCreditandprioritisetheirpayment of housing costs to avoid arrears and homelessness.

6. Delivering a more robust rent deposit loan service with appropriate bad debt provision, good recovery rates and streamlined processes, which is closely aligned with the local welfare assistance fund.

7. Closer partnership working with Registered Providers (Housing Associations) and private sector landlords to incentivise tenancies and share risks associated with housing vulnerable people.

8. Remodelling housing related support provision for homeless households to provide an improved pathway of housing related support.

9. ImplementingnewfloatingsupportcontractsacrossBorough.

10. Refreshing the Private Sector Leasing Scheme Service Level Agreement.

11. Focusing resources on move-on from homeless accommodation to assist throughput.

12. Undertaking a programme of spot-checks on bed and breakfast establishments in line with the agreed specification.

13. Agreeing and implementing a ‘suitability’ standard for a 12 month private rented sector offer.

14. Promoting the national rough sleeper hotline — Streetlink — to increase the public role in notifying support agencies about rough sleepers.

15. Implementing a revised reconnections policy for rough sleepers without a local connection which provides aquickerreconnectionsprocessandadifferentapproachforthoseroughsleepingforthefirsttime.

16. Reviewing the rough sleeper case management approach.

17. Tendering the rough sleeper outreach service with Borough of Poole for 2014/5 onwards.

18. Regularly reviewing the procedures in place for discharge from prisons/hospitals to prevent homelessness.

19. Inputting to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) the funding pilots for non-statutory homeless households and rough sleepers.

20. Reviewing homeless services against the national ‘Gold Standard’ and the Homelessness Self Diagnostic Toolkit.

21. Developing monitoring data for homeless presentations to help shape future services.

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4.6 Specialist accommodation available for people with different needs

• Continue to scrutinise the range of housing related support provision, consider different delivery models and ensure that commissioned services meet local needs.

• Refresh current and future housing needs assessments of different client groups.

• Focus on an integrated approach to managing housing needs for highly vulnerable young people.

• Remodel older people’s housing provision to meet current and future needs.

• Raise awareness within the housing sector regarding the needs of vulnerable people and people with differing needs.

• Continued focus on the needs of people with learning disabilities.

• Help households with the necessary improvements so that they can remain in their home.

how are we going to achieve that 1. Continuing to seek savings where possible across the housing related support programme in partnership

with commissioners, private providers and Registered Providers (Housing Associations).

2. Implementingnewfloatingsupportcontractstohelppeoplesustaintheirtenancies.

3. Undertakinganalysisofthespecificcurrentandfuturehousing,supportandcareneedsofdifferentgroups to help further shape services to meet needs, making use of existing data sources such as the SP HUB and Children’s Services.

4. Working jointly with other Dorset Councils on the next stages of the Dorset, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations Joint Development Plan Document.

5. Annually reviewing the housing options, and access to housing options, for people approaching adult social care services.

6. Reviewing every six months the strategic approach and current services to address the housing needs of 16 and 17 year olds.

7. Implementing the Older People’s Housing Delivery Plan including refreshing the consultation with older people, decommissioning the necessary category 1 and category 2 sheltered housing, completing the Jewish extra care scheme, promoting assistive technology and securing additional shared ownership/equity release housing.

8. Delivering regular training to the housing sector in relation to the needs of people with mental health problems, aspergers and learning disabilities.

9. Completing the review undertaken to ensure that people with learning disabilities who moved out of hospital settings are having their needs met.

10. Completing a housing options booklet in ‘easy read’ for people for learning disabilities.

11. Convening the ‘Where We Live Group’ every six months to shape the future housing-related work programme and improve housing issues for people with learning disabilities, as a sub-group of the Learning Disability Partnership Group.

12. Continually reviewing the impact of a possible reduction in Disabled Facilities Grant funding and the consequent ability to fund aids and adaptations to people with disabilities.

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4.7 regenerated areas

• Dedicate capital and revenue resources to improve housing in Boscombe.

• Take a targeted, evidence based approach to addressing issues in Boscombe.

• SeektocreateamoresustainablecommunityandsustainableprofileofaccommodationinBoscombe.

• Explore the need for a more targeted approach to addressing housing issues in the West Howe area.

• Support the delivery of the Town Centre Master Vision Area Action Plan.

how are we going to achieve that 1. Implementing the ‘Homes for Boscombe’ Housing Regeneration

Vision and action plan and employing a Project Worker to help deliver this.

2. Agreeingafinancialinvestmentstrategywhichprioritisesfundsand assets to improve housing issues in Boscombe in line with the agreed ‘Homes for Boscombe’ vision and plan.

3. Making use of HRA funding for the acquisition and conversion of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) into self-contained Council housing in the Boscombe area, as well as funding new-build opportunities.

4. Increasing housing/estate management resources in Boscombe.

5. Implementing a local letting plan across tenures in Boscombe to help ensure a more sustainable community.

6. Agreeing an action plan to address the negativeimpactofthe59identifiedestablishments that provide housing/support/care to vulnerable people in Boscombe, including some drug treatment/rehabilitation centres.

7. Considering future action needed in relation to housing issues in the West Howe area.

8. Delivering the Town Centre Master Vision Area Action Plan

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4.8 Resourcesusedinthemostefficientway

• Implementtheagreedsavings/efficiencyprogrammeacrossthevarioushousingservices.

• Seek to maintain investment in accommodation and support for the most vulnerable, including people who are homeless, those in need of housing related support and those in need of aids and adaptations.

• EnsuretheefficientdeliveryofthegovernmentDisabledFacilitiesGrantfundingthroughclosepartnership working.

• Make full use of Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) and Transition Fund monies to mitigate the impact of welfare reform.

• Ensure the effective delivery of the local welfare assistance fund to replace the Social Fund.

• Continue to seek opportunities to sell Council Housing services to others.

• Pursue apprenticeship opportunities across the housing sector in Bournemouth for young people.

• Maximise opportunities for joint working across both Bournemouth and the Borough of Poole where practical.

• Increase service user involvement across housing services to help shape future service delivery.

• Improve self-help access to written information and advice about the many different housing options including maximising use of the internet.

how are we going to achieve that 1. Implementing the agreed Core Service Transformation proposals to secure the required savings/

efficiencies.

2. Continuing to prioritise the funding of housing-related support to vulnerable people, whilst seeking to securesavings/efficiencieseitherthroughremodellingordecommissioningwheredemandsreduce.

3. Continuing to deliver services for homeless people through general funding.

4. Monitoring the use of DHP and Transition Fund monies.

5. Effectively implementing and monitoring the new local welfare assistance fund.

6. Continuing to explore income generation opportunities within Council Housing.

7. Liaising with various housing teams/services across the Town to identify apprenticeship opportunities.

8. Regularly exploring opportunities for joint working with the Borough of Poole.

9. Focusingstaffingresourcestodevelopserviceuserinvolvementacrosshousing.

10. FocusingstaffingandITresourcestoenhanceself-helpinformationprovisionsothatpeoplecanaccessinformation about local and national housing options quickly.

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Chapter 5:resources available to deliver

Therearesignificantresourcesrequiredinorderto deliver the priorities set out in this Housing Strategy.Staffingresourcesarekeytothisandspanacross many teams both internal and external to the Council. In addition to this, the Council owns land and property assets which are considered for possible housing use on an on-going basis through the corporate asset management group. Indeed, the Council’s new-build affordable housing programme involves the use of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and non-HRA land at nil-value.

In addition to the resources set out below, it is important to note that the Council is currently considering a multi-million pound investment, working with a leading Pensions organisation. This willdeliversignificantinvestmentintotheBorough.This is at an early stage but there is strong support. The aim is to deliver this in the short and medium term.

5.1 general FundThe following sets out the key capital and revenue funding available to deliver the housing related priorities:

CaPital Source Scale of funding Purpose

Right to Buy/capital receipts

Right to Buy sales of Council homes

£2,092,234 as at 01/2013 To fund affordable housing development

Section 106 contributions

Developer contributions via the Affordable Housing Development Plan Document

£1.4 million secured in Section 106 agreements since May 2010, some of which has been received

£863,409 in signed agreements and a further £186,503 funds received and unspent to date

To fund affordable housing development

Disabled Facilities Grant

Central government

2012/13 — £741,000 (initial allocation of £568,000 and late allocation of £173,000)

2013/14 — Allocation to be confirmed

To fund aids and adaptations for people with disabilities

Energy EfficiencySchemes

Private Sector Renewal Grant — carry forward

2012/13 — £60,000 (estimate)

2013/14 — £45,000 (estimate)

Tofundenergyefficiencymeasuresfor vulnerable people

Emergency Repairs and other Home Security Grants

Private Sector Renewal Grant — carry forward

2012/13 — £45,000 (estimate)

2013/14 — £25,000 (estimate)

To fund emergency repairs and home improvement grants for vulnerable people

revenue Source Scale of funding Purpose

Preventing Homelessness budget

Former ring-fenced grant now rolled up into general grant

2012/13 — £590,000

2013/14 — £568,275 (provisional allocation)

To deliver homeless services and support the delivery of housing related support

Transition Fund Central government

2012/13 — £80,331

2013/14 — £80,331

To fund initiatives to mitigate impact of welfare reform

Housing-related support

Base budget 2012/13 — £8,547,493 (forecast spend)

2013/14—Tobeconfirmed

To deliver housing related support

Discretionary HousingBenefit

Central government grant

2012/13 — £313,000 including £33,000 carry forward from previous year

2013/14 — £502,000

To help people pay their housing costs

Tohelppeoplemanagebenefitreductions due to welfare reform measures

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5.2 housing revenue accountThe Council has retained its housing stock involving 5,130 rented homes as at 1 April 2012. The Council consequently manages a ring-fenced Housing Revenue Account (HRA) for this income andexpenditure.TheHRAbecameself-financinginApril2012followingaone-offfinancialsettlementwith central government. Now all rental income is retained which allows borrowing to be secured and for surplus rental income to be invested in building additional Council Housing.

The table overleaf sets out the proposed budget for the HRA for 2013/14 onwards. Whilst ensuring a comprehensive planned maintenance programme for capital spend, the long term plan involves investing in new-build and property acquisitions which will add to the Council’s housing stock. It is proposed that the Council creates an HRA new build/acquisition reserve of £7.25 million initially to fund new affordable housing from 2013/14, subject to Cabinet and full Council approval.

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houSing revenue aCCountresource (Statutory) account — Budget 2013/14 to 2015/16

Original Budget2012/13£000s

LatestEstimate2012/13£000s

Proposed Budget2013/14£000s

Estimated Budget 2014/15£000s

Estimated Budget2015/16£000s

inCome

Dwelling Rents (gross) (20,016) (19,995) (20,803) (21,646) (22,602)

Non-dwelling Rents (gross) (353) (355) (364) (373) (382)

Charges for Services and Facilities (688) (674) (747) (763) (779)

Contributions towards expenditure (779) (744) (751) (769) (788)

Feed-in-tariff (Photovoltaic Scheme) (320) (501) (690) (707) (725)

total income (22,156) (22,268) (23,354) (24,260) (25,276)

exPenDiture

Repairs and Maintenance 3,968 4,135 4,103 4,379 4,503

Supervision and Management 5,475 5,058 5,466 5,589 5,737

Rent, rates, taxes and other charges 98 108 110 112 115

Negative Subsidy Payable 15 16 0 0 0

Bad or Doubtful Debts 192 192 192 598 624

Capital Financing Costs (debt management costs)

73 73 73 75 77

Depreciation Dwellings 3,963 3,963 5,465 5,613 5,787

Depreciation Non-dwellings 33 33 33 33 33

Photovoltaic 2 2 126 129 132

total expenditure 13,819 13,580 15,566 16,528 17,006

net Cost of hra Services (8,337) (8,688) (7,788) (7,732) (8,270)

CaPital ChargeS

— Capital Interest 2,108 2,448 2,496 2,643 2,751

— Interest Receivable (29) (29) (78) (88) (103)

2,079 2,420 2,418 2,556 2,648

NetOperatingExpenditure—(Surplus)/Deficit (6,258) (6,269) (5,370) (5,177) (5,622)

aPProPriationS

Repayment of Principal 3,221 100 200 200 200

New Build Programme 0 0 7,250 1,850 2,350

Revenue Contribution to Capital 3,462 3,433 2,754 3,176 3,180

Transfers to/from the Major Repairs Reserve (depreciation on OLP)

(33) (33) (33) (33) (33)

6,651 3,500 10,171 5,193 5,697

(Surplus)/DeficitontheHRAfortheYear 393 (2,769) 4,801 16 75

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movement on housing revenue account Balances (this excludes the Major Repairs Reserve)

Original Budget 2012/13 £000s

Latest Estimate 2012/13 £000s

Estimated Budget 2013/14 £000s

Estimated Budget 2014/15 £000s

Estimated Budget 2015/16 £000s

Balance (surplus) as at 1st April(Brought Forward)

(3,951) (3,591) (6,360) (1,558) (1,542)

(Surplus)/DeficitfortheYear 393 (2,769) 4,801 16 75

Balance (surplus) as at 31st March (3,198) (6,360) (1,558) (1,542) (1,467)

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Chapter 6:monitoring and Conclusions

6.1 Detailed delivery plansChapter 4 sets out the key activities that will help achieve the eight key housing aspirations. The delivery of actions is critical to the success of this Housing Strategy. The actions set out in Chapter 4 will be further developed into detailed action plans to help drive forward the delivery in a number of discrete areas. A number of detailed action plans willbeinplaceforthestartofeachfinancialyearas follows:

1. Headline Housing Strategy action plan

2. Private Sector Renewal and Empty Homes action plan

3. Housing Landlord Services action plan (Council Housing)

4. Homes for Boscombe Strategy action plan

5. Homelessness Strategy action plan

6. Housing-Related Support Strategy action plan (formerly the Supporting People programme)

7. Learning Disability Housing Plan.

6.2 monitoring of the StrategyThe following monitoring arrangements will be in place:

• the Strategy will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. The Cabinet Member for Housing will have delegated authority to respond accordingly to change plans and focus as required

• a number of action plans noted above are already monitored through multi-agency partnership groups including the Boscombe Regeneration Partnership, the Homelessness Strategy Group, the Housing Related Support Commissioning Meeting and the Where We Live Group (Learning Disabilities). All action plans will be monitored quarterly by the relevant lead officerorgroup

• a Housing Strategy Review Group will be convened every six months in order to scrutinise the Headline Housing Strategy action plan and help maintain momentum. It will involve senior Councilofficersfromthekeyserviceareasaswell as the Cabinet Member for Housing. This group will shape and evolve future action plans over the next few years. Priorities and resources will inevitably change over the period of the Strategy and this group is therefore critical in making sure that these are responded to in a timely way

• as well as inputting to the consultation process leading up to the publication of this document, the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny process will be a key element of the future monitoring and review process. Annual progress reports will be presented to the Adult and Community Overview and Scrutiny Panel to enable this input.

6.3 ConclusionsThis Housing Strategy sets out the national and local context on which the future housing aspirations for Bournemouth are based. The need to address housing related issues is critical to the wider community and needs a multi-agency, joined up approach. There are many good services already in place in Bournemouth. However, there will always be scope to improve and further develop services to better meet local needs.

This document will help to focus energies over comingyearsbydefiningthekeyaspirationstoachieve,aswellasthespecificactivitiesthatneed to be delivered to improve housing for Bournemouth.Thecurrentfinancialclimateisvery challenging for the Council and its partner agencies. This climate makes the setting of priorities over the next few years even more important to ensure that the reducing resources are used in the best possible way.

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appendix 1: Supporting Documents

• Boscombe Regeneration Partnership — Boscombe Strategic Area Assessment 2011

• Boscombe Regeneration Partnership — Boscombe Commitment and Action Plan 2012

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Homelessness strategy 2007 — 2011

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Housing Strategy 2008 — 2011

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Housing Plan for People with a Learning Disability 2007 — 2012

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Affordable Housing Development Plan Document 2009

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Supplementary Planning Document — Affordable Housing 2011

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Plan for Older People’s Housing 2011

• Bournemouth Borough Council — The Bournemouth Plan: Core Strategy 2012

• Bournemouth Borough Council — The Bournemouth Local Plan: Town Centre Area Action Plan (AAP)

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Headline Corporate Plan 2012/15

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Detailed Corporate Plan 2012/13

• Bournemouth 2026 Trust — www.bournemouth2026.org.uk

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Allocations Policy 2012

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Tenancy Strategy 2012

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Housing Revenue Account Business Plan 2012

• Bournemouth Borough Council and Borough of Poole — The Big Plan 2012 — 2015 (How Bournemouth and Poole plan to work together to provide health and social care services for adults with learning disabilities)

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Authority Monitoring Report 2011/12 — 2012

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Bournemouth Housing Strategy Equality Impact Needs Assessment 2013

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Bournemouth Housing Strategy Environmental Impact Checklist 2013

• Bournemouth Borough Council — Bournemouth Housing Strategy Risk Assessment Template 2013

• Department for Communities and Local Government — Homelessness Code of Guidance 2006

• Department for Communities and Local Government — Vision to End Rough Sleeping ‘No Second Night Out’ 2011

• Department for Communities and Local Government — Allocations Code of Guidance 2012

• Department for Communities and Local Government — Making Every Contact Count 2012

• Department for Communities and Local Government Specialist Advisors — Developing Homelessness Strategies 2012

• Dorset Councils — Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) 2011

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appendix 2:national housing Strategy — summary of aims and objectives

increasing supply: more homes, stable growth • A number of initiatives to support house-buying.

• Releasingpublicsectorlandandsupportingdevelopmentfinance.

• Planningreforms—givingcommunitiesmorecontrolovernewhousingandfinancialincentivesforcommunities building new homes.

Social and affordable housing reform • GivinglandlordsandLocalAuthoritiesmoreflexibilityinthelengthandtermsoftenancies.

• £4.5 billion for new affordable housing alongside a new rent model ‘affordable rent’ involving higher rents to fund affordable housing development.

• Deliveringaself-financingdealforCouncilHousingsothatcouncilscankeepalltherentalincomefromtheir homes to reinvest locally.

• Raising Right to Buy discounts.

a thriving private rented sector• Changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax.

• Encouraging Local Authorities to make full use of their existing powers to tackle dangerous and poorly maintained homes.

Strategy for empty homes • Providing information and advice to Local Authorities and communities to help them address empty homes.

• Investing funding to bring problematic empty homes back into use.

• Consulting on options to levy an ‘empty homes premium’ on the Council Tax payable.

Quality of housing experience and support • Measures to improve access to housing for service personnel.

• A number of measures relating to tenant empowerment.

• Package of welfare reform measures.

Quality, sustainability and design• Opportunities for communities to shape the design of their areas through planning reforms such as

Neighbourhood Planning.

• ReviewingBuildingRegulationstofurtherimproveenergyefficiencyandcarbonemissionsstandardsfornew buildings.

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For queries please contact:Bournemouth Borough Council

Strategic Housing Options TeamTown Hall

St. Stephen’s RoadBournemouth BH2 6LL

Telephone: 01202 454784

Published March 2013

Designed & typeset by Mouchel’s Printing Services, Bournemouth