Annex 1

RBK HOUSING STRATEGY: FINAL DRAFT (5) at 28 October 2015

THE ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON UPON THAMES

HOUSING STRATEGY 2015-2020

Introduction

Foreword

Overview: Context

Our housing ambitions for the next five years

Challenges and objectives

Priority One- Delivering housing to support growthObjective 1- Work with our partners and stakeholders to maximise the delivery of

affordable housing

Objective 2- Regenerating our estates

Objective 3- Creating housing choice

Priority Two- Making the best use of the existing housing stockObjective 4-Improving the quality and supply of private sector housing

Objective 5- Improving the quality of public sector homes

Objective 6-Improving access to housing for all

Priority Three- Building resilient and sustainable local communities Objective 7- Supporting vulnerable people to meet their housing needs and live

independently Objective 8- Improving health and wellbeing

Objective 9- Involving local people

Monitoring and Delivery

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Introduction

Housing to support our vision for Kingston In February 2015 London’s population reached 8.6m for the first time since 1939. The London Plan produced by the GLA on behalf of the mayor of London has identified that this figure is on course to reach 11.3 million in 2050. In Kingston our population has been growing year on year. By 2030 it is projected to grow by 9% to 183,000 from its level of 169,000 today. Inevitably this population growth will affect all boroughs in the capital and will mean that new homes will be needed in large numbers. Kingston today is therefore at a crossroads and we need to act.

Embracing growthOur strategic position is to embrace growth: Kingston is a Borough which is positively choosing its future and our determination is to drive and shape what is achieved to the benefit of the whole Royal Borough. This housing strategy, which sets out our key priorities and objectives to meet Kingston’s current and future housing need over the next five years, needs to be read and understood in this context. It has been developed to support our corporate and community objectives for people and growth, ensuring that Kingston has the homes it needs in a way that preserves the attractiveness of the borough to create a clean fresh borough for existing residents to enjoy and also for the new residents that are predicted to come in future years.

Delivering together: Enabling housing in collaborationThis is not just our agenda. Delivering the growth and the housing that the borough needs will require working closely with our strategic partners to deliver our shared objectives. The Kingston Strategic Partnership has produced a statement on its ambition to embrace growth as a shared agenda. In so doing we will drive and shape growth on our terms, for the benefit of the borough, bringing investment for new jobs, businesses, housing and infrastructure. The Council is also working with the Greater London Authority (GLA), the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) to bring the borough Opportunity Area status. This would bring significant additional investment in infrastructure enabling an accelerated growth rate whilst maintaining Kingston’s reputation as a great place to live, work, learn and create. The Greater London Authority is working with us to develop a clear plan for the opportunity area and an Infrastructure Framework that will support the predicted growth in all areas of the borough. The Leader has pledged regeneration so that every corner of the borough provides a place in which we would all wish to live. Regeneration also provides an opportunity to deliver more affordable housing in the borough. A key part of this strategy is recognising and acting upon the importance of families being able to choose a home that fulfils their needs and is affordable.

Supporting health and wellbeing The leadership also recognises, as do our partners and stakeholders, the vital importance of parks and green spaces to preserving the character of the Royal Borough and being a major contributor to wellbeing. Ensuring that wellbeing is given equal weighting along with growth and prosperity is fundamental to our vision for the borough. Therefore improving health and wellbeing is a key objective of this new housing strategy, recognising the importance of ensuring new housing development conserves and enhances our natural and built environment and supports sustainable places where people will want to live and which will help people to meet their aspirations and potential.

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Our strategy for growth is focused on promoting, facilitating and guiding new development across the Borough. We will facilitate the new homes needed to support our growth ambitions and will help deliver the infrastructure need that will support that growth. In our new housing strategy we set out our broad strategic approach to support this ambition by facilitating the delivery of the new homes Kingston needs, ensuring we make best use of existing homes and ensuring that this is delivered in a sustainable inclusive way that considers the population as a whole.

Key challenges However our ability to meet our housing ambitions faces a number of challenges. Key amongst these is the ongoing austerity agenda which will mean further significant reductions in the Council’s budget. In addition the change in the rent formula announced in the Chancellor’s summer budget (2015) will reduce budgets for new and existing programmes. In this context, more than ever, we will need to work with our partners and stakeholders to plan and shape the delivery of housing and housing related services now and in the years to come. More details of the Council’s overall strategic position can be found in Kingston Futures, Vision and Strategy and Destination Kingston 2015-2019.

Overview: Context

Key facts about Kingston

Population

According to the Office for National Statistics, the population of Kingston is expected to increase from 170,000 in 2014 (mid-year population estimates) to 194,700 in 2024 (2012-based sub national population projections). This represents an increase of 15%, the fifth highest for an English local authority excluding the City of London.

In this period, the main driver of change in Kingston is projected to be internal migration within England. However, net migration (the difference between people moving into the borough and leaving) is expected to decrease. The number of births is projected at between 2,400 and 2,500 per year, whilst the number of deaths is estimated to remain stable. These projections only reflect the situation if current trends in birth, death and migration were to continue and do not take into account the ability of an area to accommodate any extra population.

The Greater London Authority’s population projection for Kingston is more conservative at 180,200 by 2024 (2014-round projections based on SHLAA development assumptions using the DCLG-linked model and long-term migration trends). Total fertility rate of the borough is estimated to remain stable between 1.55 and 1.56 during this period. These projections take into account planning and building information. Although there appears to be a large gap between the two sources’ estimates, the borough’s population is expected to grow significantly.

By 2040, the proportion of 0-18 year-olds is projected to decrease to 21% from 22% in 2015. The number of 19-34 year-olds is also projected to decrease (from 26% to 25%), whereas the proportion of 35-64 year-olds is expected to remain stable at 38%. However, the over-65 population in the borough is projected to increase from 13% to 16%.

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Income and employment

The median weekly earnings of Kingston residents in 2014 was £557.20, higher than the London average of £520.80, according to the Office for National Statistics. For those working in the borough, the median weekly earnings are significantly lower and they are lower than the London average. 2011 Census figures suggest most residents work outside of the borough, and many of those who work in the borough commute in.

Kingston borough is relatively affluent. However, averages can mask diversity of income and the existence of deprivation in parts of the community. This is important to recognise when considering how the borough plans for new housing and ensuring that we achieve a housing mix for a range of incomes, for example, intermediate housing for working families on moderate incomes. People’s earning will impact what they can afford. Those on lower earnings and living in poorer areas will find it hard to upsize.

The borough has relatively low levels of deprivation. The Department for Communities and Local Government’s 2010 Index of Multiple Deprivation ranked Kingston 252 out of 326 English local authorities (1 = most deprived). Kingston is the third least deprived local authority in London including the City of London. In respect of childhood poverty, 12.1% of children are in a low-income family as at 2012 according to HM Revenue and Customs.

Housing and affordability

The cost of housing is a real issue for many. In June 2015, the average house price in Kingston stood at £429,296, 23% higher than 18 months previously in December 2013 (Land Registry as at August 2015). House price increases outstrip earnings considerably. According to the Department for Communities and Local Government, lower quartile house prices were 13 times higher than lower quartile earnings in Kingston in 2013, and trends suggest they are likely to increase further.

While the median earnings of Kingston residents were above the London average, house prices far outstrip earnings. For those on low incomes, these prices are a significant barrier to securing a mortgage and owning a property.

Higher levels of home ownership, and less social housing

64% of Kingston households own their property either outright or with a mortgage as at 2011, comparable to England but higher than London. Unlike England or London, Kingston has a relatively small proportion of social rented properties. The proportion of social housing in the borough is approximately half that in London.

Higher costs of renting

The median rental price for Kingston was £1,250 per month in 2014/15, 5% higher than 2013/14, according to the Valuation Office Agency. The median cost of a month’s rent for a two-bedroom property in Kingston has risen by 13% since 2011/12. This is significantly higher than the rate of increase in England (5%), but lower than that in London (17%).

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Households in Kingston

According to the 2011 Census, Kingston had 65,198 properties (excluding communal establishments and student halls of residence) and 63,639 households living in them. Less than 1% of the properties were shared by more than one household. 45% of Kingston’s households were couples, including a higher than average proportion of couples with dependent children (22%) in comparison to London (18%) and England (19%).

The Greater London Authority expects that the number of one-person households and households with two dependent children will decline as a proportion of all households over the next five years in Kingston.

Homelessness and temporary accommodation

The number of households accepted by Kingston Council as homeless and in priority need – whereby the Council has a legal duty to secure settled accommodation for that household – has risen steadily in the last five years from 137 in 2010/11 to 219 in 2014/15.

There were 63 homeless households in hostel accommodation as at 31st March 2015. This is equivalent to 0.94 per 1,000 households, which is higher than the London (0.76) and England (0.22) rates. There were 17 homeless households in bed and breakfast accommodation as at 31st March 2015. However, the equivalent rate of 0.25 per 1,000 households is lower than that for London (0.86) and only marginally higher than that for England (0.23).

Our housing ambitions for the next five years

Good quality housing is essential to support our wider strategic objectives for achieving sustainable growth, improving health and supporting business and prosperity. However our ambitions must be delivered in the context of considerable challenges, not least of which is the necessity to deliver housing and other services with much fewer resources than in the past. We therefore have to be more innovative with the resources available to us.

Housing can deliver much more than simply a safe secure home. It can also contribute significantly to positive health and well being outcomes and improving educational achievement for our children and young people. The Care Act 2014 provides the framework by which all Councils will need to strengthen the strategic links between housing, health and social care.

The impact that housing has on the external environment means that it is a key determinant in respect of environmental sustainability. For this reason the Council’s housing services work closely our Climate team and corporately to address the environmental impact of housing and also to address the related issue of fuel poverty. In respect of our ambition to achieve sustainable communities, housing can support this realisation by providing homes for a variety of different incomes and circumstances.

Housing is an enabler and has an important and necessary role to play in achieving a variety of community outcomes. To this end we have undertaken a Housing Service

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Transformation Programme, which has designed a staffing structure better equipped to work more efficiently in cooperation with external and internal partners to deliver our shared objectives and ambitions for Kingston. The Transformation Programme has also enabled the Council to achieve greater leverage out of the available resources for housing services and the Council as a whole. We will continue to review our ways of working and looking for opportunities to work with partners and neighbouring boroughs to deliver the best possible housing service and outcomes for our residents.

Following consultation with our partners and stakeholders in Kingston, this strategy has been structured under three key priorities. These priorities will be delivered by focusing on three key objectives under each of the priorities.

Priority One- Delivering housing to support growth Objective 1- Working in partnership with registered providers and developers Objective 2- Regenerating our estates Objective 3- Creating housing choice in Kingston

Priority Two- Making the best use of the existing housing stock Objective 4-Improving the quality and supply of private sector housing Objective 5- Improving the quality of public sector homes Objective 6-Improving access to housing for all

Priority Three- Building resilient and sustainable local communities Objective 7- Housing and support for vulnerable people Objective 8- Improving health and wellbeing Objective 9- Involving local people

The focus of this strategy is to set out our broad strategic approach to increasing a much needed new supply of affordable housing for a range of incomes, including new intermediate housing to support working families, jobs and growth (Priority One). A significant part of new supply in the borough will be delivered through regenerating our estates to deliver new affordable and market homes.

Priority Two of this strategy focuses on the existing stock. More than ever, given the relative decline in house building in recent years and a corresponding growth in demand, we need to make the best use of the homes we have in all sectors. Priority Two summarises how we ensure we make best use of the existing stock in all sectors and also how we improve access to it.

Local government is now confronted with two key challenges; dealing with the rising demands of a growing population and achieving this with less money. In this context we see our strategic role as working with local people and communities to help equip them to meet the challenges presented by change. This is particularly important in respect of our obligation to support the vulnerable in our communities. Priority Three is focused on how we will support vulnerable groups during a time of considerable change and challenges, for example in respect of Welfare Reform and rising housing costs. Priority three also focuses on meeting our wider sustainability objectives and our commitment to involving local people going forward so as to better target resources and achieve better outcomes for residents.

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Our Kingston Community Outcomes

Importantly each priority and objective in our housing strategy is designed to contribute to our broader community outcomes for People and Growth. These outcomes and their alignment with the Housing Strategy are detailed in the table below.

Kingston Community Outcomes Kingston Housing Strategy priorities and objectives

People

1. People achieve wellbeing, independence and live healthy lives

Priority Three: Objectives 7, 8 and 9.Supports sustainability, health and well being.

2. A place where people prosper and reach their full potential with high quality education, skills and employment

Priority One, Priority Two Priority ThreeSupports housing and access to housing as the foundation for families and individuals to prosper.

3. A safe resilient community where everyone is welcome and which supports the most vulnerable

Priority Three: Objectives 7, 8 and 9.Supports community resilience and independence

4. A network of engaged communities where everyone has a voice and does their bit

Priority Three: Objective 9Details involving local people and engaging the local community

Growth

5. A borough that embraces growth and attracts investment for a stronger, more diverse economy

Priority One:Details how we aim to achieve the growth that Kingston needs

6. A borough of choice and opportunity that has broken the mould to increase the availability of housing and jobs

Priority One: Priority Two: Objective 6 Details achieving the new supply the development of the local economy and the prosperity of families depend upon. Objective 6 specifically addresses housing choice.

7. A sustainable borough with a diverse transport network and quality environment for all to enjoy

Priority Three: Addresses specifically the role of housing in achieving a sustainable borough

8. A borough with an identity rich in history, heritage, culture and creativity which derives its future

Priority Three:Kingston’s green spaces and parklands is a part of what makes Kingston unique. Part three addresses achieving growth whilst preserving the unique heritage of Kingston’s green environment.

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Involving and Communicating with Local People

We want to engage better with communities in Kingston and we have been doing this in a number of new ways. For example following the All in One Survey of Kingston residents the leader has held a series of 16 ‘Meet the Leader’ sessions to discuss the results in local areas. These have been followed up with 8 Kingston conversations where residents have been invited to a Q&A style session with the Leader, members of the Cabinet and Ward Councillors. This is symptomatic of a new way of engaging and working with people to shape the future of Kingston, including future housing growth. Community participation and involvement is essential to achieving our community outcomes and the priorities and objectives highlighted in this strategy. We want to ensure that the local community is able to fully participate and contribute to achieving these aims. That is why involving local people is a key objective of this strategy. We believe that greater resident involvement is important not only to improvements in our housing services but that extending participation needs to be at the heart of the establishment of sustainable neighbourhoods.

Challenges

The government is focused on eliminating the budget deficit by 2018/19. The programme to reduce the public sector deficit through reducing public spending will continue. To this end the government has announced £12billion in welfare cuts and the launch of the government’s spending review has indicated a further £20bn in cuts to Whitehall budgets. This will have a significant impact on the budgets of all local councils and serious implications for the future delivery of council services including housing.

This ongoing climate of austerity means that the Council itself faces a 45% reduction in its budget for 2018 compared to that of 2010. A sustainable approach is required to meet this ongoing challenge. What will be needed is a new collaborative approach between all partners working across the borough. To meet the housing challenges faced by Kingston we will need to ensure that the Council continues to work collaboratively with the Mayor of London and the GLA, developers, RSL’s and other key partners working in the borough.

The key current and future challenges can be summarised briefly as follows: Welfare Reform:As part of an effective cross agency approach we have worked to make sure families affected by welfare reform who are most vulnerable have the right support to avert crises. However, additional cuts to welfare spending will result in further challenges; these include the reduction of the benefit cap in London from £26,000 to £23,000 (£20,000 outside London), the freezing of most working age benefits from 2016, and those aged between 18 and 21 no longer necessarily being able to receive Housing Benefit. These changes, in addition to the rolling out of Universal Credit, are likely to increase pressure on current housing and homelessness services within Kingston.

Rent reductions in social housing: Social housing providers, including stock holding local authorities, will be required to cut social housing rents by 1 per cent each year for the next four years from April 2016. This change to the rent formula, announced in the Chancellor’s summer budget (2015),

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presents a serious challenge for Kingston and raises cash flow questions for many registered housing providers which impact on their ability to raise finance and meet existing commitments. Ultimately this could jeopardise plans to build new homes, investment in the existing stock through our Better Home programme and existing development programmes. The Office for Budget Responsibility has suggested that around 14,000 fewer ‘affordable homes’ will be built as a result to the change in the rent regime.

Until the Chancellor’s announcement, social rents had been expected to rise continuously by CPI +1% per annum, under a 10 year government commitment 2015/16 to 2024/25, intended to provide stability and predictability for social housing tenants, landlords and lenders. While the rent cut policy for the next 4 years at 1% cuts is clear, there remains uncertainty around the future beyond. To meet this Challenge the Council is currently undertaking a review to determine ways in which this financial challenge can be faced; cost savings and efficiencies as well as opportunities for income generation will need to be examined in detail.

The extension of Right to Buy levels of discount to housing association tenants: The Housing Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech included an extension of the right-to-buy scheme, which would allow housing association tenants to purchase their homes with the same discounts currently offered to council tenants. Under the proposal, Local Authorities would be required to sell off their most expensive properties on becoming vacant. Council’s would be required to build replacement homes with the money raised, and the surplus used to fund Right to Buy.

The loss of the rental income from properties that would be required to be sold to partly pay for the scheme could adversely affect the financial sustainability of the Council’s housing business plan. For example the ability to properly maintain and improve the remaining lower value housing stock could be compromised. An additional concern is that the cost of building like-for-like replacement homes promised under the plans are unlikely to be met through the sale of council homes alone. Additional borrowing would be needed to meet the costs of the policy.

Implementation of pay to stayThe government announced in the July 2015 budget the introduction of a “pay to stay” scheme for tenants in social housing. This would require anyone earning £40,000 or more in London to pay a higher rent to stay in their home. Although the policy will apply to only relatively few tenants and will be difficult to enforce (social landlords do not normally keep up to date information on tenant’s income) it could incentivise people to exercise the right to buy, further reducing stock in the borough.

Public finances The continuing pressure on public finances has important ongoing implications for how council services are delivered now and in the future. We will need to continue to find new ways of ensuring the best outcomes for residents are achieved but will have fewer resources to deliver those outcomes. The financial challenge we face in the years ahead requires a completely different approach to how we decide to allocate our resources. The emphasis now has to be a clear focus on achieving community outcomes and less so on the processes we use to get there.

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To enable us to deliver Kingston’s priorities we are adopting an outcome based budgeting approach to enable us to set budgets that meet the needs of a growing population in the face of diminishing resources. In respect of our housing services this will mean delivering not only housing outcomes but achieving community outcomes more broadly, for example in respect of adult social care, health and wellbeing and ensuring that we support the most vulnerable in the community.

Care Act 2014The Care Act has introduced the obligation on all local authorities to promote wellbeing when carrying out any of their care and support functions. This is sometimes referred to as the “wellbeing principle”. The Care Act describes the suitability of living accommodation as a particular area to be considered. Therefore local authorities need to explicitly consider the suitability of living accommodation where relevant to do so when assessing an individual’s needs. This has profound implications in how the Council delivers housing services going forward and underpins our integrated approach to delivering housing services identified in this strategy.

Other related strategies

The Housing Strategy has been written with reference to the following Kingston strategies which should be referred to for more detail on specific actions and activities referred to in this document.

Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan

Looked After Children Strategy: Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames March 2014-March 2015

Voluntary and Community Sector Strategy

Older and Vulnerable People Housing Strategy: 2013-14

Children and Young People’s Plan 2013-2017

Health and Wellbeing Board Strategy

Connect with Housing: Resident Engagement Plan April 2014- May 2017 2001

Refugee and Migrant Strategy 2015-2020

Alcohol Strategy for Kingston 2014-16

Statutory Planning PolicyThe delivery of housing in Kingston Borough is driven by regional and local planning policy. The London Plan (2015) sets a housing target for the borough of 643 new units per year. In addition, local planning policy is set out in the Council’s Core Strategy (2012) where housing targets and requirements for appropriate housing (by type and tenure) are defined. Planning policies are supported by evidence of need, and tested at public enquiry, and therefore require housing that meets the needs of the borough. Supplementary Guidance also exists on Affordable Housing (2013) and Residential Design (2013), which should both be considered during the planning process.

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Priority 1: Delivering housing to support growth

Why this is a priority for Kingston:

The population of Kingston has grown considerably over the past twenty years and population projections for the next ten years suggest the rate of growth will continue at an even faster rate. For this level of growth to be sustainable and to support the economic growth and prosperity the borough aspires to, we need to build more housing that is able to support a variety of incomes and circumstances. In addition we will need to ensure that the type of new housing developed is what is needed, ensuring we achieve the correct balance for example between larger family homes and smaller units.

There are also considerable housing pressures arising out of the existing population. For young people and households wishing to buy on the open market house prices are often prohibitive. Lower quartile house prices in Kingston are now about 13 times higher than lower quartile earnings. Therefore in seeking to meet housing need in Kingston it is important to achieve a housing offer that caters for people with a variety of incomes.

Appropriate housing is also fundamental to any holistic support and care provision for the elderly and vulnerable. The disadvantaged, those on welfare benefits and the homeless, will also in many cases need support to access and maintain a good secure home. It is a part of Kingston being a ‘caring and compassionate1 place’ that underpins our priority of ensuring, with our partners, that we are able to provide the housing needed to support these groups. We will therefore be seeking to develop where necessary the specialist housing provision we need as part of the housing offer in Kingston.

What our partners and stakeholders told us:

Feedback at our Strategic Housing Partners conference in February 2015 suggested that there is acknowledgement in the community that new housing development is inevitable to meet new demand and population growth, but also that this is desirable if achieved sustainably. However it was highlighted that the community needs to be a part of the process of change. This means that residents need to have a sense of ownership and be empowered to be actively involved in regeneration and any significant housing development. New developments should also reflect the needs and circumstances of the community as a whole reflecting particularly different incomes and family makeup.

In terms of how this might be achieved a key message was that the Council should work more closely with registered housing providers (RPs) and developers to bring forward mixed tenure developments. This was felt to be essential to achieve balanced and sustainable communities, and that this was also essential to the ambition of achieving community resilience.

Given the challenges to meet present and future housing needs, particularly in the context of growing affordability issues, it was suggested that the Council could make land available to providers who could most effectively use this to deliver affordable housing on its behalf.

1 Destination Kingston, page 35

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Stakeholders told us that the Council should be more robust in its approach to S106 planning obligations to ensure affordable housing continues to be prioritised and delivered as part of private housing developments.

What we have done already:

Developed an Affordable Homes Strategic Delivery Plan for the period 2015-17, specifying sites for targeted development and the number of units we expect to deliver on each. This includes a minimum target of 100 new homes from existing stock and land.

Identified 9 sites and completed Initial options and appraisal work to provide a minimum of 20 homes for specialised housing in line with the objectives of the Council’s review of housing for older and vulnerable people.

Disposed of garage sites no longer fit for purpose to generate receipts towards the funding of new affordable housing. We have already identified almost 500 garages as no longer fit for purpose; these will be disposed of or demolished to provide for new Affordable Housing.

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What we intend to do: Our objectives for achieving the housing growth we need

Objective 1:Work with our partners and stakeholders to maximise the delivery of affordable housing

Why this is important for Kingston:

We have responsibility for taking the strategic lead for new affordable housing delivery in Kingston and to ensure we meet our targets for new homes as defined by the London Plan. Facilitating new housing growth is not just about meeting a basic housing need. Housing has a key role to play in a broad spectrum of outcomes we are seeking to achieve. It is essential that housing delivery contributes to our wider policy programme of improving our neighbourhoods, providing a future for children and young people and supporting the vulnerable across our community. Housing also has an important role to play in achieving positive health outcomes in the borough. For this reason our strategic approach to the delivery of new housing and housing services is closely aligned to the objectives of our statutory partners and partner agencies in the voluntary sector who work with us to deliver services across the community. This is particularly important in the context of the reduced financial resources available to deliver the services the Council has responsibility for providing.

What we plan to do:

Seek to deliver a minimum of 133 new affordable housing units every year up to 2027.

Require developments of 5 or more units to provide at least 1 affordable unit of housing. Where more than 10 units are being built, at least 50% of the units must be affordable. Within the affordable housing element we will seek a 70/30 ratio between Social/Affordable Rent and Intermediate provision.

Where due to viability reasons affordable housing cannot be provided on a site, or an alternative site, the Council will accept a contribution towards affordable housing 2

Progress our own Local Authority New Build programme, identifying funding streams and developing in-house capacity to deliver this programme .The Council has identified an appropriate site which will act as a pilot and template for future schemes.

Build on the success of our extensions and de-conversions programme to a further 14 dwellings.

Strengthen our negotiating position with developers in respect to S106 agreements so that we can maximise the potential for new affordable housing on all new developments.

Work more effectively with Registered Providers (RP), including providing grants from the Council’s Right to buy receipts, to develop new affordable housing in the borough. We will also review our partnering arrangements to assess whether we can work more

2 For more detail please refer to the Council’s adopted Core Strategy (2012) planning policy.

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effectively by focusing on a fewer number of preferred RP partners and therefore focus resources more effectively.

Review our partnering arrangements, particularly with smaller developers, where there is more scope to determine our requirements for affordable housing.

Identify every possible site in the HRA as potential sites for new affordable housing. Continue with the Council’s Garage disposals programme to raise funds for Kingston’s

new build programme and scope the potential of surplus garage sites for new affordable housing development.

In line with the Care Act we will continue to strengthen the strategic link with public health and adult social care and explore the potential for improved strategic linkages with Achieving for Children (AfC).

We will utilise grant funding to alleviate overcrowding, targeting 14 tenanted properties for extension by one extra bedroom by December 2015.

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Objective 2: Regenerating our estates

Why this is important:

Despite significant capital investment since 2012, some of our housing stock and estates still require improvement. Our Better Homes programme is addressing many of these issues but it cannot address issues of poor estate design or where major improvement works are necessary. In addition we need more homes to accommodate population growth as well as to meet the housing needs of the existing population. An estate regeneration programme would help to meet this growth, providing new facilities as well as additional, better quality homes.

A failure to meet the challenges of addressing the demand for new housing has a number of potential negative consequences; increased overcrowding within the existing housing stock, declining affordability and increasing homelessness. It is therefore essential that we maximise our assets to enable sustainable housing growth and provide more affordable housing.

What we plan to do:

We will undertake an initial scoping study to determine possibilities for estate regeneration with which we will start our detailed engagement process with stakeholders and in particular our residents. Resident and stakeholder engagement will be fundamental to the development of the programme. We are fully committed to a process in which residents and communities are fully involved with the programme to ensure that their views and preferences are addressed within the proposals.

The programme’s preparatory work will investigate how best to engage effectively with our stakeholders, assess the options through which we can deliver new homes and facilities and how our partners might be procured.

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Objective 3: Creating housing choice in Kingston

Why this is important:

We asked delegates at our strategic housing partners conference in February 2015 to consider to what extent housing choice is a reality in Kingston, for example the availability of different tenures to meet different needs and the ability to move between them as circumstances change. There was recognition that there are severe limitations of choice for some groups, particularly homeless households. Additionally the choices available are increasingly curtailed by affordability and the availability of housing suitable to the needs of households. This has important implications not only for those directly impacted but also for the economy and the ability of Kingston to sustain economic growth and increase prosperity. We therefore need good quality housing for a range of incomes. Failure to meet this need is likely to have important negative consequences, for example by losing and failing to attract working families to Kingston who will continue to be the drivers of economic growth and prosperity. As part of our housing offer, opportunities must exist for aspiring households to access affordable home ownership including intermediate housing.

What we plan to do:

We will focus on a number of objectives to maximise the housing choices of current and future residents who move to the borough to contribute to the development, growth and prosperity of Kingston. We will seek to maximise the delivery of appropriate market and affordable housing development to meet housing need and demand by the following key actions;

Ensure that the Council’s planning policies are updated to provide a robust basis for guiding future growth in Kingston and ensuring the housing which is built is attractive and meets the needs of our residents. Our focus will be to create neighbourhoods and communities which are sustainable by clearly setting out what type of housing is needed in the borough in terms of tenure, size and quality of properties and associated facilities.

We will encourage new initiatives and housing products which meet housing need and demand from affordable and social rented through to home ownership. This is a key objective, as we wish to support, as far as possible in the current and future housing market, a functioning housing ladder where demand meets supply at a price that is affordable to households in Kingston.

We will seek to maximise the use of our land and assets to deliver new housing in the borough ensuring our development strategies set out the Council’s aspirations, a pipeline of development and the funding required to make delivery happen.

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Priority 2: Making the best use of the existing stock

Why this is a priority for Kingston

Population growth and the needs of the local economy mean that maximising the full potential for new housing in Kingston is a key priority. However most people’s housing requirements will be met by housing that has already been built, predominantly in the private sector through either owner occupation or by the private rented sector (PRS).

Owner occupation in Kingston is above the London average, but in recent years there has been a steep growth in the percentage of households accommodated in private rented homes. The private rented sector provides an increasingly important supply of accommodation, particularly for young people and newly forming households. For this reason working in partnership with local private rented sector providers is an increasingly important function for the Council.

There is an identified shortage of managed student bed spaces in Kingston, which creates additional pressure on the private rented sector from students. For many the PRS is their preferred choice, but for some unable to access owner occupation and who are not eligible for social housing, it is often the only housing choice available. Therefore we want to ensure that the private rented sector remains accessible for a variety of income groups and also that good quality housing and standards in the sector are maintained.

Housing is important in its own right but it also impacts directly on many aspects of the quality of life. We know for example that there are direct links between poor housing and physical and mental health problems. Improvements to existing homes in the public and private sectors will positively impact on health and well being and serve to address inequalities in the health of the borough. For example, children who live in poverty are almost twice as likely to live in inadequate housing as children generally; providing more suitable homes will contribute directly to lifting children out of poverty and promote higher levels of attainment at school.

We will ensure that good standards of maintenance and repair exist within the borough’s own stock. The introduction of Self Financing of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) introduced in 2012 has enabled greater investment in our stock as well as the ability to plan investment more effectively. Our investment priority is to bring all homes up to the Decent Homes Standard and continue to maintain and improve the stock through the Housing Asset Management Strategy. It is also to focus on delivering a long term housing investment programme as a core element of meeting the demand for better housing in Kingston.

What our partners and stakeholders told us:

The Council should focus on continuing to improve and develop how it communicates and engages with communities. This is essential to improving our social landlord role.

It is essential the Council plans robustly for infrastructure investment and improvements as part of all new housing investment. This was seen as particularly important in the context of the Council’s regeneration proposals and is integral to making the best use of the Council’s land and property assets.

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Multi tenure estates should be preserved and developed to reduce social polarisation and create mixed and balanced sustainable communities

Affordability increasingly acts as a barrier to accessing good quality private rented sector accommodation. While affordability places obvious limits on where and what type of accommodation is accessible, poor standards are clearly unacceptable and it is the role of the Council to ensure that minimum standards are met and to take action where necessary.

What we have done already

We have consulted with residents on estate improvements to be delivered within years 4 & 5 of our Better Homes programme. Residents established their priorities for environmental works and the programme commenced on April 1st 2015.

The Private Sector Schemes team offer two schemes to private landlords and agents, providing housing solutions.

Tenant Finder Scheme (TFS): The Council acts similar to a letting agent, finding new tenants for landlords and (subject to funding) paying landlords an incentive. Tenants & Landlords are provided with an assured shorthold tenancy (AST) usually for 12 months with rent at Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates. Rent collection and property maintenance remains the responsibility of the landlord, however additional tenancy sustainment support is available where necessary (see Objective 7 below).

Private Leasing Scheme (PLS): The Council leases the property from the landlord, usually for a minimum of 12 months and carries out all aspects of the letting and management of the property for the life of the lease, including carrying out some maintenance3 and collecting rent from the tenant. PLS guarantees rent to the landlord in accordance with the lease and (subject to funding) provides an incentive to landlords to sign up to the scheme.

Our work with private sector landlords and agents is key to providing a range of housing solutions and minimising the use of emergency bed & breakfast temporary accommodation. We are reviewing & developing our procurement strategy and regularly revise the incentive packages offered to private landlords to attract new lettings to our TFS & PLS schemes and to retain existing lettings.

We have extended the Major Works repayment plans to RTB leaseholders who let to Council nominated tenants through our Private Sector Schemes

We have appointed a dedicated voids manager to co-ordinate voids activity across the Council. Void turnaround time has now been reduced by 33% in HRA stock thereby reducing rental loss. In Private Sector Leasing (PSL), where we also made significant operational changes following housing transformation, void turnaround time has been reduced by over 50%.

3 Under the PLS scheme Landlords are responsible for structural and other repairs to the property under Landlord & Tenant Act 1985.

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Kingston Council has been proactive in reducing the number of long term private sector empty properties in the Borough. Most of these properties are in private ownership. In 2009 there were around 1,100; the last count in October 2014 was 202. The latest count represents 0.3% of the total number of dwellings in the Borough (Target for London Boroughs is below 0.5%). Kingston has now adopted (April 2014) an Empty Property Enforcement Strategy in line with Government guidelines and legislation to enable the Council to take appropriate enforcement action when necessary.

Addressing poor standards in the private sector by:

Responding to service requests from tenants regarding poor housing conditions.

Mandatory Licensing and Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO’s).

Undertaking pro-active work directed at identifying the worst housing in the sector and supporting owners and landlords with improvements to improve quality for occupiers.

Promoting good practice and providing advice & information regarding new legislation, policy and government guidance

Taking appropriate enforcement action where necessary

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What we intend to do: Our objectives for making the best use of the existing stock

Objective 4: Improving the quality and supply of private sector housing

Why this is important:

Properties that are in poor condition and poorly managed can have a significant negative impact not only on the households that live in them but also on the wider local community. The links between housing and health are well established. Given the private rented sector has grown considerably in Kingston in recent years, it is essential that addressing standards in the sector is a key focus of this strategy.

As well as meeting general housing need the private rented sector has a vital part to play in accommodating homeless families and individuals. We are therefore working to build on what we have achieved in maintaining a good relationship with local private landlords and agents who are minded to rent good quality affordable accommodation to residents who approach the Council for housing assistance through our Tenant Finder Service and Private Leasing Scheme.

However the procurement of private sector properties in the borough is increasingly difficult, particularly at Local Housing Allowance rates. It is therefore ever more important that we maintain our focus on prevention of homelessness and helping households to retain their current accommodation and stay healthy and safe in their home. A further challenge is accessing the right size accommodation to meet households needs, currently the highest demand is two bedroom properties which are often in shortest supply within the PRS market in Kingston.

What we plan to do:

Improving supply:

We will continue to develop and improve our Private Sector Leasing and Tenant Finder Service.

We will launch a Communications Strategy to increase awareness of the Council’s PSL and TFS schemes.

We will develop our Procurement Strategy under which we will:

Regularly review the incentives that are paid to landlords and the services that we provide. The focus will be to ensure that our offer to landlords remains sufficiently competitive to enable the continuing success of our service.

Explore opportunities to procure properties outside of the borough where properties are less expensive and the likelihood of successfully acquiring affordable properties is higher.

We will develop our Temporary Accommodation Allocations Policy to ensure that the right people are being placed into the right properties. Where possible we will look to work in partnership with other boroughs to maximise the opportunities for procuring properties outside of the borough.

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We will review the Council’s lettings plan, with move-on to permanent accommodation to be encouraged from PSL and temporary accommodation.

We will continue to build on the success of our Empty Property Strategy to bring more properties back into use and increase the supply of available accommodation for families.

Work with Kingston University to meet the accommodation needs of students, in order to free up family housing in the private rented sector.

Improving quality and standards:

We will work with accredited and university landlords to encourage better management of properties.

Support landlords and occupants to improve the energy efficiency rating of private sector properties and support occupants with better use of energy. We will achieve this by working in partnership with the Council’s Climate Team and Welfare Reform Board to address fuel poverty.

Continue to provide Home Repair Assistance Grants and Loans

Disabled Facilities Grants: A means tested grant for works that improve access in and around homes, enabling people stay in their own home through adaptations.

Home improvement Grant and Loans: A means tested grant for owners and some tenants to help with repair works where disrepair is having a significant impact on the welfare of the occupier.

Relocation Grant: for disabled residents whose home is not adaptable and where it is more economical to move.

Empty Property Grant: For long term empty properties (6+months) and where the owner agrees to a 5 year PLS lease to the Council.

Review the options for the best way to support residents with adaptations and repairs to their home including developing a new service delivery model for the e private sector housing team

The Council will review the options for the formation of an in house Home Improvement Agency. This is combined with proposals that the private sector housing team operate more as a business unit that can look to increase support for vulnerable residents with property improvement allowing them to remain independent.

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Objective 5: Improving the quality of public sector homes

Why this is important:

We want to achieve our vision for Kingston housing as expressed below:

Residents see Kingston housing as tenure of choice; affordable housing in a safe, pleasant surroundings with access to high quality local shopping, health care, local employment and easy access to employment opportunities within or outside London. The Council spends its money wisely to maintain and continually improve its property portfolio and to maximise the use of its assets. It is well prepared to invest to renew and re shape housing in line with the overall vision of the built environment including new build, estate re design and enhancing its houses and other dwellings4

Significant investment in our housing stock has now brought the majority of council homes up to the Decent Homes Standard; this standard is a basic minimum standard meeting set criteria. Since our last housing strategy we have focused on our commitment to delivering the Better Homes programme to ensure that Kingston housing is fit for the twenty first century. We are currently on track to complete Better Homes works to around 3,200 properties by the end of 2017. It is also important that we continue to work closely with other Registered Providers to ensure all tenants can expect good quality social housing regardless who their landlord is.

What we plan to do:

Our overarching objective is to provide a high standard of accommodation and environment for Council tenants, leaseholders and residents. As well as delivering our Better Homes programme our priorities are to undertake works to ensure that all our statutory and health and safety obligations are fully met.

We will also undertake all works necessary to bring properties up to and retain compliance with the Decent Homes Standard including the replacement of kitchens and bathrooms, renewing windows and doors, roof coverings, rewiring, renewing boilers and central heating through further post-Better Homes capital works programme from 2017.

We will also replace other elements of properties in communal areas where necessary,

for example renewing lift cores, communal heating and lighting etc. We will also refurbish external areas such as footpaths, car parking areas and boundary fences where there is an identified need.

We will progress our planned preventative maintenance programme scheduled in blocks and individual properties, including cyclical redecoration of external areas both for individual properties and communal areas.

Adaptations for tenants with disabilities will be undertaken in conjunction with recommendations from Occupational Therapists. Works will continue to be prioritised in order to ensure applicants requiring adaptations have their needs met as quickly as possible as their mobility needs change.

We are in the process of drafting a revised Housing Asset Management Strategy. This will set out in more detail our investment priorities for the next five years.

4 Kingston’s Housing Revenue Account Business Plan

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Objective 6: Improving access to housing for all

Why this is important:For many people the process of identifying and securing suitable housing presents a significant challenge. Most people are able to resolve their own housing needs without any outside help, but for a significant number of people this presents a number of challenges which are difficult to overcome. This is largely as a consequence of the nature of the current housing market and the availability of suitable affordable homes. For families and individuals on low and even average incomes buying a home on the open market is not realistic as house prices have continued to climb and housing mortgage finance is increasingly difficult to secure. At the same time rents in the private sector have risen steeply and the deposits required by most landlords can be difficult to provide. In addition the demand for housing provided by registered providers and the council far outstrips current supply. In this context the availability of appropriate housing options and advice to prevent homelessness is essential, enabling and supporting households where possible to find their own solutions to their housing needs.

What we plan to do:

Continue to manage demand for the Council’s housing service by providing a focus on homelessness prevention and the provision of housing options and private sector solutions as a viable alternative to social housing.

Undertake a review of the Council’s Housing Allocations Policy to ensure that best use is made of Kingston’s social rented housing and that applicants are prioritised appropriately.

We will develop a new procurement strategy and delivery vehicle to provide a supply of affordable private rented homes for use as temporary accommodation, private rented sector offers, and to prevent homelessness. This will include the potential for sourcing accommodation in less expensive areas outside of Kingston.

We will look to reduce the numbers in bed and breakfast accommodation by increasing quotas of homeless households moving from temporary accommodation to permanent social housing and increasing the procurement of PLS.

We will take action to reduce households in B&B accommodation including the completion of occupancy checks and improving turnaround of homelessness decision to facilitate appropriate & timely move on or eviction from nightly-paid accommodation).

We will continue to co-ordinate the work of the Welfare Reform Team to address impacts of welfare reform and prevent homelessness.

Partnership with the YMCAWe are currently working in partnership with the YMCA Kingston and have nomination rights to 81% of the vacancies in this accommodation. Where we are unable to fill vacancies, nominations are made available to Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness (KCAH) to assist single non-priority homeless households. Properties are also allocated in the YMCA to households who are owed a duty by Social Services to be housed. This relationship with the YMCA is very positive and the success means that many households can be placed into in-borough accommodation in the YMCA instead of placement into Emergency Accommodation outside of the borough.

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Priority 3: Building resilient and sustainable local communities

Why this is a priority for Kingston

Together with our statutory and voluntary sector partners we have an important responsibility to support the most vulnerable residents in our community. How we meet this responsibility will become increasingly challenging; in common with other public sector bodies we will need to achieve more with less resources. As a result we will need to continue to seek new ways of delivering services. As a housing service it will be more important to work with our partners both within and outside of the Council to achieve shared objectives.

In order to continue to support the most vulnerable in our community we need to build resilience in the face of the new challenges ahead. In practice this means working with our partner agencies in a coordinated way to reduce the risk of crisis. Welfare reform in particular continues to present particular challenges. Although Kingston is a relatively affluent borough it has not been immune from the impacts of welfare reform; for example higher private and social rents have meant that the weekly housing benefit reduction for households in Kingston has been higher than the average across England. We have responded to the challenge of welfare reform by continuing to strengthen multi agency working between services within the council and local organisations to create a welfare reform team that helps families to deal with the changes that affect them. We have also strengthened how we work with partner agencies and organisations locally to deliver a seamless and caring service to residents who are, or could be, in need of care and support.

We recognise the vital role that housing plays in supporting sustainable economic growth by providing the basis for success in the workplace as well as supporting family life and enabling active participation in the life of the community. In addition successful, sustainable communities are only possible when housing and estates are well designed and well managed places. Our proposed regeneration programme will focus on addressing the design failures of the past. At the same time we want to empower residents take a greater lead in how council housing is managed.

Successive Annual Public Health Reports by the Council’s Director of Public Health have demonstrated how good quality housing and a settled home life are important in maintaining good health and wellbeing. Creating estates and neighbourhoods where people want to live means also seeking to improve the wider external environment. For example we want to ensure that any new development seeks to utilise, enhance and protect valued green spaces whilst also ensuring that people’s mental and physical wellbeing is supported through access to them.

What our partners and stakeholders told us

About vulnerable people:

Delegates at our strategic housing partner conference (February 2015) recognised the critical importance of housing services coordinating its efforts internally within the council and working in close partnership with health and adult social care particularly. Partners also told us the council must continue to develop its partnerships with external agencies in both the voluntary and statutory sectors. This was seen as critical in preventing homelessness amongst older people and other vulnerable groups.

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More work is needed to intervene on behalf of vulnerable people before a crisis point is reached. For example it is essential to identify where we have lonely and isolated people. Targeted interventions are needed to improve the quality of life and the needs of people who are in these circumstances.

In respect of older people, greater assistance should be provided to help people to stay in their homes for as long as possible.

About sustainable growth:

All new housing development should be design ‘future proofed’ to support sustainability for the long term and appropriate building materials should be used in new development and other works maximising the potential for energy efficiency.

Local people should take more responsibility for sustaining green spaces and the wider public domain within estates and neighbourhoods.

Transport links must be fully integrated into all new and existing developments

More work needs to be done with private landlords, developers and homeowners to ensure that adequate insulation and other interventions to tackle climate change and fuel poverty are addressed. The Council needs to ensure that its ability to influence through planning mechanisms and enforcement targets this issue.

What we have done already:

To support vulnerable people:

Older people- Through research we have deepened our understanding of the issues affecting older people and are working with Adult Services and Health to develop an overarching strategy for older people’s housing and care. We have reviewed our housing and support offer for older and vulnerable people and have rationalised the delivery of support. We aim within our sheltered housing stock to create age friendly housing to meet a diversity of needs and aspirations. We are also working with partners to develop new ways of working which will help counter isolation and ensure all older people, especially those who need support, have opportunities for greater independence and wellbeing.

Care and support- Working closely with key partners we are working towards the provision of a seamless and caring service for residents who are, or could be, in need of care and support. We are also working to ensure that our care and support services are fully integrated so as to achieve full compliance and alignment with the requirements of the Care Act 2014.

We have now developed with our voluntary and community sector partners a new Voluntary and Community Sector Strategy. This sets out our vision for :

a thriving local voluntary and community sector whose role and contribution as strategic partners is recognised and valued for its economic, social and environmental contribution to the borough.

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Welfare reform- To address the challenges of welfare reform, Kingston has strengthened the multi agency working between services within the Council (children’s and adult social care, housing, benefits, finance and public health) and created a discrete Welfare Reform Team which includes a co-located practitioner from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Through this approach we are continuing to minimise the risk of homelessness as a result of welfare reforms.

Through this approach we have prevented 167 households from becoming homeless as a result of welfare reform intervention. As well as the benefits to the households concerned, as a result of preventing homelessness the council has also made significant efficiency savings by preventing the need for temporary accommodation costs.

The Tenant Finder Service (TFS) is available to tenants who require additional support after they have been assisted to secure private rented accommodation through the TFS. Following referral, needs bases support is provided by the appropriate Housing Support team – Resettlement Support or Older & Vulnerable Persons Support.

The Resettlement Support team offer practical support when moving home and work closely with vulnerable people to help them maintain and sustain their accommodation. Vulnerability can arise through a number of circumstances, for example a result of mental health and/or substance misuse issues. The team work with those at risk of losing their home or who have lost accommodation, often through rent arrears, with the goal of resettlement into permanent accommodation. The team work closely with partners i.e. GP’s; day centres and alcohol and drug services to support clients and develop appropriate care and support packages for clients.

Involving local people:

We have developed and published a new Resident Engagement Strategy and Plan which has been operational since April 2014. The strategy has been designed to enable housing to listen better to and act upon the views of all our residents. Essentially we want to achieve a better dialogue with residents to achieve demonstrable service improvements, community benefits and value for money.

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What we intend to do: Our objectives for supporting vulnerable people to meet their housing needs and live independently

Objective 7: Supporting vulnerable people to meet their housing needs and live independently

Why this is important:

Providing care and support to enable people to live independently not only benefits the individuals and families involved but contributes directly to achieving sustainable communities by enabling those that can, to help themselves as much as possible.

What we plan to do:

Prevent homelessness and sustain tenancies

The Council will continue to tackle homelessness by focusing on prevention and early intervention. We will continue to adopt a multi agency approach focusing on tenancy sustainment and high quality targeted advice and support. We will help tenants to sustain their tenancies and remain in their homes by a number of targeted interventions. These include

Ensuring all applications to the housing register are efficiently and appropriately assessed and recorded, receive appropriate advice and support, and are signposted where necessary to partner agencies to address identified needs and support

Continue to operate the Council’s protocol for joint initial assessments of young people

Advice, intervention and enforcement as appropriate in relation to illegal evictions and harassment.

Negotiate with landlords/agents and friends or relatives as appropriate.

Pursue planned pathways for homeless people to reduce the need for emergency provision on the day of crisis wherever possible.

Provide a variety of support interventions so that accommodation is not lost and tenancies don’t fail (see supporting vulnerable people above)

Continue to develop a coordinated pro-active approach of early intervention to support households impacted by Welfare Reform, working closely with partner agencies particularly around budgeting and finding employment.

Maximising the full potential of the private sector to meet housing need

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Support for older and vulnerable people across all tenures

Our approach to providing housing and housing related support for older people and vulnerable people is focused on ensuring the right care and support is available to people wherever they live. Support therefore is targeted at the specific needs of the individual and is not determined by the tenure of a person’s home. The Older and Vulnerable Persons Support Team therefore supports older people across all tenures, helping people to sustain their accommodation and to live independently for as long as possible. By identifying and addressing the individuals support needs at an early stage, the aim is to prevent escalation where possible and reduce the need for individuals to move into residential care. This approach is important in meeting our obligations under the Care Act 2014 that requires local authorities to explicitly consider the suitability of living accommodation where relevant to do so.

A key action will be to implement our Older and Vulnerable People Strategy. This comprises the implementation of a number of discrete and interconnected projects which include:

Jointly with Adult Services and Health, seeking to increase housing and care choices for older people, which may include, for example, supporting the building of extra care housing schemes to fill the space between sheltered housing and residential care homes. We will seek to ensure that commissioned housing related support services meet the needs of, vulnerable households

Improve the available provision of help and support so that people can stay living in their own homes for as long as possible.

Ensure vulnerable people are helped and supported to feel included in their communities and to live as independently as possible. The Council’s joint response to the Care Act 2014 is likely to include a range of new services targeted towards people in their own homes and communities, such as a new befriending service which is aimed at reducing social isolation and loneliness.

For many vulnerable people financial exclusion is an additional source of stress and can exacerbate social exclusion. Our Finance Housing Collection Service has introduced a Financial Inclusion Team that provides the following services:

Promote affordability Provide money guidance Complete grant applications Assist with benefit applications and appeals Deliver financial capability workshops

Working on early intervention: Educating tenants to become more financially aware Helping tenants with no access to bank accounts Helping and encouraging tenants to become work ready

Developing Partnerships, working with: Surrey Save Credit Union Debt Management agencies Adult Learning Kingston Food Bank

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Safeguarding

Community Housing have a lead role for the housing service concerning safeguarding for both children and adults and have a lead role in the Adult Safeguarding Board and the Local Safeguarding Board which monitors the effectiveness of partner agencies and aims to improve multi agency working and adapt practice to be more effective in safeguarding children. Similarly housing contributes to the development and delivery of the Adult Safeguarding strategy to ensure that policy and practice for safeguarding both children and adults are effective.

The Council is working closely with partner agencies to protect and support survivors of domestic abuse through MARAC (Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference). This includes joint work undertaken between housing services and Achieving for Children to identify children at risk and help with alternative accommodation where necessary. Options for survivors of domestic abuse are also provided through the Domestic Violence Hub.

The Housing Service also contributes and cooperates with statutory partnerships such as Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) and works with partner agencies on multi-agency procedures for tackling child sexual exploitation through the multi-agency child sexual exploitation meeting (MACSE).

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Objective 8: Improving health and wellbeing

Why this is important:

In planning for housing growth, we will need to ensure that new developments will stand the test of time. Partly this is about sustaining balanced mixed communities by developing an appropriate mix of housing in respect of type and tenure. It is also about ensuring we “future proof” housing design so that it continues to meet the needs of Kingston residents in years to come.

Kingston is a borough which offers a unique blend of attractive residential areas and large areas of green space. We want to preserve and enhance these areas whilst also ensuring that people’s mental and physical wellbeing is supported through access to them. The Council must ensure protected Green Belt and parkland is maintained when considering new housing development as well as when extending or regenerating existing properties and sites. This is also important to limit the risks posed by climate change and to enable a shift to greener living. These principles are considered through the Council’s planning process, which balances the pressure of the need for growth with its impact on the environment.5

What we plan to do:

Create sustainable places where people will want to live and which will help people to meet their aspirations and potential.

Ensure new homes conserve and enhance our natural and built environment and that both new and old developments achieve the highest standards of energy efficiency.

Support the building of well designed homes, in line with guidance in the Council’s Residential Design Supplementary Planning Document (2013). Homes should be easily adaptable to meet the needs of a changing population, promote healthy lifestyles and must be suitable for future generations. We will carry out Health Impact Assessments (HIA) on properties for social use, whilst private developers will be encouraged to construct in the same way.

Help develop homes able to resist the environmental factors linked to climate change. We will ensure the maximum number of homes have high energy efficiency so carbon dioxide emissions are reduced and also help to address fuel poverty which impacts directly on health and wellbeing.

We will continue to address fuel poverty by coordinating measures through the Council’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment fuel poverty recommendations, the Councils Climate Change team and the Climate Change strategy, Public Health and Welfare Reform Board to address fuel poverty across all housing sectors.

We will work together with our partner agencies and residents to improve our neighbourhoods and estates to make stronger and sustainable local communities.

5 In terms of Sustainable development, national planning policy provides a social aspect, and states that planning should integrate the location of housing, economic uses and community facilities and services.

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Objective 9: Involving local people

Why this is important:

Ultimately our vision for housing connects directly with the quality of life of Kingston residents and the future sustainability of our estates and neighbourhoods. We therefore believe that everyone should be included in important decisions about housing and housing services and our regeneration proposals. The knowledge and perspective of all communities is vital for the successful delivery of our vision for housing and growth.

What we plan to do:

The Council will continue to work hard to ensure that it is engaging with its residents in the most effective and efficient ways possible to ensure that tenants’ and leaseholders’ views are fully represented in decision making processes as well as the shaping and delivering of services.

We will continue to support the Kingston Resident Scrutiny Panel (KRiSP) including the recruitment of new volunteers. KRiSP comprises of up to 20 tenants and leaseholders who conduct investigations into the efficiency and effectiveness of different areas of the housing service and suggests improvements for both customer and staff satisfaction.

Ensure that we continue to give residents’ the opportunity to voice their views via the Residents Associations (RAs) which are supported by the Kingston Federation of Residents (FED) and via the current Leasehold and Sheltered Housing Forums.

Continue to ensure that residents are given leading roles within the governance structure for Housing, with residents sitting on both the Housing Consultative Committee (HCC) and the Resident Participation and Review Group (RPRG); both of these are chaired by residents.

Moving forward, RBK hopes to improve engagement with older residents, people with disabilities and young people by setting up new resident panels and improving its online presence and accessibility. The development of resident engagement throughout the Housing Service is explained in more detail in Connect with Housing: Resident Engagement Plan April 2014 – May 2017.

Monitoring and delivery The Housing Strategy has been developed with the intention that it will be a working document and therefore actions will be implemented throughout the life of the strategy. The Delivery Plan will be monitored by the Council’s Housing Management Team and the Kingston Strategic Housing Partnership and other key stakeholders. It will be updated on an annual basis. A report on the progress of the Strategy and Delivery Plan will be produced on an annual basis and circulated to the relevant stakeholders and the Portfolio holder with responsibility for housing. The report will also be published on the Kingston Council website.