Recently closed consultations

Consultation - Housing Delivery Strategy

Take part in the consultation on our draft Housing Delivery Strategy

We have written a draft Housing Delivery Strategy and want to hear what you think.

The Housing Delivery Strategy will be a framework guiding how the Council responds to the housing crisis over the next three – five years.

Because the Council has not had a Housing Strategy for a number of years, actions in this strategy are focused on what we can do now within the resources and constraints that the Council operates under. They represent the first steps towards our ambitious, long-term vision for housing. Over the next few years we will build on our successes to deliver a long-term strategy.

If we are going to achieve long-term success in tackling the housing crisis it will require sustained and growing investment over a long period and fundamental changes to national housing policy on issues like tenants’ rights, affordable housing programmes and climate change.

We will continue to lobby Government on these issues.

The proposals

The full draft Housing Delivery Strategy can be read here.

You can view the slides from the public meetings here

The interventions and actions set out in this strategy include:

Putting people at the heart of housing

Producing a resident involvement strategy, setting out the housing service’s new residents-first approach
Providing more opportunities for residents to discuss housing issues through housing hubs, housing liaison officers, and regular tenant and leaseholder forums
Responding to homelessness and rough sleeping with care and compassion
Prioritising co-production in regeneration programmes
Meeting a range of housing needs in new homes delivered through our partners as well as by the Council
Exploring how we can establish a renters’ rights service to support tenants in the private rented sector (PRS)

Building, buying and securing more and better homes

Delivering new homes through the Council’s own affordable housebuilding programme
Developing innovative approaches to boosting supply including using air rights to build on the top floors of existing blocks, modular homes to boost temporary accommodation, and a joint venture with the NHS
Procuring and acquiring new homes, for use as temporary accommodation or as Council homes to be let at social rent
Working with partners including private developers, housing associations and GLA and TfL

Addressing the Climate Emergency

Setting ourselves high standards for low-energy homes
Starting a programme of energy-efficient retrofit across Council properties and using the landlord licensing scheme to address poor standards in the PRS
Exploring an innovative retrofit scheme that would incentivise owner-occupiers to invest in making Victorian homes more energy efficient

A safe and secure private rented sector

Building on the licencing scheme, continuing to prosecute bad landlords and support all landlords to make improvements to properties that will benefit tenants
Cracking down on poor energy performance in the PRS
Promoting a professional PRS sector to drive up quality, and continue to campaign for legal and administrative changes

Better Council stock and specialist housing

Reviewing how we allocate Council properties via the waiting list, prioritising those most in need - www.newham.gov.uk/allocationsconsultation
Investing in these existing properties to ensure that these properties are safe, well maintained and managed, contribute to climate change avoidance
Meeting specialist housing needs

Tackling homelessness

Working to prevent homelessness by providing good quality advice and information and, where homelessness cannot be prevented, we will ensure early intervention
Building on the progress on rough sleeping made with the “everybody in” programme and developing a long-term plan to tackle rough sleeping in Stratford, that is caring and compassionate
Reducing the numbers of households in temporary accommodation by procuring longer term solutions

Take part in the consultation

We want to know what you think about the draft strategy.

Public meetings

We will be holding three public meetings via Zoom to discuss the draft strategy:

Please click on the meeting of your choice to register via Eventbrite. Zoom joining details will be available via the Eventbrite page once registration is complete. Please note that registration for each event will close 24 hours before the event begins.

If you’re short on time, we have a brief survey you can fill in by clicking the button.

Survey

If you would like to submit a more detailed response, or are responding on behalf of an organisation, please send your response to housingdeliverystrategy@newham.gov.uk

The consultation closes on Monday 4 January 2021.

Housing Allocations Policy Consultation

We are also consulting on our Housing Allocations Policy. You can find out more here.