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10/09/2010
Issue 79
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Policy developments
Coalition government
Politically, things are moving very quickly – we have a new Cabinet and Ministers, a Queen's speech, announcements on spending cuts and a programme for the coalition government. Some headlines:
Eric Pickles is Communities Secretary and Grant Shapps is the Minister for Housing.
Key housing measures on which the new government intends to take action include:
And we have already seen action taken to end the requirement for those selling their homes to make Home Information Packs available for potential buyers.
In the Queen's speech, the Bills that have most relevance to housing are:
The announcement of £6.2billion savings included £150million saving from the previous administration's housing pledge but £170million of the overall savings will be reinvested to safeguard delivery of around 4,000 social rented homes. The impact of the cuts on the Welsh Assembly Government is estimated to be £162.5 million during 2010/11.
The CIH is tracking developments with the new government and is producing useful briefings which are available on its Housing Futures website www.housingfutures.cih.co.uk
State of the Nation
The State of the Nation report published in May 2010 looks at poverty, worklessness and welfare dependency in the UK. The information will be used to inform future policy decisions in relation to tackling poverty and improving life chances.
The key statistics identified in the report include:
The report is available online at www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Publications
Mobility Taskforce interim report
The Mobility Taskforce was set up in the autumn of 2009 by the then Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps to develop proposals to increase mobility for social rented tenants. The interim report of the Taskforce has identified seven themes which it is proposed to investigate further and around which final recommendations will be developed. These are:
The interim report is available online at www.housing.org.uk
Green Jobs
The Bevan Foundation report Green jobs and justice in low carbon Wales takes as its starting point that the evidence on climate change is incontrovertible, that climate change means economic change and that Wales will have to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. It concludes that the Welsh Assembly Government has lots of strategies in relation to reducing carbon emissions and is taking some action but it is not enough. The report sets out a programme of action that could be taken by the Welsh Assembly Government that puts fairness and job creation at the centre of its climate change and green jobs strategies.
The report is available online at www.bevanfoundation.org
Social impact of poor housing
Published in March 2010, the Ecotec report, Social impact of poor housing, highlights some of the critical impacts that poor quality, overcrowded and temporary accommodation can have on individuals' health and well-being, likelihood of criminality and educational attainment. Although focused on the individual, it also discussions some of the wider social and financial costs of a failure to ensure high standard housing conditions. At a time when political parties are making cuts in public expenditure, the report aims to contribute to an understanding of the true costs of poor housing and the wider social implications of reducing investment.
The report is available online at www.housing.org.uk
Welsh Assembly
Child poverty strategy and delivery plan
The Assembly Government is consulting on its new child poverty strategy and accompanying delivery plan. The framework for the new strategy has been provided by 13 broad aims set out in the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010. The three strategic objectives for the child poverty strategy are to:
The strategy makes the case for local delivery that is:
Consultation responses are required by 12 August 2010. A summary document, the strategy and delivery plan are available online at http://new.wales.gov.uk
The Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 is online at www.opsi.gov.uk
Housing Strategy
April saw the launch of Improving Lives and Communities- Homes in Wales, the new national housing strategy. The document brings together separate strategies on meeting housing need, homelessness, and housing-related support services. It sets out the challenges, priorities and actions for the coming years so that more can be done for people, particularly older people and others who may be vulnerable. It also highlights the role that housing plays in the wider economy.
The strategy is online at http://new.wales.gov.uk
Funding
SCIF round 2
£20 million of funding from the Strategic Capital Investment Fund (SCIF) has been allocated for 2010/11. The money will fund shared equity home ownership schemes, sub-market rent schemes and the re-starting of work on stalled housing schemes, as well as housing on two Welsh Assembly Government owned sites and two sites owned by health authorities. It is estimated that the SCIF money will provide between 400-500 new homes across Wales by the end of the 2010/11 financial year. All the schemes have been highlighted as priorities for the local authorities and money has been allocated to 21 out of 22 local authority areas.
Homelessness prevention
£1 million of extra funding to prevent homelessness across Wales has been specifically targeted to ensure that people get the advice and help they need as early as possible. Twelve projects across Wales have received funding to tackle issues such as:
Many of the projects are joint efforts between two or more local authorities and/or voluntary sector organisations.
Rapid response
A scheme that carries out minor but vital adaptations to older people's homes to allow them to be discharged from hospital more quickly has been awarded over £2 million for 2010/11. The Rapid Response Adaptations Programme (RRAP) will allow equipment such as ramps, handrails, safety alarms and door entry systems to be fitted in people's homes quickly so that their hospital discharges are not delayed and future admissions can be avoided. The scheme is administered and monitored by Care and Repair Cymru and delivered by Care and Repair agencies.
Arbed
A green home improvement scheme will benefit people in at least 21 communities in Wales with £30million in funding in its first year. The arbed scheme, which means ‘save' in Welsh, will upgrade the energy efficiency of existing housing stock in some of the most deprived parts of the country and also provide a boost to jobs, skills and regeneration. The £30million funding is for projects that have been successful in the first round of the scheme.
Suspension of mortgage rescue
The Welsh Liberal Democrat Housing Spokesperson, Peter Black has expressed his concern at the decision by the Assembly Government to suspend the Mortgage Rescue Scheme in Wales. The news came out after an email was sent to local authorities and housing associations requesting that ‘no further applications are submitted, until further notice'.
Support for planning
Environment Minister, Jane Davidson, announced £1.75m of funding to improve the delivery of planning services across Wales. The Minister confirmed that all 25 local planning authorities in Wales (22 local authorities and 3 National Parks) will each receive a grant allocation of £70,000 in 2010-11 to continue to support improvements to local planning service delivery.
Funding is also being provided to the Planning Portal to support delivery of on-line planning services in Wales, and for post-graduate student bursaries at Cardiff University's City and Regional Planning Department.
Wales
The Welsh housing market
Property sales are expected to increase faster in Wales than anywhere else in the UK, according to the Housing Market Survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) published on 11 May 2010. Wales is a high performer in the property market in April's Housing Market Survey across the board apart from price where it is still experiencing a drop in property prices. Wales experienced the second highest increase in new buyer enquiries as well as newly agreed sales.
RICS latest Lettings Survey, also published in May 2010, concludes that a lack of supply is pushing rents higher signalling a revival in the Welsh lettings market. Rental prices have risen significantly in the first quarter of 2010. This trend can be attributed, in part, to the continued decline in the supply of both flats and houses in the Welsh marketplace. The upturn in the housing market has tempted many of the accidental landlords, who let their property when the market was down, to sell up.
Clickonwales
A new online news magazine has been launched by the Institute of Welsh Affairs. The website – www.clickonWales.org - contains daily analysis and commentary on the Welsh economy, politics, culture and wider public policy questions.
Monmouthshire Housing focuses on financial inclusion
Monmouthshire Financial Inclusion Partnership led by Monmouthshire Housing Association has launched Mon.money.net, a website developed for the residents of Monmouthshire. The website provides information on what advice is available in Monmouthshire with regards to:
The Partnership has 3 housing associations in its membership - Monmouthshire Housing, Charter Housing and Melin Homes who work alongside a number of other partners including Communities First, Gateway Credit Union, Job Centre Plus, Supporting People services and Monmouthshire Adult and Community Education services from Monmouthshire County Council, to raise awareness about financial inclusion.
Monmouthshire Housing Association has also been successful in a bid to the DWP funded ‘Now Let's Talk Money' initiative for a Community Money Guide as part of their ‘Wise Up' project due to be launched in the coming weeks.
The Community Money Guide will provide face to face advice to Monmouthshire Housing tenants and local residents on financial inclusion, promoting take up of bank accounts and affordable loans, developing a savings culture by promoting Credit Union saving accounts and increasing take up of home and contents insurance. The Community Money Guide will also provide advice on energy efficiency, switching tariffs, and benefit take up projects.
For further information about the work of the Monmouthshire Financial Inclusion Partnership, please contact Farida.aslam@monmouthshirehousing.co.uk
Community Housing Cymru group expands
The interim board of the Centre for Regeneration Excellence in Wales met on 30 April 2010 and agreed unanimously to join the Community Housing Cymru group.
Basic Skills award
Homeless charity Llamau is celebrating after becoming the first third sector organisation in Wales to be awarded the Welsh Assembly Government Basic Skills Quality Standard.
The Quality Standard is a more stringent version of the Quality Mark that was replaced last year. It is awarded to organisations for improving the quality of basic skills provision for young learners, as well as adult basic skills provision.
New homes
The contract for a new £7.7 million Extra Care Scheme in Wrexham has been finalised and work has recently started on the state of the art scheme at Plas Madoc. The Pennaf scheme will include many innovative features including an eco-friendly roof area covered with plants to attract birds and butterflies.
Tree planting at Cantref's new development Parc Meiros in Drefach Felindre, Carmarthenshire.
Pictured are Clywd Alyn homes in Princes Street, Rhyl after a facelift funded by the Welsh Assembly Government.
New services
Seren Group recently launched a new range of products and services specifically designed around older people. The Group already provides a wide range of housing, support, home maintenance and adaptation services to older people, and these have been brought together as 50 and up, a one-stop shop for older people who are looking for advice, support and information. More information is available online at www.seren-group.co.uk/50andup
Wales & West Housing Association has won a contract to carry out social alarm monitoring for Pennaf Housing Group. The addition of this contract, which commenced on 1 April 2010, to WWHA's current portfolio means that it is now monitoring the alarms of more than 4,000 households across Wales.
A specialist service has been set up jointly by Denbighshire County Council and the Citizens Advice Bureau in two county courts to provide debt management and legal advice for people facing repossession to remain in their homes. The intention is to prevent people with mortgage/rent arrears from becoming homeless, to provide advice to and advocate on behalf of people facing house repossession, to provide advice after court hearings and assistance with debt management and to direct people to other agencies that could provide support.
New director
Pictured is Julie Philips, now Director of Finance and Corporate Services at Rhondda Housing Association.
Housing heroes: success for Wales
The Moneyline Cymru Steering Group won the Ground Breaking Service Team of the Year Award at the 2010 Housing Heroes Awards ceremony for the establishment of Moneyline Cymru, which provides easy, safe, affordable credit for people on low incomes.
Further success was achieved for Welsh organisations by the Cardarn Housing Group's IT team who were awarded IT Team of the Year.
Chair of Newport Housing Trust loses battle against cancer
Lindsay Al-Nuaimi, 62, died in April after losing her battle against cancer. Lindsay had been chair of Newport Housing Trust since its earliest days as a shadow board and was chair of the Trust right up until her death. Lindsay helped lead this regeneration project which replaced many of Newport's prefabricated homes with modern bungalows.