Decision details

The Council’s 30-year business plan for its Housing Revenue Account (HRA) underpins its strategic thinking and helps evaluate forthcoming plans holistically. This is critical when the national focus is on local authorities accelerating delivery and, as this report outlines, the Council is looking to expand its own new-build plans and acquisitions.
The financial model forecast that the HRA business plan continues to be a robust and viable business and is able to deliver its key priorities, even in the context of a significantly increased programme. However, national political, economic and legislative changes could adversely affect the financial position, so risks must be considered and capacity built into the overall model.
This report included, as an appendix (Appendix D), the Council’s new Affordable Housing Delivery Plan 2019-2023 for members to endorse, which sets out how the right homes will be delivered in the right places and the strategic context in which the delivery programme sits, enabling work with Registered Providers and acquisitions (land and on-street purchases).
Agree that given the positive impact of street purchases on the overall programme, the existing delegation to the Head of Housing (no.14.9) be amended as set out in paragraph 35 of the 2019 October Cabinet report.
In line with the above the acquisition of 129 properties off the open market have been completed since the date of this report..

Purchased under delegated authority reference: recommendation VI of the Housing – Current Delivery, Finance and Onward Strategy approved on 10.10.2019

Option 1 - To purchase properties to counter Right to Buy and to enable the Council to move households out of temporary accommodation at a time when Stodmarsh means we cannot be on site with new build delivery
Option 2 - To not intervene in the market