Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves today announced the reinstatement of mandatory housing targets on local authorities and changes in planning laws in favour of development, including a review of land designated as green belt as well as use brownfield and grey belt sites.
She indicated that local communities will only have a limited say (my emphasis):
It will still be in the first instance up to local communities and local authorities to decide where housing is built, but we will bring back those mandatory housing targets..it will be up to local communities where housing is built but it has to be built.
Clearly in areas like Brent, where available land is at a premium, there is likely to be pressure on some of our green spaces. Readers will remember plans to build on the Garden Centre land at the Welsh Harp at Birchen Grove, and the glass house land in Cool Oak Lane. The plans were defeated by a local campaign.
There was no mention in accounts of Reeves' statement that I have read, about the building of council homes. Similarly, a motion put by Brent Planning Committee member Cllr Liz Dixon to tonight's Council Meeting, written before the result of the General Election was known, but reflecting the Labour Manifesto, mentions 'affordable housing' without defining it, and does not mention council housing.
This reflects Cllr Shama Tatler's emphasis on building a range of home types, many of which would not be affordable for local people. Whether taking on the Building New Council Homes remit from Cllr Promise Knight, who is on maternity leave, will change her stance remains to be seen. Certainly her belief in the market: that more homes of any type will increase supply and lower prices, is challenged by some of her fellow councillors, who point to the distortions in the market caused by land banking and foreign investors' acquisition of new homes.
Tonight's meeting will also note the answers to questions to the Cabinet which includes Cllr Butt's advice to to evicted Brent tenants to move out of Brent to areas where rent is lower.
This is Cllr Dixon's Motion:
Declaration of a Housing
Emergency
This Council notes:
* London is the epicentre of
the country’s housing crisis, with a quarter of Londoners living in poverty
after paying for their homes.
* In one of the wealthiest
cities in the world, more than one child in every classroom is homeless and living in
temporary accommodation, while rough sleeping is up 50% over this decade.
* Councils in London are
spending £90m per month on temporary accommodation for homeless people - up
almost 40% on last year.
*The dream of homeownership
is out of reach for young people. The government have failed to act despite
the housing crisis acting as one of the country’s biggest barriers to growth.
*The government has spent
billions of pounds on housing benefit every year, which goes into the pockets
of private landlords without creating any new assets.
*Without intervention, the
number of new affordable homes built will fall sharply in coming years thanks to high
interest rates and runaway construction cost inflation.
This Council further notes:
*The Housing Needs Service
in Brent has seen a 12% increase in homelessness approaches in 2023/-24
(7,300) compared to 2022/-23 (6,529). The total number of homeless families living
in B&B and Annexe accommodation has risen to 485.
*Many Councils are being
forced to book rooms in commercial hotels to meet statutory duties. In Brent
this has driven a £13.4m overspend. These issues are not unique to Brent and have
impacted the whole of the country – but especially London.
* There are 5,688 households
in A-C banding on the waiting list. At Band C, the average waiting time for a
2-bed home is 8 years, with a 4-bed home rising to 24 years.
*GLA grant funding per unit
of affordable housing is approx. £195k, with typical build costs per average unit
in the region of £450k. Brent Council has planning permission ready or has
submitted applications for 423 more affordable units, but many face a significant
funding gap, and will not be viable without an increase in available subsidy.
This Council welcomes:
Pledges made during the
current election campaign:
*To update the National
Policy Planning Framework, including restoring mandatory housing targets.
*To get Britain building
again, creating jobs across England with 1.5 million new homes over the next
parliament.
*To work with local
authorities to reform Local Plans and strengthen the planning presumption in favour of
sustainable development, supported by additional planning officers.
This Council resolves to:
(1) Work with other local
authorities in London that have declared a housing emergency to calling on the
incoming government to unlock the funding needed to deliver the affordable
homes Brent desperately needs.
(2) Write to the Secretary
of State to recommend the following steps:
*The suspension of the
right-to-buy discount.
*A new Housing Revenue
Account funding settlement to increase the supply of housing, improve
standards and support retrofitting.
*Financial support to
immediately purchase more homes from private landlords.
*To review the Local Housing
Allowance available for Temporary Accommodation.
Cllr Liz Dixon
Dollis Hill Ward
It is important to note the reference to viability as the remaining elements of the South Kilburn regeneration looks increasingly in doubt and the St Raphaels plans have been much reduced.
Leasehold reform, Shared Ownership issues, a rent cap, builders' responsiblity to fund fire safety work, including cladding remediation are issues still to be addressed in the ear;y days of this government.
