Greens push down cost of rent on new council home

Thu, 18 Oct 2018 11:47:10 +0000

18 October 2018

27.5% living wage rent agreed after Green proposal

The Council will now offer the lowest, most affordable rents yet on a council home planned for the ‘New Homes for Neighbourhoods Scheme’ thanks to a Green proposal.

A ‘living rent’ – or rent calculated as a percentage of household income – was agreed at a meeting of Policy, Resources and Growth Committee last week. [1]

One of four new council homes planned for Rotherfield Crescent, Hollingbury, will now be offered at ‘27.5% living wage rent,’ a level that Green Councillors say will make the home more affordable for those on the lowest incomes. [2]

Greens have consistently campaigned for truly affordable housing, calling for rental costs to be linked to local wages. Many so-called affordable rents are linked to housing market rates, instead of being measured against people’s actual incomes. A report from 2016 found that residents of Brighton and Hove would need to earn a minimum of £48,000 a year in order to comfortably rent a one-bedroom flat. [3]

Green Housing Spokesperson and Living Rent Campaigner David Gibson commented:

“At last, we are bringing the rents on new council housing down to levels that are affordable for people living on some of the lowest incomes in the city.

“Greens have pressed time and time again for more genuinely affordable housing. We brought down the cost of renting a home under the ‘joint venture’ proposed by the Labour administration. We have managed to secure a new local policy on rents, pushing the council to offer a social or living rent. We have ensured the council is able to buy back more social housing lost to the ‘right to buy.’ On top of this, we have also secured more genuinely affordable rents at Lynchett Close and Rotherfield Crescent.

Councillor Gibson added:

“We are proud of this contribution to more genuinely affordable rents for residents in the city. Unfortunately our proposals to provide more social and living rents using funding already at the council’s disposal were rejected by both parties last week, but with a housing crisis in our city we won’t give up our continued campaign for genuinely affordable homes.” [5]

[1] The ‘Living Rent’ aims to ensure homes are affordable to those on the living wage, and is connected to the median household incomes in the city rather than ‘market rates.
The 2012 Assessment of Affordable Housing Need found that 54% of households in Brighton and Hove earn below £30,000.
https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/sites/brighton-hove.gov.uk/files/2014%20%282%29%20Housing%20Costs%20Report%20%28Apr-Jun%29_0.pdf

[2] New Homes for Neighbourhoods – Rotherfield Crescent – Scheme approval: http://wap-modern/documents/s132728/Item%2059%20-%20Extract%20from%20HNH%20Committee.pdf as heard by Policy, Resources and Growth Committee 11^th October. ‘Green Councillors have identified that lowering the cost of rent could ensure that new council homes could become affordable for a household on an income of £20,000.’

[3] The Argus, 2016: ‘Want to rent a one bedroom flat in Brighton or Hove? You’ll need to earn £48,000 a year then.’

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/politics/14292568.Want_to_rent_a_one-bedroom_flat_in_Brighton_or_Hove__You_ll_need_to_earn___48_000_a_year_then___/

Shelter, ‘Less than 1 in 10 homes on the market are affordable for working families in over half of the country, new study shows.’

http://media.shelter.org.uk/home/press_releases/less_than_1_in_10_homes_on_the_market_are_affordable_for_working_families_in_over_half_the_country,_new_study_shows

[4] An amendment put forward by the Green Group of Councillors to use funding already available to ensure the provision of more living rent homes was rejected by Conservative and Labour Councillors last week. http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/Published/C00000912/M00008107/AI00066879/$Item53GreenGroupAmendment.docxA.ps.pdf

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Option to bring housing repair services back in house must go further, say Greens

Wed, 26 Sep 2018 11:38:54 +0000

Options to bring housing repair services back in-house should go further and cover more housing works, Greens will argue this week.

A meeting of HNHC on Wednesday 26^th September will debate how to proceed with the delivery of council housing repairs, with the current multi-million pound contract with Mears PLC set to expire in March 2020. [1]

Over 11,550 and 2,900 leasehold properties and tenanted homes had been covered by Mears’ services, including kitchen and bathroom repair and customer service. With the contract coming to an end, Greens have raised repeated concerns over the suitability of outsourcing the service to private providers, calling for it to be brought back in-house. However with the Council likely to recommend bringing only some elements of the service back into Council ownership, Greens are calling for the committee to consider a wider range of options for in-house services, such as kitchen and bathroom works. [2][3]

A Green amendment to the proposals will push the Council to continue to explore bringing further elements of the contract in-house when practicable; arguing that a council-owned repair service will be easier to manage, with the potential to bring addedcommunity benefits for tenants as well as increased accountability for the public and stronger employee rights.

Councillor David Gibson, Green Housing Spokesperson, said:

“Greens have long argued that with key parts of our housing contract, we should bring them in-house. We thoroughly welcome the proposal to bring the responsive repairs element of this contract in-house. This represents an important achievement for tenants and the public who also deserve a more accountable service.

“Bringing responsive repairs under council management is a good start, but we want to go further by adding in planned kitchen and bathroom works, along with a commitment to achieve as much as realistically possible in-house.

“Other Councils, such as Islington and Sheffield, have already done this and have been able to achieve better social value, better conditions for staff and accountability for tenants. Unlike the issues that have led to conflict within the Mears contract, in-house provision also grants us greater flexibility to improve the service as needed, rather than be subject to the constraints of an external contract.

“It is extremely positive that all parties agree the contracts need to be more strongly managed by the Council, but Greens believe in not-for-profit, publicly accountable provision, and we should seize this opportunity to improve the housing repairs service for tenants.”

[1] “The Future Delivery of Responsive Repairs and Empty Property Refurbishments, Planned Maintenance and Improvement Programmes and Major Capital Projects to Council Housing Stock.” http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=884&MId=9434&Ver=4

[2] Greens will propose amendments that seek to:
a) Further consider bringing kitchens and bathroom works in-house after three years;
b) Secure a commitment that the Council will continue to explore bringing in-house as much of the contract as is realistic in the future, within a sustainable timescale.

[3] Brighton and Hove Greens: “Huge Contract with Mears company should be brought ‘in-house’ say Greens.” March, 2018:https://www.brightonhovegreens.org/news/2018/03/20/greens-call-for-overhaul-of-costly-housing-repairs-contract/

[4] Inside Housing: “Islington Launches ‘In-House’ repairs after ending maintenance contract.” https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/islington-launches-in-house-repairs-after-ending-maintenance-contract-40791

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Greens push down cost of rent on new council home

Option to bring housing repair services back in house must go further, say Greens