Building together for a strong future: Stoke-on-Trent Housing Strategy 2016 - 2021

DRAFTJuly 2016

Building together for a strong future:

Stoke-on-Trent Housing StrategyDRAFT

The City of Stoke-on-Trent-is a city on the move. It is rediscovering and reframing those things that have made it great in the past – in particular its world-renowned ceramics industry. It is planning on making much more of its unique features and natural assets. It is exploiting its geography – between north and south – and its regional and national connectivity. It is growing as a place of learning with Staffordshire University concentrating its facilities in the city centre. And it is embracing new opportunities to expand its economy and generate thousands of new jobs, giving the City momentum to become a critical economic driver for Staffordshire and Cheshire. The City Council is looking at itself as a facilitator of change. It is becoming more commercial in its outlook and improving its governance and efficiency. With the support of its residents the Council will make this happen, staying true to the city’s motto Vis Unita Fortior, which translates as: Stronger Together. To make Stoke-on-Trent a place where people actively choose to live and work, we are looking carefully at what needs to happen in our housing and residential areas. We are looking at all the accommodation available within the city – its size, design, location, quality and attractiveness – and its ability to meet the aspirations and needs of both Stoke-on-Trent residents and new residents who may be attracted to live and work in the city. Our overall aim is to enhance the ‘housing offer’ alongside other improvements so that people can find a home they want in a place they like and will build a life in our city. We believe Stoke-on-Trent has a lot to offer people and that it can enhance this offer further. This powerful blend of action will bring energy and interest and, in time, will make Stoke-on-Trent a thriving and modern core1 UK City. It will be a great place to live where people can fulfil their potential, businesses can thrive, and more vulnerable citizens can live happily2.

1 http://corecities.com 2 See Stronger Together: http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/content/community/community/stronger-together/stronger-together.en

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Contents1. A city for living in...............................................................................4

2. A home for every stage of life....................................................5

3. Making development viable.........................................................8

4. A focus on people.............................................................................11

5. Locality Plans.....................................................................................15

Appendix 1: Evidence-base underpinning this strategy. 15

Appendix 2: Summary of anticipated impact of relevant sections of Housing and Planning Act 2016...........................15

Appendix 3: Evidence underpinning locality plans............15

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1. A city for living in Stoke-on-Trent has an abundance of assets – physical such as green spaces and cultural such as our heritage in fine porcelain. We are going to employ and enhance them to make a much more liveable city. Here’s a flavour of what we’re doing. Green Stoke-on-Trent: a system of healthy green transport corridors throughout the city

Stoke-on-Trent is one of the greenest cities in the UK. This abundance of parks and green spaces is appreciated by Stoke-on-Trent’s citizens who come out in force to help maintain and improve them. It also has many canals, rivers and brooks that flow through several of Stoke-on-Trent’s towns, criss-crossing the city. Stoke-on-Trent is a perfect size for people who like to get around by bicycle, scooter and even on foot.

Stoke-on-Trent has an extensive network of green transport routes through parks and along waterways, connecting popular places with each other for use by cyclists, walkers and buggy-users. This inspired the CycleStoke programme that ran from 2008-11 file:///C:/Users/Merron/Downloads/CycleStokeend_of_programme_report_final.pdf . We intend to enhance further these transport routes to make it easy to get around using healthy modes of transport.

Connected Stoke-on-Trent: quick and easy access to just about everywhere

Stoke-on-Trent is already well-connected by Intercity rail links to London, Manchester, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stafford and to Lichfield and Burton by road. It is just 45 minutes to Manchester Airport and less than 30 minutes to the Peak District and Alton Towers.

The planned High Speed (HS2) station in Crewe will enhance this connectivity further. The accompanying housing and transport development planned for the ‘corridor’ linking Stoke-on-Trent to Crewe will provide more residential opportunities for those who need national connectivity.

Unique history and heritage: a stage for creative industries and alternative cultural experiences

Stoke-on-Trent has many attractive industrial buildings from many eras, the canal network, and other unique features associated with potteries. We will retain and renovate, and build sensitively around them to maximise peoples enjoyment of an urban landscape that is truly unique. We have already embarked on developing new aesthetically pleasing homes and converted warehouse residences. With our partners we intend to continue developing the Spode factory and other sites.

Alongside new homes, new infrastructure is coming to support the creative industries; artist studios, low-cost workspace, co-working possibilities, exhibition spaces – all at a fraction of the cost of similar spaces in London, yet accessible for artists who want to build their profile in the capital. The spaces we design will have a strong artistic/cultural theme, reinforcing Stoke-on-Trent’s reputation as a

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nationally significant creative hub. We are proud to have been a location of choice for the BBC’s Great pottery throwdown: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06nwm7b.We will build on this, going from strength to strength. Stoke-on-Trent will become a setting of choice for high profile and innovative theatre productions, concerts, independent cinema, photography and food experiences. Our bid for the European City of Culture shows our level of ambition3.

Outstanding countryside: for all to enjoy

Stoke-on-Trent is close to some very attractive countryside that draws walkers, cyclists, sailors and other outdoor enthusiasts from miles around. Yes, sailors!

The Staffordshire Moorlands has stunning gritstone outcrops – The Roaches, Coombe Hill, Cheeks Hill and Axe Edge Moor – as well as Rudyard Lake4, Churnet Valley also known as ‘The Rhineland of Staffordshire’ and some unique features such as the Churnet Valley Railway. Not much further afield is the Peak District with a great many walks, bike rides, beautiful scenery and visitor attractions. And for those who prefer staying closer to the city, there is Park Hall, a national nature reserve and geological special interest site with woodlands, heathland, ponds to enjoy.

A centre of excellence for sport

Stoke-on-Trent has been awarded the prestigious status of European City of Sport 2016. Inspired by the cycling and football heroes Stoke-on-Trent produced, this accolade has increased the commitment of the city to providing high level sporting opportunities, including cycling and running events as well as table tennis, gymnastics and darts. For people of any age, Stoke-on-Trent is a place to excel in sport.

Affordable Stoke-on-Trent: some of the most affordable housing in the country

In most places, getting a foot on the property ladder has become a pipe dream for many young and not-so-young people as house prices have risen faster than incomes. Stoke-on-Trent bucks this trend. The relative affordability of the housing here – 2-bed terraces valued at £75k – is in stark contrast to many of the surrounding areas and as the economy strengthens and incomes rise the affordability will improve further. We are committed to helping young people access a mortgage without having to draw on the bank of Mum and Dad, which means there are great opportunities for those who don’t see themselves as ‘Generation Rent’.

2. A home for every stage of life Stoke-on-Trent’s population is growing steadily and will grow over the next 20-25 years, meaning more new households who will need accommodation. So across the City:

3 http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/stoke-trent-bid-uk-city-culture-2021/story-28504677-detail/story.html4 http://rlsc.rudyardlakesc.org.uk/

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Recent growth has been mainly due to births, international migration, students coming to study and people living longer. Expansion of the universities and NHS teaching hospital will drive further increases in the number of students and the older population is also expected to grow significantly.

Stoke-on-Trent does not typically attract new graduates emerging from other universities, nor retain young people who graduate locally, due to a shortage of both employment and housing opportunities

Young economically active people can’t always get access to a mortgage to buy their first home due to complexities around lending criteria and affordability (although some could afford to service a loan if they were able to access one). Some choose to rent privately in the long-term while others are saving for a deposit and hoping that they will at some point be able to buy their own home.

Economically active people who can afford to tend to move out of the City; we believe this is partly because there are too few homes that meet their aspirations.

A significant number of people who work in the City stay in hotels during the week, returning home for weekends.

There are probably already sufficient affordable homes for rent. However, changes in welfare entitlement has increased the demand for 1 and 2 bedroom homes in the social housing sector.

[See Appendix 1 - full statistics to be supplied in final doc] Stoke-on-Trent has more than enough of some types of dwelling and an insufficient number of others. Compared to neighbouring areas and the national average, it has: more semi-detached homes and pre-1919 terraces and fewer larger detached

homes and flats more than average 2 and 3 bedroom dwellings and insufficient 4 and 5

bedroom dwellings significantly more social rented homes (also more than the regional average) insufficient good quality private renting options for temporary and permanent

renters below average but improving conditions in private housing (both rented and

owned). 81% of all dwellings are valued within Council Tax Bands A and B (the lowest bands) compared to 44% of dwellings nationally. What this imbalance means is that as households evolve, from a single person to a couple, a young then growing family or even ‘empty nesters’, they can’t always find the sort of home they want. Over the next few years, we want the balance of housing in the city to change, so that there are enough homes of different types, sizes and quality for people at all stages in their lives to aspire to. We consider it to be critical to Stoke-on-Trent’s economic future to increase the number of larger homes in attractive environments so that people who make up the skilled workforce, and who can support economic growth, are not compelled to look outside the city for a suitable home. Doing this should support a higher wage economy, enabling

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wealth to spread to more people, which will in time enable more people to afford to buy a home. This strategy sets out how this will be done. Stoke-on-Trent’s private rented sector has grown in size over the past 15 years but the quality has not kept pace so the sector is currently detracting from our vision for a thriving city. We want to increase the stakes and we will do this by both increasing the quantity of new good quality homes and compelling private landlords to raise their game. We want a sector where both the homes and the residential environments are up to scratch; better homes, better managed, better maintained.

While there are probably sufficient affordable (social rented) homes already, they are not always of a type or quality to meet modern expectations. We anticipate the numbers of council homes reducing over the coming years, due to (1) Right to Buy sales and (2) forced sales of higher value council homes (see Housing and Planning Act 2016). We intend to provide some new social homes to replace those that are sold and to improve the balance and quality in particular locations. In doing so, we aim to be more flexible than in the past, so that the supply can adapt as the housing market and demand for homes changes. For example, we could provide time-limited affordable housing that could be sold on the open market after, say, 5 or 10 years, if the housing market dynamics support this course of action.

We have identified five stages of life, each of which brings with it different needs and aspirations for housing: students, young people, people who want to settle down, maturing families, older people. We are focused on making sure there are suitable homes and support available for people in all these life stages.

Students studying at the university: The university campus and teaching facilities in Stafford are closing in the summer of 2016 and relocating to Stoke-on-Trent. This will increase the requirement for more student accommodation. It will also increase the number of new graduates emerging with qualifications who could be persuaded to stay on and eventually settle in the city. We: will work with the University on projections for the student population and

what this means for accommodation requirements. We will also encourage and support the University to adopt an accreditation system specifically for students choosing to rent privately

are looking for some new student accommodation in line with those projections

Young people: We want all young people to have routes to independence and to choose to stay living in Stoke-on-Trent, including those going through the apprenticeship route to learn a trade or profession within a company, new graduates emerging from the university and those leaving the care system. We are looking: for new studios and flats for rent on the private market to widen the choice through innovative options such as co-living, where

young people live ‘independently together’ having their own private space as well as shared facilities https://www.thecollective.co.uk/coliving/old-oak

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to offer a scheme that would incentivise 20-32 year olds to purchase an existing dwelling in Stoke-on-Trent. This could be a rent to purchase product that provides an incentive for every year the individual remains renting a home in Stoke-on-Trent (with an upper limit) and could only be cashed in towards a deposit for a mortgage to purchase a home in the City. This would be a means of enabling young people to build a deposit to access a mortgage and purchase a reasonably priced home in Stoke-on-Trent.

to upgrade the quality of private rented housing available in the city and to increase the range available

build some 1 bed council homes to let social homes on short-term tenancies, typically 2 or 5 years

for ideas from partners how best to support our more vulnerable 16-25 year olds to find their own routes to independence in a safe environment – those for whom mainstream adult housing options are not the answer. We know there are successful models of supported accommodation that support young care leavers and others to develop life skills and to grow and mature in their own way5 and we are looking to learn from them and make sure these routes are available within Stoke-on-Trent.

People wanting to settle down: We want people – individuals and young families – to be able to find a home of choice to settle down in Stoke-on-Trent, that they can afford to buy or rent. We are looking: for some additional new, high quality 2 and 3 bed homes for sale, shared

ownership and market, and mainly 2 bed affordable/social rent (due to spare room housing benefit limits)

to offer deals and mortgages to people who want to buy a poor quality dwelling in a regeneration area at a low price and refurbish it to a high standard

to offer ‘access’ products to help unlock mortgage finance to enable those who want to buy a home for the first time to do so

to upgrade the quality and quantity of private rented housing available in the city, so that it becomes a tenure of choice for those who want to rent in the long-term

to offer self-build options for those who want to off-set the cost of labour by participating in building their own home.

Identify the potential demand for different models of community housing such as through a Community Land Trust or cooperative model, with a view to making these options happen if the demand is there

Maturing families: We want maturing families to be able to find a place they want to live in Stoke-on-Trent as their families grow in size and age. We are looking: for new 3, 4 and 5 bed homes in attractive locations in Stoke-on-Trent, with

adequate parking facilities and not too far from good secondary schools and bus routes

5 For example, St Basils in Birmingham: http://www.stbasils.org.uk/

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offer products that help to make mortgages for second-time movers affordable

to offer custom-build options for 4 and 5 bedroom homes for those who want to take charge of developing a home in a location they want to live in.

Older people: The number of older people is set to increase – particularly those in the over 79+ age group; this includes those with a physical and/or mental frailty as well as other long term health conditions. There is a need for better designed homes which are flexible enough to support the changing needs of people as they age. We are looking:

To increase the supply of supported housing – available to rent, buy and for shared-ownership – that are suitable for the needs of older people, incorporating dementia-friendly design, decoration and fittings for example.

To help older people to maintain their homes including providing adaptations including making space for mobility scooters, for example, to support them to maintain their independence and remain in their homes for longer.

To provide more accessible and clearer information and raise awareness about housing options and allocations criteria relating to age specific accommodation eg. retirement/ extra care and the availability of home loan and equity release schemes.

To provide financial advice and practical support to assist older people in the public and private sector to move to more suitable accommodation.

3. Making development viableWanting new homes to be built is one thing, making the investment worthwhile for developers is another. We know that the level of new house-building in the City has been at a low ebb since around 2001 but that is now changing. In 2014/15, the number of homes built was 65% higher than the average for the previous six years and there are other signs too that the market conditions had been improving. We see Stoke-on-Trent’s relatively low house prices as largely positive. In a City that is changing for the better, low house prices can be an attractive draw for people who may not be able afford an equivalent home elsewhere. It can help to stimulate demand which leads to more buoyant house prices over time. But we also know that, in the short and medium term, low prices can make investment in new housing development unviable. Other aspects of Stoke-on-Trent’s current housing market are limiting the ability for the City to move on, and we appreciate that this also has an impact on investor confidence. The high prevalence of pre-1919 on-street terraces, built to support Stoke-on-Trent’s past economic structure, was partly addressed through

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the RENEW programme6, but we know that more need to be done in certain localities to meet 21st century expectations and aspirations. We understand this and we are taking both a positive and proactive approach to planning applications and working with developers - to make sure the planning system is not constraining the right sort of development in the right location - and a flexible approach to individual sites, anticipating the changes in the Housing and Planning Act. We are also taking direct action to make sure developers get a viable return on their investment in Stoke-on-Trent. We are also intending to establish a Local Housing Company, enabling the Council to take a direct and flexible role in house building (including in partnership with private developers and housing associations). We plan to build high quality private rented accommodation in particular locations through the company as well as other types of housing to fill gaps in the market.

Other, specific actions we are taking include: Land price: We want to make sure that the places where we want development to happen are also viable and attractive from a development point of view. We will:

Package strategic sites – linking good quality viable sites with more challenging onces – to bring sites forward through a single developer

Maximise government funding to support site assembly

Invest in site remediation, where appropriate, in partnership with SSEP

Flex planning obligations and accelerate planning permissions of strategically targeted sites.

Developer cash-flow: We want to make sure that developers feel free to develop rapidly, unconstrained by concerns around sales. We will:

Defer payment on sale of council land for housing until completion of schemes / sale of homes

Agree a land sale price based on the actual sale price of homes

Support negotiation of deals between private developers and housing associations on purchase of the s106, affordable element up front

Providing direct funding for schemes to support infrastructure or build costs we identify that would help to bring the site forward

Increasing certainty: We appreciate that uncertainty can make things difficult for developers, so we will increase certainty through a range of options. We will:

Consider deals for buying homes developers build in more marginal areas where homes may or may not sell readily

6 The RENEW programme ran from 200x to 2010 and enabled work on restructuring Stoke’s housing market to commence. This included some major refurbishments, some demolitions and some rebuilding. The programme was cut short in 2010 when funding was stopped.

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Consider forming joint ventures with individual developers to share risk and future profit

Support partnerships between private developers and Registered Providers through which any required affordable housing can be delivered

Consider establishing a fund that can be drawn in a flexible way to improve viability eg. through accepting commuted sums where appropriate, and/or making a charge for smaller sites with higher value housing and reinvesting those sums in in key regeneration sites

Consider borrowing money from the Public Works Loans Board (PWLB) to on-lend to social landlords at interest rates benchmarked and deals priced against the PWLB rate, to provide mixed tenure housing in the borough.

Bolster demand: The demand for new homes is largely tied up with accessibility of mortgage finance and we appreciate that stringent affordability tests get in the way these days. We will:

Support take up of the government’s Starter Home and Help to Buy Schemes

Provide shared ownership homes for those who can only borrow smaller amounts

Provide mortgages in selective cases (eg. self-build)

Provide loans for deposits

Renewing and improving housing markets: In some localities, direct action is required to upgrade the quality of existing homes, management practices and neighbourhoods. We will:

Target some council-managed localities with programmes for improving both the dwellings and the residential environments

Consider expanding our ‘homes for £1 + refurbishment’ offer to bring new investment and energy into some localities

Consider selective demolition-and-rebuilding programmes – at a low scale – where this is considered the best solution to rebalancing the housing offer

Continue dealing with empty homes, moving quickly on those that residents want to prioritise and which have been empty for more than 6 months

Consider extending our Selective Licensing Scheme to other areas to drive up standards in the private rented sector

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Establish and offer private landlords a managing agent scheme, where management practices are not up to the required standard7

Continue our proactive approach to enforcement against poor landlords and consider drawing on new legal powers in the Housing and Planning Act to tackle poor landlords who we know have committed particular housing offences.

4. A focus on people The home environment is a very important factor in making us happy, healthy and productive. For some people, having a home they like that meets their and their family’s needs and aspirations is a great motivator in life; a reason for developing skills, developing a career and getting on in life. Some people are in need of occasional support and advice to help them to find and settle in a suitable home as their life-circumstances change. For some people, living independently successfully requires regular support, and this can take a number of forms. Some respond well to intensive support that helps them in a timely way to avert a crisis, stabilise their situation and enable them to make their way in their lives. This section is focused on how the Council, working with local partners, will act to ensure people can meet their needs relating to housing and support.Cooperative Working … helping people to live their lives well The City Council and local partners from both public and voluntary sectors have embarked on a new, more joined up and coordinated, way of supporting individuals and households called ‘Cooperative Working’. The underlying principle of Cooperative Working is to help people to ‘live their lives well’. Key features include: People are treated as individuals with a history and a future, and potential to

live happy, healthy and productive lives. People are listened to with compassion, and only have to tell their story once

… this takes the form of an ‘Understand Me Conversation’ with a Service Coordinator that explores the question ‘What are the issues that I have in my life that are stopping me from living my life well?’

A plan is drawn up with the individual/household which reflects their aspirations and maps out routes to achieving them and which helps to build confidence

7 See example of Barnsley: Barnsley Council approaches landlords renting poor condition properties and, using its legal powers, undertakes a housing assessment. They sometimes serve a relevant order on the home (such as an improvement notice or prohibition order) and at the same time they also invite the landlord to lease their home to Berneslai Homes to improve the property and manage it, for a fee. As well as improving the living conditions of the tenant, this also helps to protect them by reducing the likelihood of eviction. The approach has been very effective in focussing landlords’ minds on doing something about their run-down homes. See LGA briefing: http://www.local.gov.uk/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=0d9686a2-4431-4adb-9fc6-7155f99ec36b&groupId=10180

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Tailored access to a whole range of services that were previously unconnected to each other offering support, which meets the individual’s particular needs, at the right time and in the right place

Encouragement and support for individuals/households to address their issues themselves, and providing the tools to do so and to move forward independently and

Regular reviews of progress against the plan.The effect for the individual/household is to hugely increase their chance of getting access to the right sort of support at the right time, which can help to avert full-blown crises, and enable people to get their lives on track. Being supported and empowered in this way is both more effective and less costly.Cooperative Working underpins work to support many of the City’s more vulnerable residents – those living with complex and multiple disadvantage living in all housing tenures and none ie. homeless people. Housing and support for vulnerable and homeless people A recent Homelessness Review undertaken by the council suggests that official declines in statutory homelessness statistics may be offset by increases in other forms of homelessness. The true extent of homelessness in Stoke-on-Trent-on-Trent is likely to include a substantial number of people in the city who have no secure housing available to them and who stay with their family or friends or in other insecure accommodation on a short-term basis. There is particular concern that young people form a large part of this group, being most at risk of hardship and becoming homeless in light of welfare benefit changes. There is evidence to suggest that many people who become entrenched in a cycle of homelessness and destitution, offending, mental ill-health and substance misuse commonly begin their journey before their 16th birthday.The Council supports a range of Housing Related Support and Homeless Prevention services which work with vulnerable people, helping them to gain control over the circumstances of their lives so that they can become less vulnerable, more independent and less at risk of crises that could result in them becoming long-term homeless. We believe that working in this way to prevent crises occurring in people’s lives also helps to stem demand for social care and health services. For example, our partners Brighter Futures assist rough sleepers in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. The service helps people to access health, financial and other services and to help them improve their lives in various ways, as well as access to suitable temporary and then settled accommodation. The aim is for no-one to spend a second night out on the city’s streets. The council is currently preparing a homelessness strategy8 that has a strong preventative theme and that aims to make sure people have access to suitable, affordable accommodation with appropriate support. In addition to addressing the issues of those with multiple disadvantage through Cooperative Working, the council aims to work with partners to:

8 Link to the homelessness strategy once complete

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1. Prevent people from becoming homeless, helping people to access safe, secure and affordable accommodation

2. Develop sufficient affordable supported housing available for those who need support on hand

3. Make sure there are effective and accessible support services available for those who experience homelessness

The Council is committed to implement the required measures to achieve the ‘Gold Standard’ of service provision for people facing homelessness in the city9. Making homes warm, keeping bills lowIn the period 2012-15, Council action on ‘affordable warmth’ led to 7,200 measures – insulation, heating systems etc – being installed in 4,100 homes. Our plans to continue this work will soon be set out in a new Fuel Poverty Strategy10 for 2016-20 intended to reduce the rate and risk of fuel poverty. The aims are to improve people’s thermal comfort and reduce cold-related illness and excess winter deaths. The objectives of this strategy are to: Help and persuade people to use less energy, reducing the amount they

spend on energy, by adopting a few simple measures Improve the fabric of dwellings to increase the internal temperature Help people to work out how to best maximise their household income and

reduce costs Increase the amount and proportion of energy generated from renewable and

low carbon sources Make available additional services and funding throughout the winter to

reduce excess deaths and morbidity due to cold homes11 We will work with energy suppliers and others both to fund and to carry out the necessary activity to achieve these aims by 2020, for example to: Install smart meters into all homes Install energy saving measures that have a minimum EPC rating of E, into fuel

poor homes and privately rented properties Train frontline staff to identify fuel poor households and refer support Help people to switch providers to access cheaper energy (if community

energy switch schemes are found to be viable) Sell heat directly to customers on an energy network Developing a District Heat Network in Etruria Valley (anticipated completion

date 2019) Encourage private landlords to install insulation and other energy saving

measures above the minimum standard (and enforce against the minimum) Assist older people to get cheap deals on energy, switching supplier as

appropriate Work with partners eg. British Gas and Beat the Cold (a local charity) to

improve homes and provide relevant advice and support Older people …supporting independence and choice 9 http://home.practitionersupport.org 10 Reference when available11 In line with NICE Guidance ng6: Excess winter deaths and illness and the health risks associated with cold homes https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng6

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The size of the population over the age of 65 is set to grow markedly in Stoke-on-Trent. We know we need to plan ahead for this and that our plan needs to enable older people to make the right choices for themselves as they move through their twilight years from being able-bodied to being frail, and to help them maintain meaningful connection with other people throughout. Our recently published older people’s housing strategy for 2015-20: Age Friendly Homes, sets out in some detail the Council’s plan and rationale for supporting independence, interdependence and choice for Stoke-on-Trent’s older people12. It contains four priorities that the Council will work to deliver, with partners: Priority 1 – Increasing choice by building new high quality affordable homes

that are designed to help older people to live independently (see previous section on ‘A home for every stage in life’)

Priority 2 – Improve existing accommodation and neighbourhoods, promoting age friendly communities where older people feel in control, connected, safe and secure.

Priority 3 – Provide appropriate support services to enable older people who choose to remain in their own homes for as long as possible and assist people to move home where this is appropriate.

Priority 4 – Upgrade access to and quality of information available about the housing and support options available to older people, for example, through availability of clear trusted advice about how to access suitable housing

While we will be considering new ways of achieving this, we already have a good set of support services for older residents living in all tenures who are over the age of 55, and we intend to build on them. This includes services provided via commission ‘floating’ support in the community, by Revival, the local home improvement agency13 and within retirement villages with care services (Extra Care). All of these services provide tailored support to meet individuals’ needs and which include help to: Access advice on housing options including through the FirstStop service:

http://www.firststopcareadvice.org.uk/ Identify repairs, maintenance and improvements to their property and

provide options to adapt and repair; including through a handyperson service as well as advice on project management, timescales and cost for larger-scale works

Set up and maintain a new home Advice on fire, falls and accident prevention Access other relevant advice and services e.g. benefits/money advice, health

and social care services Connect to community-based services, friendship and special interest groups

of many types Smooth transfers to hospital and support timely and successful discharge

from hospital to promote their recovery and reduce the likelihood of readmission by providing ‘meet-and-greet’ service, short-term practice support and re-ablement, making sure their homes are safe, warm and secure

Keep gardens well-maintained Increase security for victims of crime, for example fitting of locks and bolts12 http://www.moderngov.stoke.gov.uk/mgconvert2pdf.aspx?id=79084 13 Revival Home Improvement Agency: http://www.revivalhia.org.uk/

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Community alarms/assistive technology, including ‘telecare’, which provides a 24-hour response service to summon support from nearby staff in the event of an emergency or if an issue arises in the home as well as other assistive technologies to support a range of needs.

Responding to government policies: The Housing and Planning Act 2016 and Welfare Reform The government is in the process of introducing several new housing and welfare policies, including through the Housing and Planning Act 2016, that will require the Council to make some changes to the way it manages the homes it owns. These includes: Letting the large majority of council homes on fixed term tenancies of

between 2 and 10 years (rather than secure ‘lifetime’ tenancies) Future successions to secure tenancies, other than when a spouse or

civil partner is succeeding, will usually result in the granting of a fixed term (rather than a secure) tenancy

High income social tenants (pay to stay) which will require local authority tenants with an income of £31,000 or more (uprated annually in line with inflation) to pay a higher rent. Rents will increase by 15p for every addition £1 earned. This is estimated to affect around 7% of Stoke-on-Trent’s tenants.

The introduction of Universal Credit, a single monthly payment to people who receive a range of benefits (instead of several individual payments). This will require people to have a bank account and to be able to manage their money on a month-to-month basis.

Housing benefit accommodation size limits: the level of housing benefit that a single person under the age of 35 living in private housing can how claim is limited to the local housing allowance for a room in a shared house, and any households living in any tenure may not be eligible for full benefit to cover the whole rent if they have more bedrooms than they require

Forced sales of higher value council homes (see section titled ‘A home for every stage in life’ for more on this)

Our response to these changes is to: Undertake ‘pre-tenancy’ work with all applicants approaching the council for

accommodation. This includes assessment of eligibility and relative need for a council home taking in: qualification, their community contribution and a review of household income and expenditure. It also includes information and advice about Universal Credit and the Benefit Cap.

Provide support to tenants to help them sustain their tenancies – income advice team, assisting people through the welfare reforms

Offer advice and support on preparing for work, becoming employed and increasing the number of hours worked, to all working-age tenants. The opportunities for employment should increase as the economy develops and jobs are created – JET Service (Job and Employment Training) – through Cooperative working

Invite fixed-term tenants to undertake periodic reviews at which we will provide information and advice about housing options and help tenants to

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plan ahead for the end of their tenancy term – what will the next stage of their housing journey look like and how will they finance it.

We will make sure that most of the new social housing that is built has 1 or 2 bedrooms so that should tenants need to claim housing benefit, they will not have to pay additional contribution to the rent

Make it as easy as possible for residents to declare their earnings to us (to determine whether we need to increase their rent level) and assess their options for housing.

Support those affected by increasing rents to access a suitable home ownership option, should they wish to do so

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5. Locality Plans To be added in the final version.

Appendix 1: Evidence-base underpinning this strategy [for final]

Appendix 2: Summary of anticipated impact of relevant sections of Housing and Planning Act 2016 [for final]

Appendix 3: Evidence underpinning locality plans [for final]

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