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York Local Plan – new housing figures raise more questions

New figures provided by the York Council cast further doubts on the soundness of the Labour Local Plan for the City.

The Council recently revealed a new raft of sites which it is considering for housing development. Following an intervention from LibDem Councillors the Labour Leadership was forced to agree to publish the numbers of homes that it hopes to fit on each site.

That may come as little comfort to residents.

Estimates of the capacity of some sites included in the original Plan – published 12 months ago – proved to be very wide of the mark with sites like Our Lady’s in Windsor Garth slated to accommodate 60% more homes than allocated in the original plan.

Now the Council has been asked to respond to criticisms that it failed to identify nearly 1000 sites for homes which were subsequently granted planning permission between 1^st October 2012 (the original plan base date) and 1^st April 2014.

1793 additional homes were given the “go ahead” by the Planning Committee during that 19 month period.

As previously reported, 959 of these were on (mainly brownfield) sites of over 0.2 htr which should have been separately identified in the draft Plan …….but weren’t.

Permission for 144 homes was given through the conversion of existing commercial buildings like Hilary House.

Stonebow House missing

There is no mention in the Councils plans for buildings like Stonebow House or the Ryedale House building in Piccadilly.

Objectors fundament criticism remains that Labour’s plans for 22,000 additional homes is not only unnecessary (there are only 2000 people on the housing waiting list in the City) but they are also unsustainable.

Expanding the City in size by 25% in just 15 years would have disastrous consequences for local infrastructure.

Transport systems would simply be unable to cope

NB. The high levels of planning permissions granted in recent months is the equivalent of a supply of over 1100 homes per annum.

That is markedly higher than the 575 agreed by the then LibDem led Council as necessary in its March 2011 Local Plan.

Council U turn on housing policy sees them set to buy new Council homes on open market

It looks like the York Council will finally take our advice and buy flats on the open market to increase the availability of Council homes in the City.

We have long advocated using the substantial surplus that the Council holds on its revenue account to buy empty properties on the open market. Labour has resisted this over the last 3 years but finally seem to have some to their senses.

They paln to buy eight two-bedroomed and six one-bedroomed flats which are being constructed on Lindsay Avenue. The flats will have easy access to shops, bus routes, GPs and a Post Office. The Council says that the homes will be offered as downsizing opportunities for tenants aged over 55.

However over 50% of the people on the housing waiting list are single people seeking one bedroomed accommodation.

The Council should buy existing empty properties on the open market to help these residents (many of whom live in larger social housing properties which would be freed up for families).

Under the last Labour Government Council house building reached a, post second world war, low.

Other downsizing schemes with housing association partners include those in Tang Hall, Huntington and Acomb, plus a further scheme completing in June 2014 at Water Lane, Clifton. This is in addition to a new council house building programme, of which sites at Beckfield Lane, Chaloners Road, Fenwick Street and Newbury Avenue are proposing apartments for people downsizing.

This new site on the corner of Lindsey Avenue and Sowerby Road has been marketed since summer 2012 as a development opportunity. With no interest expressed in running the former public house as a business, or the site as a commercial development opportunity, the site was auctioned in September 2013 and was purchased by York-based RHW Developments which has experience in delivering affordable housing.

The planning application was submitted in late March 2014, the outcome is expected in June 2014 with building work to start this summer with the completed homes ready in the summer 2015. If approved, the acquisition price would be paid in stages during construction.

The Council has declined to reveal how much it is paying for each property.

Housing figures to be questioned as Tories try to “sack” Cabinet member

Two questions have been tabled for Thursdays York Council meeting, which may shed some light on the demand for affordable housing in York.

The questions spring from the decision to remove over half the applicants who were registered on the waiting list in September.

The impact of this major decision – which was taken behind closed doors – will be questioned by Liberal Democrat Councillor Ann Reid.

She has tabled the following question,

“Does the decision to remove 2400 applicants from the Housing Waiting List, which means there are now officially fewer residents in housing need, mean there will be lower affordable house building targets?”

Last week the government announced that developers would, in future, not have to provide a fixed number of affordable units on developments of 10 homes or less.

In addition, Councils will be able to borrow money to acquire more social housing.

The Labour Leadership’s claim, that the additional homes that they plan to build in and around the City over the next 15 years would be occupied by local residents, is also being challenged.

The following question has been tabled.

“What proportion of the 22,000 additional homes that the Cabinet Member feels should be built during the next 15 years under Labour’s Local Plan proposals, does she believe will be occupied by York residents and their families and how many by inward migration?”

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Meanwhile Conservative Councillors are trying to force the resignation from the Cabinet of Cllr Tracey Simpson Laing.

Acomb Council branch office closed by Councillor Simpson Laing

They have put down a motion of “no confidence“, but cite only the Councillors failure to provide additional affordable homes in the City.

While housing building rates over the last 3 years have been disappointing, and the failure of the Council to buy on the open market to supplement the rented stock lamentable, the more serious shortcomings of the present administration are in danger of being overlooked.

Labour only have themselves to blame though, as they tried a similar “no confidence” stunt in 2008.

Housing growth in York – who will occupy?

Most additional homes constructed in York over the next 25 years will be occupied by inward migrants.

Births, deaths and house building click to enlarge

The latest birth rate figures confirm that less than 10,000 homes are required over the next 25 years to meet the expected natural increase in the City’s population.

Labour however plans to build 22,000 (over the next 15 years) most of which will go to people not currently living in the City.

Yesterday developers announced a plan to build 1500 homes at Huntington on a green field location

The Council’s leadership have shot themselves in the foot claiming that with births exceeding deaths in the City new homes will be occupied by existing York residents.

That is clearly not the case.

Who would occupy 22,000 additional homes click to enlarge

Indeed average housing building rates, over the last 10 years, have more than equalled the natural growth in the City’s population.

The increase in population over the last decade has mainly been caused by higher life expectancy, although the population did get a boost as a result of the (unrepeatable) growth in Higher Education provision in the City.

The census returns indicate an average annual increase in the City’s population of 1691 during the last decade.

There is a housing problem in the City but it stems from high rent levels in the private sector. Even after taking into account housing benefit (rent rebates), renting a home in York is relatively expensive.

Potential owner occupiers can still buy 2 bedroomed homes from £120,000.

That should lead the Council to give the top priority to providing more Council and Housing Association rented homes in the City.

NB. The Council have now accepted that their quoted housing waiting list numbers have been wildly exaggerated for the last 2 years.

House completion numbers

New initiative tackles housing fraud across North Yorkshire

An initiative to tackle housing fraud across North Yorkshire is being launched by a regional alliance led by Veritau.

In the past two years Veritau, a company owned by City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council which investigates fraud within the public sector, has freed over 40 misused properties allowing them to be legitimately let. In addition Veritau has provided information to prevent 15 false applications for housing to City of York Council.

Veritau and City of York Council have now joined forces with eight other social housing providers within North Yorkshire to create an anti-housing fraud alliance. The partners are Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, Richmondshire District Council, Broadacres Housing Association, Harrogate Borough Council, Yorkshire Housing, Craven District Council, York Housing Association, and Selby District Council.

This partnership initiative focuses on identifying and prosecuting people who lie about their circumstances in order to obtain a property; tenants who unlawfully sublet their property; tenants who stop living at their property and people who provide false information to gain a property through succession rights.
(more…)

Changes to Housing benefit in York

The York Council admitted that only about 10% of its 8000 plus tenants will be affected by changes to Housing benefit.

From 1st April benefit has not been payable on spare bedrooms.

The changes do not affect those paying full rent or pensioners while special arrangements apply for forces personnel, people with disabilities and foster carers.

Private tenants are not affected by the change.

658 Council tenants have been affected by the removal of the empty room subsidy together with another 378 living in housing association properties

Of these, 156 Council tenants have 2 or more empty bedrooms. The equivalent figure for housing associations is 68.

A tenant with 1 unused bedroom could lose around £10 a week (14%) in rent subsidy.

It remains unclear whether the Council have fulfilled their promise to visit all affected tenants and offer advice on the options available to them.

Tenants have a right of appeal against the Councils assessment (for example, if a room is unsuitable to be classified as a “bedroom”)

More information is available on the Councils web site.

It includes a rather bureaucratic explanation of the discretionary housing payments scheme which is intended to help those who find themselves in hardship.

An application form can be obtained by clicking here

NB. There are over 4000 residents on the waiting list for homes in York. The vast majority of these are living in overcrowded conditions.

More gloom for those on waiting list for homes in York

Hopes that the number of affordable homes provided in York during the 2012/13 financial year would show an increase over previous years have been dashed.

Latest figures, provided by the Labour Council’s spokesperson on Thursday, confirm an outturn of 120 additional affordable homes for the year.

This is the lowest number for 6 years.

Next year things are set to get even worse. The outturn could be as few as 90 units.

Under the last Labour Government Council house building reached a, post second world war, low.

Of these, only 33 are contributions from section 106 agreements (where a builder is required by the terms of a planning permission to provide a proportion of a development for low cost purchase or rent).

Meanwhile both Housing Associations and the private sector seem to be cutting the number of homes that they intend to build on sites which already have planning permission

The Rowntree development at Derwenthorpe (Osbaldwick) will now have 51 units less than was originally intended.

At Germany Beck (Fulford) the latest “reserved matters” planning application is for 655 dwellings. The original planning consent was for 720 dwellings.

Both decisions are likely impact on the number of affordable units which will be provided at each site.

Click the following links to read more

Waiting list continues to grow

New homes fail to materialise

Housing completions still falling in York

The Council is obliged to produce an “Annual Monitoring Review” which looks at how it’s performance compares to its targets.

The latest available is for the 2011/12 year. It can be viewed here.

The number of homes completed in the City in each of the last 10 years is as follows

2003 – 669
2004 – 1193
2005 – 949
2006 – 875
2007 – 557
2008 – 502
2009 – 606
2010 – 572
2011 – 354
2012 – 171 (first 6 months excluding specialist student units)

Of the 171 only 29 were classified as “affordable”.

The Cabinet member with responsibility for housing in the City is expected to come under pressure at the Council meeting later this week.

She will have to explain why it looks like the total number of affordable homes provided will be the lowest for at least 6 years.

At the same time the waiting list for homes has reached an all time high.

Planning permissions granted for home construction fell to only 198 in 2011. The Council have declined to forecast what the outturn for the current financial year will be.

Some commentators are forecasting that the number of (unimplemented) planning permissions will fall to an all time record low this year.

As at September 2011 the figure stood at 3120.

Tomorrow we’ll look at which of these permissions are on stalled developments and why.

York Council admits it doesn’t know how many will be affected by new Housing Benefit rules.

People living in social housing who have a spare bedroom will find any housing benefit claim reduced by about £40 to £80 a month next April under welfare reforms.

Those who are overcrowded, on the other hand, will be able to move to a larger property without any additional financial burden.

The change affects all social housing in the City.

The York Council has now admitted in response to a Freedom of Information request that it will not know who might be affected by the change until February. They are awaiting a “software” upgrade.
This would make it virtually impossible for tenants to relocate to smaller property by the deadline.

The government says the “under-occupancy” penalty will protect taxpayers from having to pay for a two or three-bedroom house for a single person

The change will mean that anyone in social housing – which includes both housing association and council housing – with a spare bedroom will lose 14% of their housing benefit or 25% if they have two spare rooms.

Although there are some one bedroomed properties available in York there is growing concern that some individual tenants are still not aware of the change that is in the pipeline.

Families on the housing waiting list may also have to wait longer before they can move into one of the larger properties which may be freed up by the change.

Omni shambles hits York Social Care and Housing

The Cabinet member with responsibility for Social Care and Housing (Cllr Laing) in the City is likely to face some difficult questions when she holds her first “decision” meeting for 3 months on 12th December.

Not only has the housing waiting list almost doubled since she took over her responsibilities, but now it looks like the flagship programme for building new elderly care homes has also run into trouble.

Reports are emerging that the plan to build a replacement for the Fordland’s elderly care home in Fulford are being abandoned.

Planned Lowfields Care Village

Worse, it seems likely the Lowfields Care Village (conceived by the last LibDem run Council) is now even further behind schedule, with the Council’s complex management plan blamed for tendering delays.

A behind closed doors decision was taken in the summer to advertise the contract for the management of the new Lowfields Care Village but, apparently, with the Unions being given advice on how to organise an in house bid for the contract. The Council had been promising http://tinyurl.com/York-15th-May-2012 completion of the care village by April 2014 but this now seems highly unlikely.

All this on top of a big increase in home care costs during the last 18 months.

The cost per client has almost doubled in the last year. Spend on home care contracts has increased from £54k a week in July 2011 to £80k a week in July 2012.

….and this despite 184 elderly residents, who were receiving home care, having been abandoned. They were assessed, under new rules introduced by Labour, as having only “moderate” needs and not worthy of Council support.

Such a catalogue of failure would normally lead to a Cabinet reshuffle but, with talent thin on the ground now that former Leader David Scott has been suspended from the Labour Group, it seems that York residents face another 2 years of poor leadership and financial mismanagement.

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