Issue - meetings

To consider a joint report of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services; and the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

This report has been placed on the agenda at the request of the Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 3 August 2015.

The report provides an overview and summary of the recent announcements and policy decisions affecting Social Housing and, where known, the impact for Stockport.   

The changes have stemmed from both confirmation of policy changes contained within the Queen’s Speech 2015 and the Chancellor’s summer budget of 2015.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Michael Cullen or Andy Kippax on 0161 474 4631/4319 or email: michael.cullen@stockport.gov.uk/ andy.kippax@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an overview and summary of recent announcements and policy decisions affecting social housing and, where known, the impact for Stockport.   It was reported that the changes have stemmed from both confirmation of policy changes contained within the Queen’s Speech 2015 and the Chancellor’s summer budget of 2015.

The Executive Councillor (Thriving Economy) (Councillor Patrick McAuley) attended the meeting to answer questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Shelter had calculated that Stockport would be the local authority area that would be most affected in the north west by the recent government proposals by virtue of the large size of its portfolio of retained council housing stock and as a result of house prices being higher than average.

·         It was difficult to predict the number of houses that would be lost through the extension of the Right to Buy.

·         Stockport Homes was not planning for any redundancies as a consequence of recent announcements.

·         It may be that new developments by Stockport Homes would need to be paid back over a period of 50 years rather than 40 years.

·         The availability of social housing in more affluent areas of the borough could diminish to such an extent through the extension of right to buy as to adversely affect the social structure of those areas.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.