Home Stretch
Council Turns ‘Temporary’ Housing into Long-Term Provision
Homeless families re-housed by Hastings Borough Council on a temporary basis are being encouraged, where appropriate, to regard their new accommodation as long term homes.
According to a press release issued by the council, the housing stock which has been purchased recently under its acquisition programme is focused on providing “good quality, longer term temporary accommodation” with the aim of making it “feel anything but temporary”.
The council gains from avoiding liability for the cost of expensive, private temporary accommodation.
Incoming families pay rent capped at Local Housing Allowance, but find their new housing “brought up to a high standard, and wherever possible we encourage households to make them a home… Residents who have moved into homes bought through this programme tell us that this has been a positive change for them, with them and their children feeling happier and having more space and often a garden.”
The accommodation is offered as “temporary” and does not carry the ‘home for life’ tenancy rights associated with a secure tenancy. Since 1996, when the council completed a large-scale voluntary transfer of its entire housing stock, it has offered no such rights. However, a council spokesperson has confirmed that it currently has no requirement to move households on and that in practice there is “[no] expectation that tenants will need to relocate”.
More than 150 homes have been bought under the acquisition programme, most recently using grants from the national Local Authority Housing Fund. At the Council’s cabinet meeting earlier this month, Chris Hancock, head of housing, reported that an initial figure exceeding £3.5million would be used to deliver 26 homes, but since then the funding offer has been raised to £6.8million, supporting 46 homes. That uplift is described as “reflect[ing] confidence” in the Council’s established ability to deliver.
The council has also secured separate funding for housing provision through the SPACES (Strategic Property Asset Collaboration in East Sussex) programme and the Prisoners Building Homes initiative. This funding is shared with partners, including Lewes and Eastbourne councils, to enable detailed design and feasibility studies on council-owned sites.
Cllr Glenn Haffenden, leader of the council and lead councillor for housing, says: “I’m incredibly proud of the work our council is doing to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing our borough: the urgent need for more affordable housing. … Due to the way we transferred our housing stock, the way that we can provide settled homes is not straightforward, but as we set out in our Housing Strategy, we want to do this, and hope that Local Government Reorganisation gives us more opportunities to do this.”
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