25 August 2009
OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE COUNCIL AND SOCIAL HOUSING IN ROTHERHAM
Opportunities to build new council and social housing in Rotherham will come under the spotlight at a special meeting organised by the Rotherham Federation of Tenants & Residents.
A high-profile panel of speakers including John Healey MP, Minister of Housing, will outline to local tenants and residents how recent government proposals could mean more homes for Rotherham families in need.
Earlier this year the Government announced the biggest council house building programme since the 1950s. Proposals include relaxing Treasury rules to allow councils to borrow more money and keep the proceeds from rents and sales.
The aim is to reduce waiting lists for affordable homes for families in housing need.
At the end of July 2009 there were nearly 20,000 applicants on Rotherham Borough Council’s Housing Register looking for a new home.
The meeting will be hosted by the Rotherham Federation of Tenants & Residents (RotherFed) at the Springwell Gardens Community Centre in Eastwood on Tuesday, September 8 at 6pm. The free event, which includes a buffet at 5.30pm, is open to any Rotherham tenant and resident but entrance is by pre-ordered ticket only.
The RotherFed meeting will include presentations by John Healey MP, David Curtis, Yorkshire and Humber Regional Director of the Homes and Community Agency, Cllr Jahangir Akhtar, Rotherham Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Neighbourhoods and Matthew Spittles, 2010 Rotherham Ltd’s Director of Operations. There will also be a chance for tenants and residents to put questions to panel members during a question and answer session.
Steve Ruffle, RotherFed’s Development Manager, said: “The meeting is an excellent chance for local tenants and residents to hear about opportunities for more social and council housing in Rotherham and to put their questions to a high-profile local panel.”
At present the majority of new social homes are built by registered social landlords – private bodies that receive government grants to build homes. The proposals seek to boost the build rate by removing some of the financial barriers stopping councils from building new properties and increasing their housing stock.
John Healey MP, Minister of Housing, said: “The need to build more new affordable homes is clear to all and I will not shy away from the challenge. The Prime Minister recently announced an extra £1.5 billion to build a further 20,000 affordable homes over the next two years, on top of existing housing programmes.
“I want to see councils step forward and bid for a share of this cash, and to deliver the homes their area needs."
Rotherham Borough Council has recently put in a bid to the Homes and Community Agency to build 35 council properties in Thrybergh.
At the meeting Cllr Jahangir Akhtar, Rotherham Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Neighbourhoods, will emphasise the Council’s commitment and political will to build more council houses.
Cllr Akhtar said: “Finding the funding to build more properties is one of my key priorities. With nearly 20,000 people on the Housing Register, there is clearly a real need for more council homes in Rotherham. Our constituents tell us they want more council homes and there is a real political will on the Council’s part to provide them.
“With the Government relaxing the rules on council house building under its new Housing Pledge, we will be looking aggressively for every opportunity available to us and have ear-marked a number of sites throughout the Borough. The current bid for council housing in Thrybergh clearly shows our intent and we will continue to explore and tap in to all further funding opportunities available from the Government.”
David Curtis, Yorkshire and Humber Regional Director of the Homes and Community Agency (HCA), will explain current investment priorities in the region and new opportunities under the £1.5 billion Housing Pledge element of the Government’s Building Britain’s Future Programme.
He said: “The HCA is currently supporting the improvement of housing and regeneration in Rotherham with some £84 million of investment over the next two years and will be looking to provide further assistance through the additional Housing Pledge resource, announced by the Government in July.”
Matthew Spittles, Director of Operations at 2010 Rotherham Ltd – the Arms Length Management Organisation which manages, repairs and improves Rotherham’s council homes, said: “The Local Authority has been very proactive in responding to the opportunity to build new rented housing.
“Arms Length Management Organisations have a significant part to play nationally in this process and 2010 Rotherham is delighted to have been accredited by the Tenant Services Authority to be the managing agent for the new homes.”
To order a ticket please contact Joyce Chatterton at RotherFed by phone on 01709 368515 or by email at info@rotherfed.org.
Ends
Editors’ note: RotherFed is an independent federation representing all Tenants and Residents Associations (TARAs) in Rotherham. It is there to support all tenants and residents.