How to handle the housing crisis

GOOD housing is pivotal to the future regeneration and renewal of our city. It is the cornerstone of good health, employment, educational attainment and the basis of a general sense of well being and quality of life.

But in Brighton and Hove the problems of providing decent housing and meeting housing needs have become more and more difficult.

Not only is it much harder now to access affordable housing but thousands of people are living in unsuitable or overcrowded accommodation.

The city suffers from a double whammy of low average wages alongside very high property prices. It is also constrained by the lack of land available on which to build more homes. Sandwiched between the Downs and the sea, it really is difficult to find the sites to build the homes that are so desperately needed.

Local housing costs are a real issue. House prices have risen by more than 18 per cent over the last year, compared to the national average of 7.6 per cent. Average private sector rents have increased by more than ten per cent, which is considerably more than the rate of inflation, and the average rent for a three-bedroom house now exceeds £1,000 per month.

Unfortunately, wages have not kept pace. Average earnings are below regional and national levels - 32 per cent of workers earn less than £250 a week, compared to 22 per cent in the South-East as a whole.

The council's housing needs survey shows 13,887 householders - at least 25,000 people - are in unsuitable housing.

More than 4,000 householders are on the city's housing register and the number of people registering has increased by about 400 in the past year.

Homelessness also shows no sign of easing. Almost 3,700 households were notified as homeless to the council last year, a 50 per cent increase in the last three years.

Because of the pressures of increasing homelessness, the number of people in temporary accommodation is at an all-time high. The relatively low level of social housing in Brighton and Hove makes providing permanent homes difficult compared with other cities. Housing benefit falls short of the actual levels of rent.

Although housing need is high among some of the most vulnerable people in the city, Brighton and Hove's housing shortage is not just a problem for low-income families. The lack of affordable housing means workers such as nurses, teachers, bus drivers, police and council staff cannot find anywhere to rent or buy.

This is impacting on recruitment in those areas and there is also concern that more businesses could relocate out of the city if the housing market cannot meet the needs of employees. This will mean much needed jobs will disappear.

Brighton and Hove City Council is seeking to secure more lower-cost homes by introducing a condition in the draft Local Plan to make developers provide 40 per cent affordable housing in any private scheme of ten or more homes. This policy has generally been supported but is unfortunately meeting some opposition and has yet to gain full endorsement from central Government.

The challenges of tackling these housing issues is depressing and frustrating.

Despite many initiatives and schemes being introduced, I am still hearing every day from people who cannot find a place to live or who are living in totally unsuitable accommodation. The effect this is having on their lives and their children's education is devastating. I was not surprised to learn that the Brighton and Hove Regeneration Partnership's recent survey, as reported in The Argus, showed that housing is the key issue for local people.

The housing situation in our city affects everyone in the community and the council long ago recognised the only way to deal effectively with the crisis is to work in partnership with the community and with all housing providers and agencies in Brighton and Hove.

A good example of this approach is the Brighton and Hove Housing Partnership, which is made up of the council and a number of housing associations. Since its relaunch in 1999, it has increased the numbers of affordable housing by an extra 300 homes a year.

Positive relationships have also been forged with private sector landlords through Private Sector Housing Forum. Their commitment and involvement is vital if we are to make any headway in addressing housing need.

The number of empty properties is another issue the council has been addressing in partnership with the Private Sector Housing Forum. We were one of the first local authorities to introduce an empty property strategy, which included grants to owners to help with the cost of bringing their property back into use. More than 2,000 properties have been made available as homes since the strategy was launched in 1993. The council is now looking at converting unused offices and shops into residential accommodation. This is becoming increasingly difficult, as the more straightforward conversions have already been carried out and we have to look at much more complex designs, which are expensive.

It is projected that 15,000 affordable homes would need to be developed in the next five years to meet expected need. But scarce development opportunities, investment funding restrictions and high acquisition and development costs are severely restricting what can be achieved.

There is no single solution and major changes are needed to central Government policies. I am working with local MPs to seek greater recognition of the problems the city faces and to launch a campaign around five key objectives.

l The reform of the Housing Benefit system, including the scandal of the single room rent restriction for under-25s, so it reflects the current state of the market and encourages private sector landlords to let properties to low income families.

l Full endorsement of the housing policies set out in the draft Local Plan - particularly the 40 per cent affordable housing initiative.

l Adequate funding and flexibility for housing associations so they can compete with private developers for land and housing in high-need areas.

l Fewer restrictions on local authorities, to enable them to rent properties on the open market without financial penalties and make further use of empty homes.

l A regional approach to housing development, so that authorities who have land available but low housing need are encouraged to work in partnership with other authorities with high demand, such as Brighton and Hove.

Without these major changes and high levels of investment, we will not be able to meet the housing needs of our city. We owe it to our children to tackle these major problems so they will be able to afford to live here when they grow up.

As executive councillor for housing, I am grateful to our three local MPs and many other people for their support and understanding and I am determined to do everything I can to improve housing for all sectors of our community.