Issue - meetings

This report summarises the work completed on both these reports which are the housing homes and accommodation strategy and housing JSNA chapter and makes a case for the recommendations outlined in both. 

Witnesses:

Michael Coughlin - Executive Director - Prosperity, Partnership and Growth, SCC

Poppy Middlemiss - Public Health Registrar, SCC

Key points raised in the discussion:

1.   The Chair noted that the updated Housing Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) chapter provided a good opportunity to revisit the strategy and endorse the recommendations given the significance of housing as a wider determinant of health and its impact on the cost of living. She thanked the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care (SCC) for her hard work.

2.   The Executive Director - Prosperity, Partnership and Growth (SCC) noted that:

·      The One Surrey Growth Board received a similar item with an economic development and economy focus. There were two parts of the strategy: Call to Action and the Call to Government arose from the work undertaken with stakeholders over the last eighteen months; identified the affordability of housing as a significant barrier to recruitment.

·      Good quality, affordable and secure housing was a key determinant of positive mental and physical health.

·      Work began around the state of Surrey’s housing market and a baseline assessment by the consultants had been produced collating national and local data; concluding that there was a housing crisis in Surrey. Several months after the work, a national housing crisis had been identified.

·      Acute to Surrey was high demand matched against insufficient supply for several years, resulting in high purchase, mortgage and rental costs.

·      Extensive stakeholder engagement tested the accuracy of the findings and gain a complete picture of the baseline assessment; not all the borough and district councils agreed with or signed up to the strategy.

·      It was acknowledged that the strategy must be system-wide and multi-agency, agencies were asked to respond to the Call to Action.

·      The conclusions drawn from the work was the need to prioritise partnership working and to better understand public opinion around housing. Issues identified: aging population, underoccupancy of housing, affordability, vulnerable groups suffering from poor or no housing, land availability and the need for housing developments to focus on essential and key worker housing, and the contribution to net zero and climate change targets.

·      The recommendations in the Call to Action and the Call to Government - submitted to the Housing Minister - focused on policy and funding changes that would help Surrey with its housing crisis.

·      Whilst SCC did not have a statutory housing duty it was part of the One Public Estate partnership and it was taking the lead with a report scheduled for February’s Cabinet setting out multiple work programmes where SCC could have a direct influence on particularly vulnerable children's and adult social care accommodation and services.

3.    The Public Health Registrar (SCC) noted that:

·      The updated JSNA chapter was expected to be published in early January and was developed in collaboration with many stakeholders including district and borough councils, and set out the picture of the housing situation in Surrey looking at how it was affecting people’s health and was to inform commissioners and stakeholders going forward.

·      The current provision  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40