Issue - items at meetings - Deputations

To receive a deputation from ‘Co-operative Housing in Brighton & Hove’ concerning the draft Housing Strategy 2009-13 (copy attached)

56.1         The Cabinet Member reported that one Deputation had been received. It concerned the draft housing strategy 2009-13 and the Cabinet Member invited Ms Helen Russell, as spokesperson of Cooperative Housing in Brighton & Hove (CHIBAH), to address the meeting.

56.2         Ms Russell made the following statement and tabled supporting supplementary information.

56.3         ‘CHIBAH welcomes the new Housing Strategy, particularly because we share its objectives. CHIBAH’s response to the Housing Strategy consultation expanded on the underlying principles of the strategy, making the following points:

56.4         A Healthy city  - we have observed that housing co-ops can help their tenants transform their lives through returning to education, getting into work, or holding their families together, all contributing to improved physical and mental health. Co-ops have a direct positive impact on people’s quality of life.

56.5         Reducing inequality - CHIBAH’s member co-ops consistently receive applications from homeless or inadequately housed people, who are drawn to the principles of co-operative housing, and who have to be turned away due to the scarcity of its provision. Co-ops directly tackle discrimination through their open membership policy, and equal opportunities are embedded in all policy areas.

56.6         Improving neighbourhoods - Housing co-ops experience little or no anti-social behaviour, members support and look out for each other, and children grow up in safe environments. Co-ops impact on their surrounding neighbourhoods and often become the desired place to live. A good example of this is the Burrowes Street Co-op in Walsall. Local examples are Two Piers and Dryad co-ops.

56.7         Accountability to local people - The co-operative way of life builds members’ capacity through improving their skills, and equips them to actively participate in the decision making process across all areas of housing management, including tenant welfare. Co-ops therefore offer a deeper level of accountability, as the people making the decisions are the service users themselves, and are therefore accountable not only to wider decision makers, funders and regulators, but to each other. These people will become a valuable resource in a rapidly changing world, which poses serious social challenges.

56.8         Value for money - Co-ops consistently deliver Value For Money, through the provision of high quality well maintained housing, and reduced costs through self-management, and produce low rents and low grant levels through partnerships between large RSLs, tenant training organisations, the community and the co-ops.

56.9         Partnership working - Brighton & Hove housing co-ops have almost two decades experience of working together, and of involvement with the national movement at officer level. Elsewhere, partnerships between RSLs (both co-operative and housing association) are demonstrating the capacity to deliver Parker Norris standard housing on low level grant rates and yet produce rents for low-carbon 2-bed houses of £68.20 per week.

56.10    Partnership at the local strategic level has the capacity to bring together the private, public and voluntary sectors to invest time and resources in the development of tenant managed housing in the city, bringing overarching social benefits to the city. 

56.11    Since 2004, CHIBAH has been active in the CVSF and has represented the sector at the LSP. During this period, CHIBAH has offered workshops at CVSF events, and ran its own event explaining the Redditch model. The support was overwhelming.

56.12    The draft Housing Strategy refers to the subgroups set up by the Strategic Housing Partnership, one of which has been “looking at the role of housing co-ops”. The draft states that the “findings of this group have been used to inform the draft strategy”.  CHIBAH, having been involved in this process, made a presentation to the SHP in Jan. 2007 and put forward three concrete proposals. Since then, these proposals for the incorporation of co-operative housing into mainstream affordable provision in Brighton & Hove, were submitted as part of the consultation process but were not included in the draft strategy. Despite CHIBAH receiving positive informal feedback from senior Councillors, we have not received any formal feedback. We wish to know how the Council will put the findings of the subgroup into effect, and what CHIBAH can do to facilitate this.

56.13    The proposals are:

            1. co-operative management of properties being developed by RSLs;

            2. the development of a Community Land Trust (in February the            Council agreed to look at the feasibility of a CLT in the city);

            3. to replicate the Redditch Co-operative Homes model, which delivers           high quality housing at very low grant rates with rents of £68 for a two-     bed house. Accord Housing Association, which partners Redditch Co-op Homes, has agreed to work with CHIBAH on a similar scheme in    Brighton & Hove. Accord is part of the Matrix Housing Partnership   responsible for 20,000 dwellings in the Midlands.

56.14  To sum up, housing co-ops deliver affordable housing in a way that strengthens and empowers communities, is popular and does not have any stigma, where people look after their community. Pride of place and pride in one’s home are essential to well being. Replacing dependency with self help is a key factor in healthy communities. Brighton & Hove has an opportunity to develop a pioneering model of community creation. In a city where variety, enterprise and vision are highly valued, co-operative housing has a place in the city’s Housing Strategy.

56.15The Cabinet Member invited Councillor Randall to speak in support of the deputation.

56.16Councillor Randall echoed the sentiments expressed and supported the deputation. He felt that there was an unmet demand in the city and supported the approach taken in Redditch. He recognised the difficulties in terms of funding and noted that a meeting was due to be held between the Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation and the Prime Minister about this subject.

56.17The Opposition Spokesperson noted the long history of co-operatives in the city and supported the stance taken by CHIBAH. She appreciated the positive opportunities that housing co-ops offered local communities and suggested further investigation of the Redditch model.

56.18The Cabinet Member thanked everyone for their contributions. She noted that consultation in regard to the draft Housing Strategy was ongoing and requested that a separate report was bought to a future meeting considering the issues raised by the deputation.

56.19RESOLVED – That a report be bought to a future Housing Cabinet Member meeting considering the issues raised by the CHIBAH deputation.