To debate a Motion submitted by the Administration in accordance with Rules 11 and 13 of the Council’s Constitution. The debate will last for a maximum of 30 minutes.

 

Councillor Danny Hassellmoved and Mayor John Biggs seconded the motion as printed in the agenda.

 

Councillor Andrew Wood moved and Councillor Peter Golds seconded an amendment to the motion (as set out in the supplementary agenda).

Added text is underlined

Deleted text is scored out.

This Council notes that:

1.             The housing crisis is the greatest challenge facing London today. Having an affordable, secure home is difficult for many people due to rising private rents and a lack of genuinely affordable homes.

2.             That the population in the Tower Hamlets borough is one of the fastest growing in London.

3.             As of 6th December 2021, Tower Hamlets Council has delivered the following:

4.             Additionally, we are working on the next phase of new council homes, including:

5.             In total this would total 2,046 additional council homes including homes that would have been bought by or were already owned by housing associations so the net increase in affordable homes is a lot less then 2,046

6.             The successful securing of £32m in grant funding from the Mayor of London’s Affordable Housing Programme to fund an additional 194 new homes for social rent in the borough. London got £3,465 million for new affordable homes in the most recent round of government money given to the Mayor of London to allocate within London to Boroughs and housing associations. Tower Hamlets Council only got £32 million of this money (or 0.9% of the total) for 194 homes (0.7% of the total). By comparison Tower Hamlets has been set a target to deliver 6.6% of all new homes in London. Some other housing associations based in Tower Hamlets like Poplar Harca have got money as well. By contrast Barking & Dagenham Council got £171 million and Newham Council £92 million.

7.             The introduction of a local lettings plan where 25% of completed homes can be let to households on the Common Housing Register who already live on the estates where the new homes are built: for example; Jubilee Street.

8.             The development and launch of the Intermediate Housing Register of Interest (launched 1st October 2021), which will give initial priority and access to local residents for all new intermediate housing in the borough.

9.             The approval of the ‘Affordable Self-Build’ Programme with the first 2 of 4 sites having been awarded to the community self-build groups.

10.          Since 2015/16 to December 2021, registered providers have delivered over 5,900 new affordable homes in the borough mostly built by private sector developers as part of their s106 planning obligations. Most of these are in Isle of Dogs, Aldgate and Aberfeldy areas.

11.          The housing revenue account is used to fund new homes, but also manage current housing and deliver improvements to existing council homes.

12.          In the new Tall Building SPD the Council suggests locations for 62 new tall buildings across Tower Hamlets (in addition to those already in the planning system), 56 of them or 90% in the E14 area

i)      45 new buildings on the Isle of Dogs & South Poplar - 18 to the south of Canary Wharf plus 27 to the north in Poplar & Billingsgate

ii)     11 in the Lower Lea Valley - in the Aberfeldy area

iii)   4 City Fringe - 2 in Aldgate, 2 next to the Royal London Hospital

iv)   2 Central - in Queen Mary area - this is the biggest area in TH & parts have excellent transport links

This Council believes that:

1.             That Tower Hamlets is on the frontline in the battle to tackle the capital’s housing crisis, and is working with the Mayor of London to do our bit to help solve it using government grant money allocated by the Mayor of London, borrowing from the governments Public Work Loans Board (helped when Theresa May lifted the borrowing cap), developer contributions as part of their s106 obligations, current and future rental income and Right to Buy receipts.

2.             We should continue to work with registered providers to deliver good quality and affordable homes for residents and not compete with them to buy new s106 housing that they would have bought instead of us.

3.             Whilst there have been some changes to the use of ‘Right to Buy’ (RTB) receipts, councils should be permitted to allocate 100% of receipts to deliver new council housing and also combine RTB receipts to other grant funding for schemes.

4.             The government should provide sufficient funding to councils and other housing associations to meet targets on carbon neutral homes and to address fire and building safety, helping reduce the pressures on funding available for building new homes.

5.             We need genuinely affordable homes developed with the right infrastructure in the right place.

6.             We need to demonstrate our ability to look after buildings that we own, to have a maintenance plan in place, to have a long-term strategy of renewal and replacement of equipment in place and to deal with climate change through making our energy intensive leisure centres and our residential communal boilers carbon neutral.

This Council resolves:

1.             To share this motion with the Secretary of State for Levelling-Up, Communities and Housing to share the good work that the Council is doing to provide housing in the borough and to call for the Government to work with all Local Authorities to help resolve the housing crisis once and for all.

2.             To lobby for changes to use of right to buy receipts and for funding to support councils and housing associations to deliver new homes and improve the quality of their existing stock.

3.             To continue to work with the Mayor of London and the Deputy Mayor for Housing to ensure more genuinely affordable housing is built for those in need.

4.             To support the Mayor and Cabinet in ongoing work to deliver more genuinely affordable homes and the vital infrastructure that must go alongside housing.

5.             Not to lose any more Right to Buy receipts because the money was not spent in time (even if the government now agree that money can be held by the GLA)

6.             To provide a detailed breakdown of the homes being acquired in order to make clearer:

 

 

 

 

 

Procedural Motion.

 

Under Council Procedure Rule, 12.1 (k), Councillor Tariq Khan moved and Mayor John Biggs seconded a proposal that the meeting is adjourned for five minutes at 7:55pm to allow the Administration to consider the proposed amendment from Councillor Andrew Wood.  This was put to the vote and was agreed. The meeting resumed at 8pm.

 

This amendment moved by Councillor Andrew Wood was put to the vote and was defeated

 

This motion was put to the vote and was agreed.

RESOLVED

This Council notes that:

 

1.             The housing crisis is the greatest challenge facing London today. Having an affordable, secure home is difficult for many people due to rising private rents and a lack of genuinely affordable homes.

2.             That the population in the Tower Hamlets borough is one of the fastest growing in London.

3.             As of 6^th December 2021, Tower Hamlets Council has delivered the following:

a.    827 new homes. – completed and occupied. These are a combination of new build and purchases.

b.    224 new build homes are on site and under construction.

c.     184 new build homes awaiting contractor appointment, finances approved and planning secured.

4.             Additionally, we are working on the next phase of new council homes, including:

a.    42 homes with planning permission secured and funding being finalised.

b.    451 mainly new build homes have been allocated funding and are moving towards planning permission

c.     318 further homes are in the pipeline or in appraisal.

5.             In total this would total 2,046 additional council homes

6.             The successful securing of £32m in grant funding from the Mayor of London’s Affordable Housing Programme to fund an additional 194 new homes for social rent in the borough.

7.             The introduction of a local lettings plan where 25% of completed homes can be let to households on the Common Housing Register who already live on the estates where the new homes are built: for example; Jubilee Street.

8.             The development and launch of the Intermediate Housing Register of Interest (launched 1^st October 2021), which will give initial priority and access to local residents for all new intermediate housing in the borough.

9.             The approval of the ‘Affordable Self-Build’ Programme with the first 2 of 4 sites having been awarded to the community self-build groups.

10.          Since 2015/16 to December 2021, registered providers have delivered over 5,900 new affordable homes in the borough.

11.          The housing revenue account is used to fund new homes, but also manage current housing and deliver improvements to existing council homes.

This Council believes that:

 

1.             That Tower Hamlets is on the frontline in the battle to tackle the capital’s housing crisis, and is working with the Mayor of London to do our bit to help solve it.

2.             We should continue to work with registered providers to deliver good quality and affordable homes for residents.

3.             Whilst there have been some changes to the use of ‘Right to Buy’ (RTB) receipts, councils should be permitted to allocate 100% of receipts to deliver new council housing and also combine RTB receipts to other grant funding for schemes. 

4.             The government should provide sufficient funding to councils and other housing associations to meet targets on carbon neutral homes and to address fire and building safety, helping reduce the pressures on funding available for building new homes.

5.             We need genuinely affordable homes developed with the right infrastructure.

 

This Council resolves:

 

1.             To share this motion with the Secretary of State for Levelling-Up, Communities and Housing to share the good work that the Council is doing to provide housing in the borough and to call for the Government to work with all Local Authorities to help resolve the housing crisis once and for all.

2.             To lobby for changes to use of right to buy receipts and for funding to support councils and housing associations to deliver new homes and improve the quality of their existing stock.

3.             To continue to work with the Mayor of London and the Deputy Mayor for Housing to ensure more genuinely affordable housing is built for those in need.

4.             To support the Mayor and Cabinet in ongoing work to deliver more genuinely affordable homes and the vital infrastructure that must go alongside housing.