Cambridge City Council writes:
Affordability of housing is one of the most critical issues facing the City, with rents and house prices amongst the highest in the country. Those on low incomes are finding it particularly hard to find appropriate housing, leading to an increasing risk of homelessness. But even those on medium incomes are struggling.
We need to ensure that the increasing number of tenants in the private rented sector are able to live in good quality, well managed housing, but also that our own council homes continue to be well managed and maintained.
And it is important that vulnerable people and those who need a bit of extra support do not get left behind. They need to be able to access the services they need and to make informed choices about their housing options.
We need to increase the amount of new social housing being developed for rent and shared ownership, and look for opportunities to provide new homes for letting at intermediate rents. We also need to get existing communities more involved in new developments, so that they can influence and benefit from the growth in their areas.
We aim to support landlords and letting agents in providing well-managed, good quality private rented housing, and deal effectively with the minority of those who are not meeting the required standards. At the same time, we need to continue to be able to provide a good value service to our 8,000 council tenants and leaseholders within available resources.
We must support those most in need, including tenants affected by further proposed changes and cuts in welfare benefits, and older people who need information and advice on the housing options and services available to them.
And with a severe shortage of social housing for rent, we need to assess whether more can be done to prevent homelessness, including tackling evictions, and increasing access to the private rented sector.
Cllr Kevin Price, Executive Councillor for Housing, said: “Cambridge is a city of both regional and national importance and our ambition is to make it an even better place to live and work.
“Our draft Housing Strategy brings us closer to this by setting out a clear direction to make it a city fair for all – a city where everyone has access to good quality housing that is affordable to them and meets their needs.
“It demonstrates the council’s commitment to supporting local people in housing need, building more homes and improving the quality of our existing homes to help us build strong neighbourhoods.”
We are seeking the views of people who live in or close to Cambridge, work in Cambridge, or work for organisations operating in Cambridge. We want to know whether the vision, aims and objectives proposed in our draft Strategy are the right ones for Cambridge, whether there are any issues or challenges we have missed, and how people and organisations can help us to achieve our aims and priorities.
A £50 prize is available to one lucky winner.
Have your say on the Housing Strategy here. https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/have-your-say-on-our-draft-housing-strategy-2016-2019
The consultation opens on Monday 6th July, and closes at 11.59pm on Friday 11th September 2015.
The Executive Councillor for Housing, Kevin Price, will decide on the new Housing Strategy at Housing Scrutiny Committee on 5th January 2016.
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