Social landlords and councils in Sheffield City Region strike agreement

Housing associations, local authorities and arms-length management organisations (ALMOs) in the Sheffield City Region have signed a ‘compact’ setting out their commitment to meeting housing need and creating balanced and sustainable communities in the area.

The signatories to the Sheffield City Region Housing Compact own and manage over one fifth of all homes in the area. They comprise nine local authorities, four ALMOs and nearly 30 housing associations.

The objectives of the Compact are to:

• Expand the supply of new housing across all tenures and help the City Region meet its targets for housing growth.
• Create sustainable and thriving communities.
• Support and invest in existing stock.
• Understand the products and services needed to meet housing need.
• Ensure vulnerable people can continue to access good quality affordable housing.
• Enhance and increase opportunities for joint working and shared services across a range of delivery areas.
• Maximise opportunities provided by national policies and funding streams, and ensure they are coherent at a local level.
• Engage with the wider public sector reform agenda, including employment and skills, crime and policing, health and social care and poverty.

Recent National Housing Federation research showed that the cost of the average Sheffield home was now over seven times the average local salary.

Cllr Sir Stephen Houghton CBE, Leader of Barnsley Council, said: “We are pleased to be involved in this fantastic collaboration. Partnership working across the city is essential if we are to deliver more affordable housing and achieve ambitions of growth in our communities.

“The Housing Compact is a positive initiative that has the genuine potential to improve the lives and economic wellbeing of people across the Sheffield City Region.”

Simon Greaves, Leader of Bassetlaw District Council, said: “The Compact underpins a shared commitment to ensuring that all our people, including the most vulnerable, can access good quality affordable housing.

“Each area in the city region has its own unique housing need but we can work together to secure the funding and investment required to deliver the homes we need.”

David Orr, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, said: “Strong local leadership is vital if we are to solve the housing crisis. This agreement represents an excellent opportunity for the Sheffield City Region.

“Housing associations will use their local knowledge to work with partners across the City Region to grow the economy, regenerate communities, create jobs and help end the local housing crisis.

“This partnership can also play a key role in improving skills, job opportunities and health and social care for local communities.”

The Compact covers:

• Introduction: objectives of the Sheffield City Region Social and Affordable Housing Compact; Success criteria: how we will know the Compact has made a real difference; how the SCR Social and Affordable Housing Compact was developed; governance arrangements; list of Sheffield City Region social and affordable housing providers consulted during the development of the Compact; strategic context: The next three years.
• Overarching principles.
• Understanding the demand for social and affordable housing and the types of products needed now and in the future.
• Increasing and improving the supply of new social and affordable housing.
• Right to Buy.
• Sustainable communities.
• Allocations.
• Contribution of social and affordable housing to delivery of the Sheffield City Region’s ambitions for growth.
• Housing, health and social care.
• Homelessness and rough sleeping.
• Rural housing.
• Sharing best practice.
• Success criteria, measures and targets.
• Glossary.

The Sheffield City Region Housing Compact can be viewed here.