Highland Housing Register Policy Continues To Prioritise Those In Greatest Housing Need
10th November 2023
Members of the Housing and Property Committee met today (Thursday 9 November 2023) and noted the annual performance review of the Highland Housing Register (HHR) Policy for 2022/2023 on housing allocations. The report demonstrates that despite significant challenges the HHR policy is achieving its objectives.
Social rented housing provides affordable homes for over 21,000 households across Highland. Compared to Scotland, Highland has 5% less social rented housing than the national average.
The report demonstrates that availability of social housing and affordable rental properties remains heavily outweighed by demand and continues to place additional pressure on many households and those who present as homeless. In 2022/23 there were a total of 8,951 ‘Housing' and ‘Transfer' list applications on the Housing Register, which is down on 2021/22 figure of 9,416, however remains approx.1,166 higher than pre-covid/cost of living crisis.
925 (47%) of the 1,962 lets in social housing throughout 2022/23 went to households with points which reflected their homeless status and reflects a 11% increase in homelessness presentations in Highland in 2022/23.
In areas where there is a greater demand for housing, homeless points play a more significant role in leading to a let. For example, over 50% of all lets were to homeless households in Inverness (64.8%), Nairn (63%), Skye & Lochalsh (54.1%), Badenoch and Strathspey (52.2%) and Mid-Ross (51.1%).
The continuing need for smaller sized properties is clear. Half of all HHR applicants are single people and 10% are couples, although these figures vary across Highland.
Housing and Property Committee Chair. Cllr Glynis Campbell Sinclair said: "Social housing and affordable housing is a key priority in the Council’s Programme and efforts to increase the supply continues as part of the Local Housing Strategy 2023-2028 approved at this Committee on 27 April 2023.
"The Council has committed to the delivery of an average of 660 new affordable homes per annum of which approximately 70% will be for affordable rent and 30% for intermediate affordable housing (low-cost home ownership or mid-market rent), in line with the overall Scottish Government targets.
“Demand to remain, live, work and thrive in the Highlands is high and we must continue to work collaboratively with our HHR partners to do all we can to improve the availability of housing stock across the Highlands, particularly in those high demands areas."
The full report can be accessed here (Item 11). https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/4876/housing_and_property_committee
Related Businesses
Related Articles
At the Highland Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee. (Thursday 2 May 2024) Members had the opportunity to review the work the Council is doing to progress active travel and improve road safety before approving the next steps.
At the meeting of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee members had the opportunity to review the last two years of the Community Regeneration Funding Programme before agreeing changes to how the 2024/25 programme will be delivered. Committee Chair, Cllr Ken Gowans said: "Following a successful two years, it is a good time to review what has gone well and what can be done better so we can continue to build on success, and seamlessly move the focus onto how best to support the delivery of projects." "With 279 live projects and over £6million of committed funds still to be claimed, there is no doubt as to the value and impact of the programme's potential.
The Highland Council's In-House bus service pilot project was launched in January 2023. The success of its first year of operation in delivering savings and creating a valued and reliable service was highlighted at today’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee.
Members of Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee today (2 May 2024) approved the local authority's draft Ecology Strategy and Action Plan which will now move forward to an 12-week public consultation. The Ecology Strategy sets out an ambitious set of actions to tackle biodiversity loss and address the ecological emergency.
Economy and Infrastructure Committee members today (2 May 2024) agreed to direct £100K from the Council's share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to fund a new staff training programme at the Inverness Castle Experience. The funding will enable the project team to provide specialist visitor attraction training to young people identified through partners at Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).
The Housing and Property Committee met on Wednesday 1 May 2024 and noted the Housing Service performance report 2023/24 that met the agreed priorities and associated initiatives in the Local Housing Strategy 2023-2028. The report highlighted a number of achievements in 2023/24 in increasing housing supply.
Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council. Convener of the Council, Cllr Bill Lobban said: "I am delighted to say that Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council.
As intimated in Highland Council's budget plan, a new senior management structure is to be implemented following approval by Council 14th March. It reconfigures the senior management team into two layers, rather than three and brings Highland Council into line with other benchmarked authorities.
Today, Morrison Construction introduced some of their local apprentices who are working on the UK Governments' Levelling Up Funded refurbishment project at the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness. All these apprentices have been recruited from the Highland area.
The by-election to elect a councillor to represent Ward 19 - Inverness South on The Highland Council has been won by Duncan Cameron McDonald - Independent who was one of the eight candidates who contested the vacancy. Voters in the ward went to the poll yesterday (Thursday 11 April) and the by-election count was held this morning in The Highland Council Headquarters in Inverness.
