Housing Committee Meeting
Minutes of the Housing Committee Meeting held on Tuesday 21 June 2005 in Holne Village Hall
Present: Cllrs Richard Copus, Gill Simpson, Gill Gray (Paul Arrowsmith & Mike Bonney co-opted after start of meeting).
Clerk: Joanna Radford
Members of the Public: Paul Arrrowsmith, Ross Gray, Keith Evans, Mike Bonney, Richard Gray and partner.
Public Forum : As the Committee was not quorate until Cllr Copus's arrival, the meeting began with a discussion of the recently received letter from Tor Homes inviting the Parish Clerk to publicise the sale of 6 Baker's Park on a 50% purchase 50% rent basis. Comments included the fact that the proposal details did not relate to the fact that the normal rent for it would be £50 to £60 per week, that there were people on the housing list who could not afford to buy at all, and that in another Parish in the district the Council had objected so strongly to similar proposals that Tor Homes had offered the house in question for rent only. Richard Copus, who arrived during discussion, said he had a personal interest in the whole matter as working for the estate agents advising Tor Homes, but that he would contact the person charged with the disposal of the house and seek further clarification from her.
Election of Chairman and Co-option to Committee Richard Copus was elected Chairman. Mike Bonney and Paul Arrowsmith were co-opted on to the Committee. Gill Gray was elected Vice-Chairman.
Remit of Committee As set out in Minute 0506. 08 Affordable Housing Committee "Agreed that this should be an advisory committee reporting to full meetings of the Council for executive decisions. Its remit would be to examine all aspects of researching the provision, and funding the provision, of units of affordable social housing in the parish. Cllr Simpson proposed that Mrs Gill Gray be invited on to the Committee. The meeting closed for the latter to agree and to suggest that one of the young parishioners who might need such housing be appointed also. Agreed. The Committee would meet in public, and be informally run allowing public participation."
Recommendations for Action by the Parish Council Agreed at this Meeting 1)To attempt to find out exactly who is in housing need in the Parish (ie identify specifically those who indicated this need on the survey. Agreed this should be done by inviting people to contact the Committee/Parish Council. Agreed to request that Parish Council produce and circulate a flyer to each household in the Parish describing what the Committee hopes to achieve and asking for this information, and inviting parishioners to the next meeting of the Committee.
2) Request that the Parish Council respond to the letter from Tor Homes and suggest that it does so by asking that the house be offered for rent to local people in housing need.
3) Try to involve Scoriton community in the project to provide affordable social housing. Suggest that the Parish Council invite members or representatives of Buckfastleigh West Parish Council to the next meeting of the Housing Committee with a view to their co-option on the Committee.
4) To invite Widecombe Parish Council to send a representative to the next meeting of this Committee to talk about the experience there of providing local affordable housing.
5)To research funding for a detailed study into housing need and provision in the community
6) To begin to identify possible sites for housing, as there would be a need to find suitable sites that were available to buy and were affordable and where planning permission for housing would be achievable.
7) To identify and contact possible housing associations/trusts for advice and possible involvement in a scheme for the community.
• It was agreed that the Rural Housing Trust should be invited to send a representative to a meeting before contacting other individual housing associations.
• Agreed that one of the roles of the Committee would be to ensure, if affordable/social housing were built as a result of its efforts, that safeguards were written in to the project so that such houses remained available for this purpose in perpetuity.
Date of Next Meeting Wednesday 20 July at 7:30 pm in the Village Hall.
Items for the Agenda would include Co-option of Scoriton members, report/discussion on 6 Bakers Park; discussion on how to get people in housing need to register with the Committee
[ Minutes ]