West Devon ‘to declare housing crisis’
0Councillors at West Devon Borough Council have agreed a motion to declare a housing crisis and will put forward a plan to implement 15 core actions as a response.
House prices in the borough are the least affordable in Devon, with the average home costing 12 times the average salary. There is also a lack of long-term rented accommodation.
“By declaring a housing crisis, we are recognising the urgency of the matter and acknowledging that we need new, creative ideas to bring us solutions,” said Barry Ratcliffe, West Devon Borough Council lead member for housing.
The 15 actions include: providing quality temporary accommodation for homeless people, lobbying government to review the regulation of holiday accommodation, aspiring to the highest affordable housing threshold, creating a long-term strategic partnership with a high-quality registered provider and using any Section 106 affordable housing contributions as soon as possible.
The actions will be presented to the council’s Hub Committee, comprising a small group of councillors and chaired by the council leader, on 8 March.
Neighbouring authority, South Hams District Council, also declared a housing crisis in September 2021, while Devon County Council leader, John Hart, declared a housing crisis in December 2021.
—————
FREE weekly newsletters
Subscribe to Room151 Newsletters
Room151 LinkedIn Community
Join here
Monthly Online Treasury Briefing
Sign up here with a .gov.uk email address
Room151 Webinars
Visit the Room151 channel
