Elected Member Briefing - Local Housing Strategy

About this briefing note

Report by: Elaine Ritchie, Senior Service Manager, Housing

Date: 21 March 2023

Subject: Local Housing Strategy 2022-27

Responsible Officer: Elaine Ritchie, Senior Service Manager, Housing

Purpose

This briefing note is to update you about the new Local Housing Strategy for 2022-27.

Briefing Information

A new five-year Local Housing Strategy (LHS) for Perth and Kinross covering the period 2022-2027 has been approved. 

The new LHS was signed off by members of the Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee on 15 March 2023.

Housing plays a vital role in meeting the needs of local people, communities and the economy. Giving people the right housing for them, in the right place, and at the right cost, vastly improves their life chances. 
Our new Local Housing Strategy (LHS) sets out the strategic vision, policies and plans that will enable the Council and our partners to deliver high quality housing and services to meet the needs of local people. 

It also sets out the important contribution housing makes to improving health and wellbeing, creating connected and sustainable places, reducing climate change, supporting economic growth and reducing poverty across Perth and Kinross, playing an important part in the development of the Working in partnership with communities.

The new LHS builds on the progress of the LHS for 2016-2021. It is an all-tenure strategy, with a focus on all Housing Market Areas in Perth and Kinross and will sit at the heart of all housing planning and activities in Perth and Kinross for the next five years.

It is an ambitious strategy, setting out what homes and communities should look and feel like over the next five years. This includes:

• Delivering more homes
• Creating liveable and sustainable places that are well designed, safe and connected
• Providing access to suitable, affordable and energy efficient housing options for all
• Ensuring that homes meet people's individual needs and are well connected to local services, jobs and communities

Our Vision and Priorities

Our new overall LHS Vision for 2022-27, co-produced with partners and stakeholders, is: 

"Everyone in Perth and Kinross has access to the right home, in the right place, at the right cost"

To achieve this vision and realise our wider ambitions, four LHS priorities have been defined:

• Priority 1: Providing more affordable homes to support liveable and sustainable communities
• Priority 2: Providing a range of housing options that people can easily access, afford and keep
• Priority 3: Delivering homes for people with varying needs
• Priority 4: Delivering quality homes with affordable warmth, zero emissions and SMART technology

The LHS 2022-27 is the result of close partnership working and consultation with local and national housing stakeholders, communities and partner organisations over the last two years. 

Their views have helped influence the development of priorities and outcomes which will  enable the Council and partners to deliver high quality housing and housing services to meet the needs of local people in all types of housing.
The approval of the new LHS is just the beginning of our hard work over the coming years. The LHS Action Plan 2022-2027 includes 35 actions which the Council and partners will take forward over the next five years. This will be monitored by an LHS Delivery Group.

Progress updates will be prepared for the Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee on an annual basis. 

Certain actions will be the subject of future reports to relevant committees including development of an Empty Homes Strategy; development of LDP3; proposal for Short Term Let control areas; and development of the forthcoming Mobility Strategy. 

We will continue to work very closely with our community Housing partners and all other stakeholders to ensure we continue to deliver the highest quality housing and housing services for everyone.