‘Desperate’ need for homes is highlighted
ALMOST 2,000 applicants on Rother District Council’s housing list are waiting to hear if they will find a home.
The number of people who need housing has risen rapidly according to Councillor Charlie Clark, who registered his concerns at the Services Overview and Scrutiny committee at the Town Hall on Monday night.
He told members that the waiting list had been increased by a third in just four years and now stands at 1,972, with 100 new applicants being added every month.
“It is a housing crisis,” said Cllr Clark this week, “The figures show a real need for social housing in the Rother District - but we are not able to address it.
“It is a problem throughout the country, there is a desperate need for housing but there is nothing being done.
“It is putting private landlords in a strong position because they can continue to put their rents up.
“Young people cannot get on the housing ladder, and this will drive young families out of our area. There will be no young families in Rother District because they cannot afford to establish themselves in a home.”
Cllr Clark added: “In Rother some 20 per cent of our social housing stock is under-occupied; 916 units of social housing have one tenant living in two to three-bedroom houses, and yet we have young families on the waiting list desperate to be housed.
“There are cash incentive schemes in place to encourage tenants to move to smaller accommodation.
“The problem is if there were a large number of applications under the incentive scheme, we do not have a ready supply of one bedroom flats or warden care sheltered housing to offer.”
He told the committee that there was a need to be sure RDC’s housing policy was fit for purpose and that future development would reflect the type of housing needed to meet local needs.
He said: “Despite Rother identifying sites for development and granting planning permissions, developers are not developing sites and are slowing down housing completions because of the current economic climate.”
Cllr Clark’s concerns were recorded and the committee asked for a housing strategy report so it could assess current housing needs.
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Weather for Bexhill-on-Sea
Monday 28 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
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Wind direction: South west
