Agenda item

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Harry Harpham

That this Council:

 

(a)       supports the launch of the SHOUT (Social Housing Under Threat) campaign on 18 June 2014;

 

(b)       agrees with SHOUT that building social housing - social rented homes - is at the core of tackling the housing crisis nationally and locally in Sheffield and that social rented housing meets needs that other tenures cannot address;

 

(c)        notes under the Coalition Government the funding of social housing has become increasingly marginalised with the latest prospectus for bidders from the Homes and Communities Agency stating that 'social rent provision will only be supported in very limited circumstances.';

 

(d)       welcomes the action taken by the present Administration to put in place plans to build 800 new Council houses in the city, however, recognises that many more houses could be built with greater levels of investment;

 

(e)       regrets that social housing faces great challenges in meeting the needs of those affected by welfare cuts and rule changes over the last three years, including the damaging “bedroom tax”,and increased pressure from the escalating number of Council homes lost through the Right to Buy scheme;

 

(f)        is appalled at what this Council believes to be recent cynical attempts by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, to feign opposition to the “bedroom tax”, which he implemented as part of the Coalition Government and believes that the bedroom tax should be abolished, not reformed as Nick Clegg has suggested; and

 

(g)       therefore resolves to support the work of the SHOUT campaign and take a lead in affirming the positive value and purpose of social rented housing.

Minutes:

 

Social Housing

 

 

 

It was moved by Councillor Harry Harpham, seconded by Councillor Tony Damms, that this Council:-

 

 

 

(a)       supports the launch of the SHOUT (Social Housing Under Threat) campaign on 18 June 2014;

 

(b)       agrees with SHOUT that building social housing - social rented homes - is at the core of tackling the housing crisis nationally and locally in Sheffield and that social rented housing meets needs that other tenures cannot address;

 

(c)        notes under the Coalition Government the funding of social housing has become increasingly marginalised with the latest prospectus for bidders from the Homes and Communities Agency stating that 'social rent provision will only be supported in very limited circumstances.';

 

(d)       welcomes the action taken by the present Administration to put in place plans to build 800 new Council houses in the city, however, recognises that many more houses could be built with greater levels of investment;

 

(e)       regrets that social housing faces great challenges in meeting the needs of those affected by welfare cuts and rule changes over the last three years, including the damaging “bedroom tax”,and increased pressure from the escalating number of Council homes lost through the Right to Buy scheme;

 

(f)        is appalled at what this Council believes to be recent cynical attempts by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, to feign opposition to the “bedroom tax”, which he implemented as part of the Coalition Government and believes that the bedroom tax should be abolished, not reformed as Nick Clegg has suggested; and

 

(g)       therefore resolves to support the work of the SHOUT campaign and take a lead in affirming the positive value and purpose of social rented housing.

 

 

 

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Steve Ayris, seconded by Councillor Penny Baker, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

 

 

 

1.         the deletion of paragraphs (c)-(f);

 

 

 

2.         the re-lettering of paragraph (b) as a new paragraph (h) and paragraph (g) as a new paragraph (i); and

 

 

 

3.         the addition of new paragraphs (b) to (g) as follows:-

 

 

 

(b)       supports moves by the Coalition Government to increase the building of social housing;

 

 

 

(c)        welcomes new statistics that show the number of social homes has increased for the fifth year running, taking the overall stock back above the four million mark for the first time in a decade;

 

 

 

(d)       supports plans secured by Liberal Democrats in last year’s spending review for a £3.3 billion affordable homes programme that will see 165,000 new affordable homes delivered over three years from 2015;

 

 

 

(e)       backs Liberal Democrat proposals to remove borrowing caps to enable councils to build more social housing and regrets that this policy has not been endorsed by the Labour Party;

 

 

 

(f)        furthermore backs the action taken by the last Council administration to build the first new council homes in Sheffield for two decades;

 

 

 

(g)       contrasts this action with the lamentable record of the previous Government and recalls that during their thirteen years in power:

 

 

 

(i)         the building of social housing declined to its lowest figure since the Second World War;

 

 

 

(ii)        the number of people on local authority housing lists doubled;

 

 

 

(iii)       seven times more prison cells were built than council homes;

 

 

 

(iv)       the Housing Market Renewal Scheme demolished 4,590 houses in South Yorkshire and built  just 2,415 at a cost of £265 million; and

 

 

 

(v)        a legacy was left of almost 2 million households in England on housing waiting lists and 250,000 families living in over-crowded accommodation;

 

 

 

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived. 

 

After a Right of Reply from Councillor Harry Harpham, the original Motion was then put to the vote and carried, as follows:-

 

 

 

RESOLVED:  That this Council:-

 

 

 

(a)       supports the launch of the SHOUT (Social Housing Under Threat) campaign on 18 June 2014;

 

(b)       agrees with SHOUT that building social housing - social rented homes - is at the core of tackling the housing crisis nationally and locally in Sheffield and that social rented housing meets needs that other tenures cannot address;

 

(c)        notes under the Coalition Government the funding of social housing has become increasingly marginalised with the latest prospectus for bidders from the Homes and Communities Agency stating that 'social rent provision will only be supported in very limited circumstances.';

 

(d)       welcomes the action taken by the present Administration to put in place plans to build 800 new Council houses in the city, however, recognises that many more houses could be built with greater levels of investment;

 

(e)       regrets that social housing faces great challenges in meeting the needs of those affected by welfare cuts and rule changes over the last three years, including the damaging “bedroom tax”,and increased pressure from the escalating number of Council homes lost through the Right to Buy scheme;

 

(f)        is appalled at what this Council believes to be recent cynical attempts by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, to feign opposition to the “bedroom tax”, which he implemented as part of the Coalition Government and believes that the bedroom tax should be abolished, not reformed as Nick Clegg has suggested; and

 

(g)       therefore resolves to support the work of the SHOUT campaign and take a lead in affirming the positive value and purpose of social rented housing.

 

 

 

(Note: 1. Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Richard Shaw, Rob Frost, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Penny Baker, Roger Davison, Diana Stimely, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Steve Ayris, David Baker, Katie Condliffe and Vickie Priestley voted for paragraphs (a), (b), (d) and (g) and against paragraphs (c), (e) and (f) of the Motion as asked for this to be recorded.

 

 

 

2. Councillors Brian Webster, Jillian Creasy and Robert Murphy voted for paragraphs (a), (b), (d), (e) and (g) and abstained on paragraphs (c) and (f) of the Motion and asked for this to be recorded.)