National and local context
3.1 National context
The effect of tenancy failure to tenants, their families and their housing provider landlord is huge, with rising costs to the public purse if families become homeless; or move to an insecure tenancy. Significant welfare reform changes since 2012 have made an affordable, secure home a greater priority for those households when renting is the only option available to them. These changes include the way in which social housing is provided and managed to enable tenants to sustain their homes. At a national level this includes:
Welfare Reform Act 2012: wide ranging set of reforms to the welfare system including:
- Introduction of Universal Credit, bringing together a range of benefits to a single monthly payment with housing costs paid direct to the tenant
- Reduction of Local Housing Allowance rates, although recent government announcement for social housing not to be capped at LHA rates is a positive change for social housing not to be capped at LHA rates is a positive change for social housing rent levels.
- Personal Independence Payments to replace Disability Living Allowance
- Housing Benefits reductions for working age tenants under occupying their home
Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016: additional reforms including
- 1% rent reduction for social housing per annum for four years
- Further changes to succession rules that restrict the right to succeed the tenancy to spouses and partners only
- Further changes to succession rules that restrict the right to succeed the tenancy to spouses and partners only, irrespective of the original tenancy date
- Voluntary extension of Right to Buy to housing association tenants
White Paper: fixing our broken housing market 2017: proposals in this paper sent out Government’s intention to boost housing supply and in the long term create an efficient housing market to deliver housing outcomes that met the needs and aspirations of all households:
- Plan for the right homes in the right places
- Build homes faster
- Diversify the housing market
Homelessness Reduction Act 2017: introduced April 2018, this Act places greater emphasis on local authorities to prevent and relieve homelessness for all who present regardless of priority need at an earlier stage.
Green Paper: a new deal for social housing 2018: has five principles to underpin a new fairer, housing deal for tenants:
- A safe and decent home
- Improving and speeding up how complaints are resolved
- Empowering residents and ensuring their voices are heard so landlords are held to account
- Tackling stigma and celebrating thriving communities
- Building the social homes needed, and for them to act as a springboard to home ownership.
3.2 Local Context
At a local level, regard is given to the following strategies and plans.
North Tyneside Housing Strategy 2016-2021 ' a great place to live':
The strategy has four priorities:
- More and better homes
- Great places to live
- Better housing, better health and wellbeing
- Better housing, more independence
North Tyneside Allocations Policy
The policy and service are designed to
- Offer choice
- Meet housing need
- Deliver a fair and transparent service
- Support and assist our customers
- Create more sustainable communities
- Make efficient use of all resources
North Tyneside Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2019-2021
The strategy has four priorities
- Successful implementation and delivery of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017
- Meeting local housing need
- Supporting households to secure and sustain and affordable home
- Effective communication and robust partnership working.
Our North Tyneside Plan 2024-2024
This plan sets out the Council's ambition to make the borough an even better place to live, work and visit. It has three key themes:
- People: Ensuring our residents are listened to, cared for and supported, ready for school, work and life with the right skill set and encouraged to be more independent.
- Place: Our places will be great places to live and visit, focusing on what is important to residents and visitors, regeneration work will continue, a good choice of affordable homes will be on offer, and areas will be clean, green and safe.
- Economy: this will benefit from the delivery of ambitious vision for the borough, it will grow by encouraging new businesses, supporting existing ones and further investment in business parks, town centres and retail centres.
16 priorities span across the themes, including the provision of more new homes and quality, affordable homes.