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Position Statement to Fairness Commission

4. Housing

INTRODUCTION

This Position Statement aims to present the views of local community and voluntary sector organisations to

inform the Brighton and Hove Fairness Commission in relation to the fourth of the five themes it is considering

during November 2015 to March 2016. The content is based on contributions from seven member organisations

at a meeting on 13 January 2016 as well as other relevant pieces of our work, including our submission to the

Housing Strategy Consultation in 2014, and work toward our ‘manifesto’, which were based on input from a

broad cross-section of our members. The statement highlights key issues, evidence and recommendations and

provides links to some background and positive case studies.

BACKGROUND

Brighton & Hove faces significant housing challenges over the coming years. There is high demand for housing

across all types and tenures with limited space for development. The city has a large and expensive private rented

sector which, at 18%, saw the joint-highest rental increases in the UK during 2015 (The Guardian, Jan 2016).

House prices are also high and also growing. The city’s proximity to London and its role as a regional hub for

culture, retail, digital media and higher education ensures that demand for housing continues to grow. The high

cost of housing and lack of supply has added to existing inequalities in the city with many pockets of deprivation

visible, where residents struggle with low incomes in order to meet the increasing costs of housing. This is

exacerbated by the city’s geographic location, topography and environmental concerns which limit the space

available for further development and outward expansion (Community Works, 2014). This makes it difficult to

realise the ambition of the City Plan which is proposing that 11,300 new housing units are built by 2030, already

far short of targets set by central government (Brighton & Hove Proposed City Submission Plan, 2013). The city

does however possess a varied housing stock which could be used as a means for ‘densification’ (Whitehead et al,

date unknown). Increasing the supply of council housing and dealing with problems of homelessness and rough

sleeping is further challenged by reductions in council funding totalling £102m between 2015/16 and 2019/20

(Brighton and Hove Housing Strategy, 2015).

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‘AFFORDABILITY’

Property prices in Brighton are 44% higher than the average in England and Wales (Brighton Housing

Strategy, 2015), with the average cost of a one bedroom flat at £205,000 and a three bedroom house at

£367,000, requiring incomes of £47,000 and £85,000 per annum respectively.

Private rents are also high and rising; a one bedroom flat costs around £843 per month, while a three

bedroom house costs around £1,550 per month needing incomes of £44,000 and £82,000 per annum

respectively (Brighton Housing Strategy, 2015).

50% of households in Brighton earn less than £28,240 per annum, which means for many, housing within

the city is unaffordable. The Assessment of Affordable Housing Need Report (2012) estimated that by

2017, 22,132 households are going to be unable to buy or rent in the residential housing market (Brighton

and Hove Housing Strategy, 2015).

Almost 88,000 households in Brighton & Hove have been identified as not being able to afford market

housing unless they spend a disproportionate amount of income on housing (Brighton Housing Strategy,

2015).

The issue of affordability has arguably been compounded by the shift of housing culture away from a

focus on social rented homes, to ‘affordable’ rented homes.

‘Affordable’ homes are often up to 80% of the market rate (Brighton and Hove Housing Strategy, 2015).

Moreover, as a result of limited grants, increasing land value and building costs, these homes have

become financially untenable for the average resident, leading to the current shift in the market towards

Low Cost Home Ownership.

Many shared ownership schemes and new housing developments are also out of reach for those on an

average income or below.

SOCIAL HOUSING

There is a clear lack of housing within in the city, especially in regards to social housing with the waiting

list now over 17,000 people. Between 2015 and 2018 only 75 new homes have been planned by housing

associations. Of these, 14 (19%) will be for Affordable Rent with 61 (81%) homes for shared ownership

(Brighton and Hove Housing Strategy, 2015).

The issue of availability poses an especially difficult challenge for families with dependents. The 2011

census reported 3,900 households were living in overcrowded homes. During 2013/2014 for example,

only 103 larger homes with 3 bedrooms or more were available for renting. At the same time, 2,805

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households are listed on the Housing register as reportedly overcrowded due to lacking one or more

bedrooms.

Certain Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities are particularly vulnerable to poor housing

in terms of overcrowding. This is largely due to intergenerational family groupings, larger family sizes and

a lack of information. Concerns surrounding prejudice, safety, and difficulty integrating in an unfamiliar

neighbourhood can result in people experiencing overcrowding to remain in familiar areas, rather than

risk moving to a new area.

WELFARE REFORM

A number of changes have taken place following the Welfare Reform Act (2012), the largest being the

integration of the six of the main means-tested benefits into a unified provision known as Universal

Credit. In effect, this has reduced the amount that people are eligible in benefits to a maximum of

£26,000 a year and places additional strain on claimants of housing benefit. Importantly, for someone

who is not working, where housing benefits exceed this, the amount that someone is able to claim has

been reduced to only 50p a week (CLES, 2012).

A cap has been placed on Local Housing Allowance, meaning access to the private rented sector will be

even harder. The Department for Work and Pensions has suggested that this will result in the average

family losing £22 a day (CLES, 2012). In practice however, evidence suggests that the shortfall between

income and rent is much larger, especially in

Brighton & Hove where, as already

mentioned, the cost of living is high.

The colloquially termed ‘bedroom tax’, can

result in a person’s benefit being reduced by

up to 25% if they have spare rooms in their

home. On many occasions this results in a

shortfall in rent for some of the poorest

people in the city, typically in the context of a

shortage of one bed flats for people to move

into (CLES, 2012). There may also be particular issues for certain Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME)

communities around the expectation for children to share a room for longer than would usually be

acceptable in their faith/cultures.

It appears that the impact of recent welfare reforms are already being felt as providers have observed

that people with disabilities (PWD) who appeared to be coping before the welfare reforms are now

Local stats: Just over a third of the city’s housing does not

meet the decent homes standard: 44,000 homes.

(Sustainable Community Strategy)

There was an average in Brighton of 135 excess

winter deaths per year between 2008-11.

(Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, 2013)

12% of households are fuel poor. (JSNA, 2013)

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actively requiring support in order to make ends meet. There is high demand already for intensive

support, which is likely to increase in a context of further budget reductions over the coming years.

Service providers are becoming increasingly concerned about the proposed budget cutbacks particularly

with regards to supported housing services as estimates suggest cuts of 30 to 50%.

HOUSING QUALITY

People living in unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) may be particularly vulnerable to sub-

standard living conditions. Tenants may be reluctant to complain due to fear that their tenancy may be

terminated prematurely or not be renewed. This could potentially undermine efforts to work with

landlords to improve their properties, in situations where this would be most beneficial.

Student accommodation in particular is not only very expensive but usually of a very poor quality.

Students may also be unaware of their rights leading to many feeling at the mercy of unscrupulous

landlords or letting agents. Advice services are thus important to support tenants who need information

about their rights and options.

The poorest quality housing is often lived in by those experiencing the greatest poverty, exacerbating any

pre-existing health conditions. Many of the buildings in Brighton are old and as such insufficiently

insulated and suffer from damp and low thermal efficiency. As a further consequence fuel poverty may

also compound ill health and suffering of those with health implications by exacerbating pre-existing

problems and lengthening recovery time, most evidently during the winter months.

PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR

Many groups report that people they work with have experienced difficulties working with letting

agencies, e.g. difficulties accessing their services, being turned away because they don’t meet a certain

criteria, and substantial charges often being applied to properties. There is some evidence of agents

charging higher rents for international students; other difficulties include issues such as the necessity for

a UK-based guarantor who earns over a certain threshold and owns, rather than rents a property.

Anything that can be done to work with lettings agents and landlords to improve their practice, and to

identify ethical agents, would be welcomed.

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SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIROMENT

The natural environment surrounding Brighton is one

factor that gives the city its unique identity and

makes it attractive to so many. There is also a strong

culture of environmental awareness within the city’s

residents.

However, the demand for housing in the city has led

to pressures to build on the green ‘urban fringe’ and

embrace controversial high-rise developments such

as those above the cliff height at the Brighton

Marina.

Reconciling such tensions is part of the challenge

ahead, with new developments balancing the drive

for housing units with resident’s concerns about

access to community space and quality of life.

COMMUNITY COHESION

Housing developments that include community

infrastructure and facilities, such as affordable

meeting spaces, bring social value to the city and

encourage community initiatives leading to greater

community awareness and improved links between

diverse groups.

With increasing housing costs many long-term

residents find they have no option but to move

further out of the city to neighbouring towns.

The presence of two large universities creates

additional demand for housing, particularly along the

Lewes Road corridor, leading to ‘studentification’ and

densification as family housing is displaced by HMOs.

This has changed the demographics of such areas,

and been a factor in some neighbourhood tensions

around noise, parking and litter.

Some examples of good practice

YMCA Brighton provides high quality support-

based accommodation to 280 people in Brighton, Hove and Portslade. All projects are serviced with highly trained staff in order to deliver quality care to help people who are on the road from supported housing to independent living. They also provide 11

financed studio flats for homeless people. http://www.brightonymca.co.uk/services/accommodation/

Brighton Housing Trust (BHT) aims to challenge

the causes of homelessness, poverty and marginalisation along with dealing with the consequences. Responsible for the award-winning shipping containers project which provided flexible

and low cost housing in through converting shipping contains into apartments. Various other innovative services include the Webcam Advice service which enables people to receive specialist

housing advice from their mobile devices / the comfort of their home.

http://www.bht.org.uk/services/brighton-advice-centre/#specialist-housing-advice

CHIBAH (Co-operative Housing in Brighton & Hove)

is a network of co-operatives that promotes cooperative housing in Brighton and Hove with seven full members within the region as well as an

associate member in Lewes. It runs exclusively for the mutual benefit of its

members, with any surplus being reinvested back into the organisation to improve its housing and

provide better services and facilities, in part through building, renovating and managing properties. CHIBAH members seek to maintain and increase

their ability to house single people and families in need of low rent co-operatively-managed accommodation. Some of the benefits include: the ability to control rents and quality of service, building strong communities through a socially-

responsible and ethically-drive approach, the ability to learn new skills, helping reduce social isolation and dependency in the city.

http://chibah.org/

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HOMELESSNESS AND ROUGH SLEEPING

In recent years there has been an increase in visible homelessness and rough sleeping in Brighton and

Hove, providing further evidence of the acute housing problems in the city.

Between March 2012 and March 2015 the number of households in Temporary Accommodation nearly

doubled from 762 to 1,456.

The relatively welcoming nature of Brighton & Hove and its vibrant leisure economy can make it relatively

attractive for newcomers who may also be homeless. 60% of homeless people originate outside of the

city.

Supported housing providers report bottlenecks occurring, with lack of ‘move on’ accommodation for

people to move out of supported accommodation or hostels and to live independently. The increased

demand for services is exacerbated by recent reductions in funding.

Housing-related support remains key to ensuring people are able to live independent lives through a

tiered support service for those with mental health needs, learning disabilities, and addiction issues.

Front line workers have cited a notable downward trend in the age demographic of service users.

People facing eviction / repossession could benefit from improved awareness of advice and support

services that already exist in the city. In its 2016/17 budget plans, the Council has proposed for the

housing support service – a team that leads on supporting vulnerable people in emergency

accommodation – to be discontinued (Equality Impact Assessments, Budget 2016-17, 2016).

Consequently, this will mean that people will be now living in emergency accommodation without crucial

early intervention support, despite facing severe problems.

GYPSY AND TRAVELLER ENCAMPMENTS

Brighton & Hove has very limited provision for travellers and the official traveller site is currently closed,

with no temporary site having been made available.

When opened the official site is unlikely to be adequate in meeting demand.

Consequently the city suffers from frequent unauthorised encampments in parks and on streets around

the city, leading to tensions with resident communities in several neighbourhoods.

Those working with traveller communities are concerned that the council focusses on a law enforcement

and confrontational approach which costings nearly £4½ k per week (£240,000 per year).

Until the new site is developed the city should be looking to provide temporary arrangements to make

provision particularly for those Gypsies and Travellers who have been Brighton based for many years.

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A less confrontational ‘negotiated stopping’ policy

such as used in Leeds, and the provision of basic

facilities, could ease tensions, improve the lives of

travellers and reduce enforcement costs considerably.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Maintain support for preventative services When people

lack support, their needs tend to become more complex. This

means we are not directly tackling the root-cause of issues,

and therefore placing further pressure on housing support,

health services and other statutory bodies. We therefore

strongly urge the city council to protect funding for services

which if cut would exacerbate housing other problems in the

city.

2. A ‘diverted giving strategy’ to encourage the public to give

to charities and organisations supporting the homeless and

rough sleepers instead of giving directly to those on the

street. This should include a public information campaign

with signs in public places, such as the train stations. The aim

would be to reduce giving to people begging, as this can be

seen as encouraging people to stay on the streets. Also,

increasing public awareness of how money may be being

used, and highlighting the help and support which is available

for people sleeping rough in the city. Collective city approach

and education for local people about issues of homelessness.

3. A new definition of what is ‘affordable’. Currently

‘affordable’ is still unaffordable. We need a meaningful way

of talking about housing that is genuinely accessible to those

on the lowest incomes in the city.

4. A ‘fair rent system’ for the City as identified in the City

Tenancy Strategy and by the ‘Living Rent’ Campaign.

5. Quality standards for private landlords and lettings

agencies. Any Council register of landlords should identify

‘friendly’ landlords (e.g. for LGBT tenants, BAME tenants, and

those with Learning Disabilities) where tenants can be

Low-cost housing solutions Prefabricated housing in Lewes Lewes District Council and KSD Housing have worked on a pilot project providing low-cost houses. The District Council supplied land in Lambert Place at no cost to KSD Housing who designed and built the new homes at no cost to the council. The houses are prefabricated in China, reducing construction costs and enabling rental levels at half the local housing allowance. Both parties have entered into a long term lease contract based on a very low rent. Read the KSD case study here

BHT Phase One container housing

Phase One is a 52 bed, high support hostel for single

homeless men and women. The project aims to improve service users’ self-esteem and to foster an

environment where individuals address the issues at the root of their homelessness.

Case study: Rodney was referred to the project in October 2010 with physical health and dependency issues.

He lived at Phase One for nine months and during this period of time engaged well with both his key worker

and the project’s Alcohol Nurse to stabilise his health and address his substance misuse issue.

During this period of stabilisation, Rodney was able to start to focus on his housing options and was

registered on Homemove to access appropriate Council accommodation.

During this process he achieved his goal of abstinence and successfully bid for a Council property.

Rodney left the service in July 2011 and has remained abstinent. He is currently undertaking training in Peer Support as he is keen to support other clients in the

process of change.

To find out more visit http://www.bht.org.uk/services/addiction-

services/#move-on

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confident they will not encounter prejudice. Stonewall state this is a key concern for many LGBT people.

The Council should provide guidance for landlords on how to make their services more accessible to comply

with the Equalities Act 2010, and proactively promote this guidance to landlords.

6. An ethical standard for letting agencies and/or landlords, and greater engagement between agencies and the

voluntary and community sector to raise awareness of working with diverse communities, and partnership

working to provide these services in an ethical affordable framework.

More private sector landlord representation on city partnerships could be helpful.

7. Embrace diversity. The city’s residents have a diverse range of individual needs. They do not fit neatly into

distinct boxes, but have unique and overlapping identities and interests. Community Works recommends that

the needs of specific communities should be incorporated as threads within the main strategy, as opposed to

being covered by separate strategies.

8. Continue investment in advice and support services for people to understand their rights and options, as set

out in the Sustainable Community Strategy.

9. Well-integrated, innovative and low-impact sustainable new developments that include consideration of

community cohesion and community development. A genuine willingness and openness to engage with

innovation and creative, occasional risk-taking approaches to problems, where existing practice has not offered

solutions, to facilitate real change.

10. Use the Social Value Act to work with

community housing providers in new and

innovative ways. In order to increase the

supply of social rented housing, the council

should sell vacant land at below market value

to social providers to build affordable

housing, or offer peppercorn rents for

innovative community housing models.

Community led housing groups may have

access to alternative funding sources and can

produce lower rents via innovative methods

of construction and lower management costs.

The Community Housing Network can act as a

conduit for partnership working between

small housing providers and the Council, and

for sharing innovation and good practice.

An example of BHT’s Phase One converted shipping containers

at Richardson’s Yard

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11. More shipping containers as temporary low-cost housing solution Brighton Housing Trust has provided this

example of quick to construct temporary affordable homes at Richardson’s Yard on New England Road in central

Brighton. The project shows how a brown field site can be quickly used to meet housing needs.

12. Assess how best to mitigate the negative impact of welfare reform on communities, including on community

groups and volunteering, and feed into national campaigns or consultations about the impact on local people.

13. More work with the city’s universities to limit the impact of student numbers on the city’s housing crisis.

The universities need to be fully engaged in addressing how the city can accommodate increasing

numbers of students without adding to the city’s housing problems. Existing housing stock should not be

expected to provide for this. The city should set realistic limits to university expansion, while

understanding impacts on city life including community cohesion. Partnership working between the

council and the universities could help to develop Good Neighbour Guides for students, and improve

understanding between student and non-student

residents.

14. ‘Negotiated stopping’ policy for travellers: ‘Negotiated

Stopping’ is a temporary agreement between the local

authority and Traveler families to stay on a piece of land. It

imposes conditions on both sides and has a finite timescale.

It has been adopted successfully by Leeds City Council

having been developed with Leeds Gypsy and Traveler

Exchange (Leeds GATE). In the tens years from 2003 Leeds

had spent on average £255,000 per year on traveler

evictions.

15. Recognition of the role of the voluntary & community

sector. The voluntary & community sector has strengths to

offer in addressing the city’s housing needs. The sector’s

independence makes it agile enough to respond to

emerging needs and opportunities in innovative ways, and

offers opportunities to bring funding into the city. Voluntary

& community organisations are often well-placed to

understand the needs of the client groups and the broader

community and can play a key role in community

engagement.

Negotiated Stopping in Leeds

@negotiated Stopping is the term, invented by Leeds GATE (Gypsy and Traveler Exchange), which is used to describe a new approach to managing unauthorised – ‘roadside’ - encampments by Gypsies and travelers. The families make an agreement with the authority about acceptable behavior, use of waste disposal, when the camp will leave, and the authority more or less leaves them alone. It means that Leeds City Council, which has introduced the policy, no longer, resorts immediately to legal means to shift unauthorised camps; instead using dialogue and negotiation to enable travelling families to stay, for limited periods of time, on ground where it isn’t causing great inconvenience to anyone. Find out more: http://leedsgate.co.uk/

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CONCLUSION

There are clear limits to what the Local Authority can do to increase availability of housing and to lower rents.

However there is much that can be done to improve quality standards, develop shared understanding, and to

address some of the worst practice in the city.

Where new development does happen, this should be done in the best way possible to improve the future of

the city for everybody. Planning decisions can ensure that proper consideration is given to the importance of

community space and other shared facilities to support community cohesion and quality of life for residents

Community Development can help residents to maximise the existing resources within their communities.

A few people in the city are in particularly acute need of support and this is where resource should be focussed.

CASE STUDIES AND EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE IN COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS

BHT: provides essential housing and homeless prevention services across Brighton & Hove, Eastbourne and Hastings, as well as elsewhere in Sussex. http://www.bht.org.uk/

CHIBAH: is a network of co-operatives that promotes co-operative housing in Brighton and Hove. http://chibah.org/

YMCA Brighton: support and house homeless people in Brighton, Hove and Portslade. Their areas of support are: training, accommodation and wellbeing. www.brightonymca.co.uk/

Equinox: provides support, care and recovery to people who are challenged by exclusion, marginalisation along with support for those with a range of needs such as mental health problems and substance misuse. http://www.equinoxcare.org.uk/

Emmaus: Emmaus Brighton & Hove is the largest UK Emmaus community offering a home, meaningful work & training for 44 people. www.emmaus.org.uk/brighton_hove

The Clock Tower Sanctuary: is the only drop-in service providing all-round information, advice and support to homeless young people (aged 16-25) in Brighton & Hove. Our center is open 6 days a week. http://www.thects.org.uk/

Project Antifreeze: have produced maps of the City showing services for rough sleepers and the homeless. Outreach teams are on the streets in the evenings seeking to meet the basic needs of those who are homeless and sleeping rough. http://www.offthefence.org.uk/antifreeze/

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Brighton and Hove Foyer: provides support to young people in Brighton and Hove. Runs a parent project called sanctuary Supported Living young homeless people in Brighton and Hove. http://foyer.net/foyers/brighton-hove-foyer/ and https://www.sanctuary-supported-living.co.uk/

Crossover Brighton: works to support the homeless and disadvantages in Brighton and Hove through engaging those living on the street in conversation. http://www.crossoverbrighton.org/

Sussex Nightstop: is a community project providing a response to Youth Homelessness. Operational across Brighton and Hove and West Sussex the project recruits people from within the local community that have a spare room and a social conscience. http://www.sussexnightstop.org.uk/

Brighton Churches Homeless Shelter: is a multi-denominational churches project in Brighton & Hove which aims to combat rough sleeping in the city.

REFERENCES

Brighton Housing Trust (2016). 30 Years of Rough Sleeping in Brighton & Hove, (Online) Available at:

http://bht-heritage.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/30-Years-of-Rough-Sleeping-in-Brighton-Hove.pdf

Brighton and Hove Connected (2016). Issues of Concern, (Online) Available at: http://www.bhconnected.org.uk/strategy/issues-concern-5

Brighton and Hove City Council (2015). Housing Strategy. (Online). Available at: http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/housing/general-housing/housing-strategy-2015

Brighton and Hove City Council (2013). Proposed Submission City Plan Part One. (Online) Available at: http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk

Brighton and Hove City Council (2015). Budget 2016-17: Equality Impact Assessments – Service Users. (Online).

Brighton and Hove City Council (2013). Brighton & Hove Tenancy Strategy. (Online). Available at: http://www.brightonhove.gov.uk/sites/brightonhove.gov.uk

Brighton and Hove City Council (2013). Sustainable Community Strategy. (Online). Available at: http://www.bandhsp.co.uk/

Brighton and Hove City Council. (2013) Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. (Online). Available at: http://www.bhlis.org/jsna2013

Brighton and Hove City Council, Community Works. Taking Account 3 (Online). Available at: http://www.bhcommunityworks.org.uk/taking-account/.

Collinson, Patrick (2016). Brighton & Bristol hit hardest as rents raised by an average of 18% in 2015. The Guardian. (Online). Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/jan/12/brighton-and-bristol-hit-hardest-as-rents-raised-by-an-average-of-18-in-2015

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Community Works (2014). Community Works Housing Strategy Consultation Response August 2014 (Online). Available at: http://bhcommunityworks.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Community-Works-Full-Housing-Strategy-Consultation-Response-20141.doc

Community Works (Forthcoming).The Power of Volunteering – refresh of the Volunteering Strategy for Brighton & Hove (in progress)

Jackson, Matthew. Nixon, Stephanie (2012). The Cumulative impact of welfare reform. Centre for Local Economic Strategies (Online).

Leedsgate.co.uk (2016). Negotiated Stopping - How is it going? | Leeds GATE. (online) Available at: http://leedsgate.co.uk/negotiated-stopping

Press release by Brighton and Hove City Council (2015). Proposals to improve private rented sector unveiled ahead of Housing and New Homes Committee. (Online). Available at: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/press-release/proposals-improve-private-rented-sector-unveiled-ahead-housing-and-new-homes

Shelter England (2016). What is a decent home? (Online). Available at: http://england.shelter.org.uk/campaigns_/why_we_campaign/the_housing_crisis/what_is_the_housing_crisis/what_makes_a_house_a_home

Social Security Advisory Committee (2014). The Cumulative impact of welfare reform: a commentary. Social Security Advisory Committee.

Whitehead, Christine., Scanlon, Kath., Monk, Sara. And Short, Christina. Brighton and Hove: The barriers to further economic development. A report to the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, Enterprise LSE and Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research. Available at: http://www.brightonbusiness.co.uk/documents/whitehead.pdf

Williams, Laura (Community Works, Brighton and Hove City Council, Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group and the University of Brighton) (2013).