Council Questioned Over Lack Of ‘Truly Affordable’ Social Housing

The Isle of Wight Council has been questioned over whether it has a plan to tackle the Island’s lack of ‘truly affordable’ social housing.

Cllr Peter Spink, the Empowering Islanders member for Freshwater North and Yarmouth, broached the subject at the adult social care, public health and housing needs committee last Thursday (February 19).

The probe comes after a committee report showed hundreds of Island households have been added to the Isle of Wight’s housing register for social homes over the last few years.

Social homes have rents linked to local incomes and provide a ‘truly affordable’, secure housing option, as defined by the housing charity Shelter.

Cllr Spink said:

"The (council) explanation, which I entirely accept, for not being able to move people out of temporary accommodation or off the housing register is the lack of social rent accommodation on the Island.

“Is there a plan that social services have or alternatively this committee, given that it is a housing needs committee, to try and address the lack of social housing on the Island?

“I appreciate it’s a very difficult thing to address but one can’t simply say, well it’s too difficult to address and leave it there.”

Laura Gaudion, adult social care and housing needs director at the Isle of Wight Council, said:

“We’ve continued to identify and purchase properties.

“We’ve worked with our local registered providers, formerly social landlords, to identify stock transfers.

"We’ve worked with local developers where there is development underway to identify properties that we can secure to support accommodation for local people who are on Homefinder or in temporary accommodation or needing emergency accommodation.

“That includes identifying units for larger families at the Horsebridge Hill development, purchasing 17 units of accommodation in Godshill, the Kiln House – ten units, plus additional units that have been transferred into the local authority’s ownership to support that agenda.”

She added her directorate was exploring applying for grant monies to help secure additional accommodation as well as working with other parts of the council to identify properties that can be purchased or built.

Ms Gaudion also cited an opportunity for the local authority’s first built development – veterans’ housing in Newport – funded through grant application.