Agenda item

To submit a report by the Head of Housing.

The report of the Head of Housing Services incorporating the Local Housing Market Assessment (LMHA) 2023-28 was presented for the Executive’s consideration. The purpose of the LMHA is to provide a broad analysis of the Isle of Anglesey housing market, considering the long-term requirements of housing on Anglesey.

The report and assessment were presented by Councillor Robin Williams, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Member for Finance and Housing as a statutory requirement for local authorities to be undertaken every five years and refreshed midway during that period. The evidence base within the assessment will also be used to inform the Anglesey Housing strategy and the Local Development Plan. It also informs strategic housing priorities and local service planning such as education and transport. The LHMA can also be used as a tool for negotiating affordable housing provision when determining planning applications and allocating Social Housing Grant to support the delivery of affordable housing. Upon approval the document will go out to public and key stakeholder consultation for feedback and comments after which it will be submitted to Welsh Government.

The Head of Housing Services provided an overview of the LHMA confirming that it has been compiled using a Welsh Government toolkit that enables housing needs and demand to be calculated ensuring a consistent approach across all Welsh local authorities. It is based on a comprehensive range of statistical information and contains a number of projections including an assumption that planned housing supply will be delivered and the existing housing register waiting list will be cleared. The income to house price ratio for Anglesey is 7.2 which is significantly higher than the ratio for both North Wales and Wales as whole meaning that over 60% of the population is priced out of the housing market, although there are price variations across the nine Housing Market Areas into which the Island is divided. The assessment shows that the demand for affordable housing in particular one bedroom social rent units remains exceptionally high and could be influenced by a number of factors including the need to secure a suitable provision for individual social housing tenants wishing to downsize from family sized accommodation.

Councillor Douglas Fowlie, Chair of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee provided Scrutiny’s feedback on the LMHA from the 19 November meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee and referred to the issues raised by the committee. These included the risks and challenges facing the Council and its delivery partners, the ways in which the assessment will inform and influence housing policies in formulating the Local Development Plan and the basis for concluding that there is a need for one bedroom dwellings. The committee had noted that the assessment provides a snapshot of the housing market at a point in time but does not offer solutions to meeting the housing needs identified. Members had also raised concerns about the impact of second homes on the affordability and availability of housing for local people in popular tourist areas locally and nationally. In recommending approval of the LMHA by the Executive, the Corporate Scrutiny Committee had agreed on further actions which included requesting Welsh Government to ensure that the data that underlies the LMHA is kept up to date and current, using the data to influence national policy to address housing needs in communities and asking the Executive to consider reviewing the level of the Council Tax Premium applied to second homes and long term empty homes.

The Executive thanked Scrutiny for the feedback and noted the points raised.

It was resolved –

• To approve the Local Housing Market Assessment 2023-28.
• To approve the consultation process.
• To approve delegated authority for the Head of Housing Services in consultation with the Housing Portfolio Holder to agree any minor editorial changes required to the draft Local Housing Market Assessment prior to submission to Welsh Government.