The council has pledged to improve accommodation for people living in north Oxfordshire as a new housing strategy takes shape.
Published: Tuesday, 10th September 2024
Cherwell District Council’s executive meeting on Monday, 9 September approved the new Housing Strategy 2025 - 2030 for a public consultation. The consultation dates will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Councillor Chris Pruden, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: “Housing that meets our residents’ needs is a key commitment of this council. This new strategy document will underpin the services we provide to vulnerable people and our management of housing in the district.
“The three priorities in this draft plan are the delivery of affordable homes, improving the condition of existing housing and promoting the health and wellbeing of our communities through housing and tackling homelessness.
“Everyone deserves to live in a safe and quality home, so the progress of this new strategy is good news, and I am sure lots of people will have their say and help shape it as we progress to consultation.”
The council routinely reviews its housing strategy every five years to keep it up to date with the latest developments, be they legislation changes or social housing availability.
The priorities identified for the new strategy are informed by a review of housing pressures and challenges nationally and locally. These include the supply of affordable and social housing, increasing homelessness rates, and the cost of living crisis.
When the final strategy is adopted, an action plan will be developed and progress in delivering it will be reported every year to the overview and scrutiny committee.
People are reminded that the council’s allocations scheme consultation is also ongoing, allowing them to help shape the policy used to process applications for social housing. This is available on the Citizen Space engagement platform and is open until Tuesday, 1 October.