Councils seek public's views for new housing and homelessness strategy
Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon District Councils are seeking feedback from the public as they set out their vision and priorities for housing across South Warwickshire through a new Housing & Homelessness Strategy.
The Strategy will not only consider future housing need and development but will also look at the homes and neighbourhoods people live in, the support they might need to stay in their home or move to something more suitable. It will also look at the different types of homes available and the role of landlords in both the private and social housing sectors.
In order to gain the views of local residents a public survey has been launched.
Councillor Liz Coles, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Customer Services at Stratford District Council said: “This is a great opportunity to give your views on what you think is important and to shape the future of housing in South Warwickshire.
“This engagement is crucial to developing a strategy that resonates with people and will be an opportunity to have voice before the formal consultation near the end of the year."
The Housing Strategy survey can be completed online and the deadline for submissions is Tuesday 11 August.
What is the Housing Strategy?
Good quality, warm, decent, and long-term homes are essential for people's health and wellbeing. Such homes give people security and improve people's mental and physical health, education and career prospects. Many local people cannot afford or find suitable market properties. To address these issues, partner organisations, representative groups, users of housing services, and the general public helped the Council to create a Housing Strategy.
The Council adopted the Sustainable Homes, Sustainable Communities Stratford-on-Avon District Housing Strategy 2021-2026 in October 2021. The Strategy incorporates the Homelessness Review, Homelessness Strategy including people who sleep rough, and the Private Sector Housing Strategy.
The vision and aims of the Housing Strategy are:
- Vision: Sustainable homes and sustainable communities that enable more people to live independently in good quality housing of their choice.
- Aim 1: To support communities and build sustainable affordable homes.
- Aim 2: To improve existing housing and help people live independently.
- Aim 3: To prevent homelessness and reduce the harm caused by it.
The Housing Strategy links to other strategic plans (and vice versa) but does not duplicate actions contained in other plans e.g. see the Core Strategy for the overall number and location of new homes.
Sustainable Homes, Sustainable Communities 2021-2026 Housing Strategy document
The Housing Strategy comprises three documents:
The detailed Evidence Log is both part of the Housing Strategy and the starting point for the Strategy. It is also the local formal Review of Homelessness. The Log includes consultation results used to prepare the Housing Strategy, useful facts and statistics, and the original Equality Impact Assessment.
A new Equality Impact Assessment for the whole Housing Strategy was agreed with partners in January 2024, and considered by The Cabinet in February 2024.
This short document summarises the Housing Strategy vision, aims and the rationale for eighteen high level strategic actions that the Council and its partners are working together to deliver. You should read it alongside the Evidence Log and Action Plan.
The Action Plan sets out milestones for the eighteen strategic actions. The Action Plan is a live document. The Cabinet reviews and amends it twice a year to measure progress and take account of new legislation, changing circumstances and risks to implementation. New milestones can be added, and obsolete milestones removed. Ongoing work and engagement with partners continue to inform the milestones. This flexibility to amend the Housing Strategy and respond to policy changes and new funding opportunities in a timely manner is extremely useful. The Cabinet last reviewed an updated Action Plan on 10 March 2025. An easy to read copy of the Action Plan showing the changes agreed by the Cabinet can be viewed here.