Horsham Tories break promise on homes for social rent
At the HDC meeting of 13 October 2021, in response to a Lib Dem Motion brought by Cllr John Milne, it was unanimously agreed that the forthcoming Local Plan would set a minimum target for homes for Social Rent in new developments.
A minimum 35% of the affordable quota would be reserved as homes for social rent. According to homeless charity Shelter, they are the most necessary form of tenure to help solve our national housing problem. Typically, they are available at 60% of market rent.
One year later, as the Local Plan is being made ready to present to Council, the Conservatives have reneged on this promise. Instead they say they can’t afford to set a minimum number of any kind.
Cllr John Milne raised this issue in a question to Council on 14th Dec. He pointed out that not only was this a breach of promise, it was also unconstitutional. Cllr Milne said:
"The proposed housing tenure policy is therefore in direct contradiction of an approved council Motion. However, Council Motions are binding so the current situation is unconstitutional….
….The 35% guarantee was a unanimous decision by all of us. As it stands we therefore all share a moral and constitutional obligation to respect the outcome of that vote. Any version of the Local Plan which doesn’t include this commitment could be vulnerable to legal challenge by anyone who didn’t get the decision they wanted."
Cllr Lyn Lambert, Cabinet Member for Planning, was not able to explain how the Council would extricate itself from this difficulty. Unless some action is taken, the Conservatives have placed the Council in a position which is both unconstitutional and which risks the validity of the Local Plan.
This latest U-turn follows on a history of failure. Under Horsham Conservatives, no homes for social rent at all have been delivered in new developments for the last 10 years.