Leader's blog - 29 June 2022
Published: Tuesday, 28 June, 2022
This week's Leader's blog has been written by Cllr Mattie Ross, Chair of Housing Committee.
"We’re acutely aware of the shortage of affordable homes in the Stroud district which is why we are addressing this issue in a number of ways.
As the only local authority in Gloucestershire which still owns and manages its own stock of council houses, we are looking to build more and importantly work with social housing providers and community land trusts to enable them to provide homes too. One of the Council Plan’s key strategic objectives is to build affordable, energy efficient homes and earlier this month we celebrated the handover of 20 energy efficient new homes built by Stroud District Council working with a construction partner.
Some 15 houses and flats for affordable rent, plus five houses and bungalows for shared ownership have been built on the site of a former sheltered housing scheme in Ringfield Close, Nailsworth. These homes represent a big upgrade, as the new homes are fit for purpose and highly energy efficient.
Looking ahead, Housing Committee will meet next week on Tuesday, July 5 and among items to be discussed will be detail on how we are strengthening operational procedures in the management of the Out of Hours Service provision for our tenants. We will also be considering reports on tenancy fraud, rough sleeper initiatives, tenant engagement, repairs and voids, the work programme, and our retrofit programme of works to make our council homes more energy efficient. The meeting will be screened as live and as a recorded version on the council’s website and YouTube channel, although members of the public are welcome to attend in person too. All the details of the meeting can be viewed at www.stroud.moderngov.co.uk
Cllr Mattie Ross
Chair of Housing Committee