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11
WQ.183/2018
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR CHILDREN AND HOUSING BY DEPUTY G.P. SOUTHERN OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 9th OCTOBER 2018
Question
Further to the response to Written Question 162/2018, which reported a doubling in the number of social rental homes sold each year by Andium Homes (and the former Housing Department) during the period 2010 to 2018 and a commitment to further increases in annual sales, will the Minister agree to implement a fundamental review of policy in this area that will include all providers of social rental homes and the Affordable Housing Gateway?
Answer
Yes – the Minister for Housing will implement a fundamental review of policy in this area, which will include all providers of social rental homes and the Affordable Housing Gateway.
The Council of Ministers has made a commitment in the draft Common Strategic Policy 2018-2022 to secure a consistent supply of affordable and good quality homes. In order to deliver upon this commitment, a supply of homes across all categories of tenures will be required – social rented, private rented and owner-occupied accommodation.
The Chief Minister intends to establish an Affordable Housing Policy Development Board, and it would be appropriate for the Board to examine the supply of social rented housing and the need for assisted ownership schemes. The work of the Board will be informed by two independent reviews that are presently ongoing:
- The Objective Assessment of Housing Need Report' will inform decisions about the numbers, sizes and tenures of new homes required in the coming years.
- The Review of Access to Social Housing' will make recommendations about the potential to expand the eligiblity criteria for social housing in Jersey.
The Board will need to recommend measures to improve the affordability of and access to housing in Jersey, including the balance of provision in terms of social rented housing and assisted ownership schemes. It will also need to consider the organisations (such as Andium Homes and the housing trusts) who are best placed to deliver the island's housing requirements at scale, and the resources they require to do so.