But building new houses isn't the only way to say #YesToHomes

The sad truth is that no recent Government has done enough to address the issue of house building.I wish that the previous Labour Government had build much more social housing. In the present age of austerity and lack of growth, a massive programme of house building could and should be initiated by the current administration - kickstarting the economy and addressing the problem of lack of housing.

I've already covered what Exeter City Council has been and is doing to build new houses in the city.

But there are other factors that contribute to the chronic housing shortage in the city - a shortage that meant Exeter was highlighted in the national news with the publication of the Resolution Foundation's "Home Truths" report at the beginning of the week.

The report lists Exeter in the one-third of Britain that is effectively off-limits to lower-income working families looking to rent a home privately because they can no longer afford a property.

Government welfare reforms claim to cut the social security.

The vicious Bedroom Tax is such measure  - a quick fix to appease the masses, but doing little to free up family homes. It an ill-conceived policy that it full of contradictions. It  attacks the poor, the vulnerable, the caring, the disabled,the log-term sick and the terminally-ill on housing benefit.

Here in Exeter, bedroom tax affects some 400 families under-occupying Exeter City Council's housing stock of 5000 properties, and 500 families in the 3000 Housing Association properties. 

But that's not to say that all the remaining properties are fully occupied - there are many reasons why the remainder could be under-occupied.

I am proud of ECC's long-term policy of assisting our residents to downsize with grants. We have recently reviewed the policy and are about to appoint a Downsizing Officer to work in a one-to-one scenario to assist - often vulnerable, elderly residents who may have suffered a recent bereavement - people to downsize, freeing up family-sized properties.

Often they will downsize to places like Knights Place - designed as a carbon- neutral, low energy home to help those suffering from fuel poverty.

ECC are currently looking at various other options of Council Own Build. We may not be building many ourselves - but it is depressing to note that those few put us in the top 10 of council's building our own housing stock.

We are about to launch a flexible tenancy policy which will attempt to have the right people living in the right property on the right type of tenancy. It willmean that ECC will be able to actively manage the tenancies of our housing stock. Tenants will still be housed for as long as they need, but not necessarily in the same property for their lifetime. 

More about much of the above can be seen (with links) in this storify feed.

I am pleased that  ECC have taken out a lease on some unoccupied student accommodation near St David;s Station to add to our housing stock. It is hoped that this will provide much needed housing for single people. As you will knowm recent Governement policy menas that under 35 year olds need to be placed in shared accommodation, and this new lease will allow ECC to do so in a cost-effective way.

  

We have an active strategy to deal with homelessness and this issue was discussed at Scrutiny Community in January 2013. I have written a blog on the subject in response to a e-mail campaign organised by 38Degrees.

I am pleased that ECC through pressure from myself and others, have signed up to Shelter's "Evict Rogue Landlords" campaign and we are currently looking at introducing a scheme to licence/approve landlords.

I sometimes wonder if it is time to re-introduce some form of rent control? This will rise from a whisper to a roar when the affects of housing benefit cause many claimants to be financially compromised when Universal Credit starts to roll out across the country from October.

We are actively seeking to return empty homes to use, and a recent Scrutiny Community meeting approved the use of several measures - such as compulsory purchase of long-term empty properties - to return them to use as homes.

We are using the private sector to help deliver homes for people - via private sector leasing and EXtraLet.

As you can see, I view the issue of housing is a big, involved conundrum where the public and private sectors must join together, probably with seed-funding from central Government.

I am happy to say #YesToHomes - I hope you will, too