Councillor John Brady, Cabinet Representative for Economic Development, Planning and Housing, will give a brief overview of his areas of responsibility. The Chairman will then invite questions from the public.
(Note – questions may be submitted in advance – please email to james.hazlewood@wiltshire.gov.uk by Thursday 25 March 2010).
Minutes:
Councillor John Brady, Cabinet Representative for Economic Development, Planning and Housing, gave a brief overview of his area of responsibility.
The economy and enterprise element of the portfolio consisted of supporting local business and working to reduce unemployment. The Council had set up Action for Wiltshire, which provided, amongst other things, a business support helpline offering advice to local businesses. The Council also worked with local partners such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, and had managed the spend of £4 million of government funding to provide 130 jobs for young people under the Future Jobs Fund.
Another part of the portfolio was planning, which involved overseeing the planning service (and the merger of the four former district councils’ planning services into one) and strategic planning. This comprised developing the Core Strategy for the county which would state how the Council intended to shape future development. The Core Strategy for the south of the county was nearing completion; the strategy for the whole of Wiltshire was at an earlier stage of development. Strategic Planning also included the regeneration of towns and cities, and the council had set up Vision Boards for Salisbury, Chippenham, and Trowbridge. In relation to planning enforcement, a number of seminars had been held recently for Parish Councils. Due to their popularity, another seminar would be held on 12 May in Malmesbury – anyone wishing to attend, should contact Stephen Hawkins on 01722 434691.
The final part of Councillor Brady’s portfolio was Housing. Again, this had required the merger of the four former district councils’ each of whom had different policies and approaches to providing social and affordable housing. Wiltshire Council was working to provide more affordable homes, especially in view of the large gap between average salaries and average house prices. In relation to homelessness, the use of Bed and Breakfast accommodation had been reduced to a bare minimum, and the council was working with partner agencies to monitor rough sleeping, which was well below the statutory target.
The Chairman invited questions and comments to which Councillor Brady responded:
· The Council was delivering an additional 600 affordable housing units each year.
· In response to a suggestion that rents could be based on household incomes, Councillor Brady explained that rents were set by law.
· Responding to a comment that insufficient affordable homes were suitable for families, Councillor Brady commented that the smaller units were much more in demand, with 55% of those on the housing waiting list seeking 1-bed accommodation, and only 10% seeking 3-bed, and 4% for 4-bed.
· Reference was made to “Exception Sites”, which were generally rural sites which were not allocated for development by council policy, but which could be put proposed for small schemes of affordable housing for local people. Parish Councils interested in pursuing this were advised to contact the Wiltshire Rural Housing Association, although it was noted that there were often difficulties with insufficient infrastructure in isolated rural areas.
The Chairman thanked Councillor Brady for his presentation and for attending the meeting.