At its meeting on 23rd September, Cabinet approved the new draft RCT Housing Strategy (2024-2030), initiating a formal public consultation phase.
The draft RCT Housing Strategy sets out how, over the next 6 years, the Council will work with stakeholders to shape and deliver safe, quality, affordable housing, and housing services. With a reduction of available public sector resources, the Strategy relies upon creativity, innovation and partnership working, focusing on inward investment with a robust strategic direction.
The Councils vision for the strategy is to ensure that ‘the housing market in RCT offers our residents access to good quality, affordable homes, in the right place at the right time.’
The previous Housing Strategy ‘Building on Firm Foundations’ made improvements to housing and housing services across RCT, such as delivering over 1,000 affordable homes and bringing over 1,500 empty properties back into use.
However, many challenges still lie ahead which the Strategy aims to help tackle. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of people accessing housing services, particularly the homelessness services. There are also wider factors that have contributed to housing pressures, such as increased interest rates have led to many landlords leaving the private rented sector, and an increasing number of older people and people living with a limiting long-term illness who require adaptations to be made to their homes for them to live independently.
The new strategy is supported by four objectives that will drive its delivery, these being:
- To enable a functional housing market that meets the needs of our communities.
- To promote sustainable communities and create homes that are safe, warm and healthy by improving housing conditions and investing in community regeneration.
- To enable access to all types of suitable and affordable housing that meets the needs of residents.
To create prosperous communities by ensuring residents have access to housing advice and support that meets their needs.
A six week consultation will now take place and will include an online survey and targeted workshops. The feedback from this will inform the final version of the strategy. Following the consultation, a revised strategy will be presented to Cabinet for final approval.
Councillor Mark Norris, Cabinet Member for Prosperity, and Development, said: “I’m pleased to see the new Housing Strategy being approved. This is an important part of our commitment to our residents to provide quality and affordable housing.
“It is no secret that the UK is in the grips of a housing crisis, with Rhondda Cynon Taf facing similar issues to the rest of the Country.
“We have had many successes in recent years, especially helping to turn empty properties into homes that people cherish, but we are fully aware that there are a number of pressures within the housing market.
“With the support of partners this new strategy will continue to build upon the success of the previous housing strategy.”
