James McInnes: Addressing Devon's housing crisis

I would like to return to housing this week and what Devon County Council is doing to help ease our housing crisis. And I have some good news in that respect.

We're not a housing authority—that's the responsibility of the individual district councils—but we do work closely with them on both strategic policy and specific projects.

Our new devolution deal with Torbay Council also has housing, and particularly affordable housing, as one of its key initiatives.

So I was particularly delighted that the new Government has confirmed an upfront payment of £16 million ahead of our full devolution arrangements coming into operation early next year. 

This money will be spent across the county and is the result of close cooperation and partnership between the county and our district councils on individual projects.

It will be spent on providing more affordable homes, sheltered accommodation for vulnerable residents, green jobs, and business growth. More than half—some £8 million—will be spent on housing projects.

In all, the funding will enable 16 projects to progress, and, as well as the housing schemes, it will also accelerate our transition to a net-zero economy and capitalise on the area’s world-leading expertise in green science and technology.

One of the biggest projects will see nearly £2 million spent in Ilfracombe, where North Devon District Council will take control of a number of existing low-quality, poorly converted properties. 

They will be improved and then re-let on an ethical basis. I think this clearly highlights how we can intervene in the local housing market to improve existing low-quality housing to create decent, low-cost, more energy-efficient housing. 

It’s obviously going to improve the living conditions of the tenants, and we believe it will have a very positive impact on their health.

More than £800,000 will be used by North Devon to complete the building of 27 homes through a community land trust in Woolacombe and Parracombe. They will provide low-carbon, affordable housing for social rent, and the cash will also allow another 57 homes to be completed across the North Devon area.

Two projects, worth a total of £1 million, will be funded in Mid Devon, where the district council will deliver four dedicated, self-contained one-bed homes for care leavers by early next year.

There will also be support for two well-advanced community land trust projects in Chawleigh and Thorverton, which could have been threatened without direct financial support.

In Tavistock we have worked with West Devon Borough Council on a £325,000 project to redevelop a property that they already own to provide three homes of supported accommodation. These will primarily be for single homeless people or wider family groups who have complex needs.

So you can see that we have a range of projects across the area. Obviously they will only go a small way towards easing our housing crisis, but they are initiatives that can be completed quickly, and they are the first fruits of our devolution deal—they will be literally concrete achievements.

On top of the housing developments, we will also be using the money for other exciting initiatives.

Working with Torridge District Council, a new Clean Maritime Innovation Centre will be established in Appledore. This will see over £1 million spent on northern Devon’s first university research centre. This will be a world-leading global innovation centre.

And on a county-wide basis, the county council has won almost £2 million to set up a Green Impact Fund. This will provide capital funding support to enable businesses and community organisations to adopt and implement sustainable products and technologies.