In this update

CLLR HANNAH DALTON: It’s time to prioritise affordable housing

MUST-READS: Our round-up of media and policy highlights

SIXTY SECONDS WITH… Kath Marriott, Chief Executive, Rushcliffe Borough Council

NOTICEBOARD: Dates and opportunities for your council

EXECUTIVE BOARD UPDATE What DCN’s Executive discussed on 21 August

It’s time to prioritise affordable housing

Councils want to prevent homelessness, not deal with its consequences

Cllr Hannah Dalton, Vice-Chair, DCN; Leader, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council

I’m honoured to take over as DCN’s Independent group leader and look forward to working alongside colleagues at all member councils and of all political groupings.

As ever, there is much we’ll be doing collectively through DCN as we seek to bring about the changes we need to help us support our communities locally. This is particularly true in the areas of health, housing and homelessness, for which I am DCN’s spokesperson.

The housing crisis and its impact on our citizens looms large in most councillors’ postbags. My council, Epsom & Ewell in Surrey, covers a relatively small geographical area. The lack of suitable land available to build upon coupled with a short supply of accommodation means that what is available is expensive. Many people struggle to find or retain a home in which they can afford to live.

I recall one case in the run-up to last Christmas when a mother and her child came to us facing homelessness. Few options were available that would have ensured the child didn’t face the disruption of changing schools. My dedicated officers worked wonders and located a two-bedroom private rental property within the borough. It was affordable for the council and spared the mother and child unnecessary upheaval – they had their new home in time for Christmas.

Sadly not all stories have such a happy ending. Across the country too many people face crisis as a result of homelessness. Poor housing leads to ill-health – both physical and mental – and the lack of a permanent home prevents people from putting down roots in their community. Employment and education are disrupted by constant moves. Barriers prevent councils from building and retaining the social housing which could ease the problem and we have little option but to use temporary accommodation, which can be exorbitant and low quality.

Things must change. We need far more affordable housing. That’s why DCN has brought together expertise from within our membership and the many partner organisations with whom we work to discuss a new way forward. Our aim is to devise a bold new blueprint before the end of the year setting out how we as district councils can work to ease the temporary accommodation crisis.

The Government’s prioritisation of housing and planning gives us an opportunity to make our case strongly. I have already written to Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, calling for urgent action to end the temporary accommodation crisis, including the raising of Local Housing Allowance rates and the removal of the Housing Benefit Subsidy cap, but we need more dramatic changes to ensure everyone has an affordable and safe home.

We don’t want to be using temporary accommodation following homelessness – we want to prevent it in the first place. Together we can make this a reality.

MUST-READS: Our round-up of media and policy highlights

Cllr Susan Brown discusses a stronger role for districts in devolved arrangements in the MJ (£): A seat at the table

DCN: Our response to the King’s Speech

Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen in the MJ (£): Reasons for cheer on Government’s housebuilding ambitions

Matt Prosser, Chief Executive, Dorset Council, in LGC (£): The Government needs stable councils to achieve its missions

Sky News: High-risk flood areas face cuts to key council services as flood defence costs spike

The Guardian: Cost of flighting flooding is soaking up English councils cash, ministers warned

The Telegraph (£): Council tax could rise in high risk flood areas

The Independent (£): ‘Time for half-measures has passed’ say housing leaders amid record homelessness

BBC Radio 4 News: Coverage of DCN’s temporary accommodation letter

The Financial Times (£): UK councils demand extra cash and end of Right to Buy to boost social housing

George Eaton, Senior Editor (Politics), The New Statesman: Keir Starmer’s big idea: the preventative state

David Phillips, Associate Director, Institute for Fiscal Studies: Devolution may be sexier but updating the local government finance system is vital

Gill Kneller, Chief Executive, East Hampshire District Council, in the MJ (£): We aim to create empowered, resilient and self-sufficient communities

Sixty Seconds With…

Kath Marriott, Chief Executive, Rushcliffe Borough Council

What was your first job as an adult?

Whilst at University in Reading I worked at County Delicacies, a deli that catered for many international cuisines. I gained an extensive knowledge of cheese and the ability to slice wafer thin ham off the bone. After uni, and thinking that I should gain some office experience, I worked for the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce, a civil service agency that implemented the Common Agricultural Policy. I had to reconcile the paper slaughter sheets for cows destroyed as part of the BSE crisis. Then I achieved my dream of moving to London and working in publishing.

What’s given you the most satisfaction in your career?

Apart from becoming Chief Exec of Rushcliffe Borough Council in 2019, it has to be the regeneration of Cotgrave Town Centre in Rushcliffe. This was a 10-year project that included transforming a grotty town centre precinct into a welcoming shopping area with a multiservice centre and business units, delivering employment units, and the building of 450 new homes on the former colliery site. I started working on this when I joined Rushcliffe with no prior experience in such things, no budget and many land and community challenges to deal with. Now the town is flourishing and I feel a very strong emotional attachment to the project and the improvements we delivered.

What’s the most exciting thing your organisation is doing?

We are the home of the last coal-fired power station in the UK at Ratcliffe on Soar which will be decommissioned from October onwards.  We have worked with Uniper on the vision for the site for the future which we hope to be a new home of clean energy for the East Midlands.

Which single thing – not money or devolution – could most improve local government?

Attracting people to the sector who have not grown up with it brings fresh ideas. Being able to promote the career opportunities there are and encouraging people that there are so many options would be good.

What is your biggest local government annoyance?

In some organisations it’s the pace of decision making.

What keeps you up at night?

My husband’s insomnia or a late-night cheese board. I am fortunate that I like my sleep and generally get eight hours in.

Tell us something surprising about yourself

I love musicals, the Lake District and my Romany dog Monty, who is a springer cross.

NOTICEBOARD: Dates and opportunities for your council

Household Support Fund The support to help people through the cost of living crisis, has been extended by six months. You can see more details here.

Social housing The Government has decided against implementing changes to social housing allocations, which had been the subject of a consultation undertaken by the previous administration. The Government announcement is here.

Comms webinar DCN is holding a one-hour webinar on communicating contentious housing and planning decisions, which is intended for communications officers at member councils. The speakers are Donna Nolan, Chief Executive, Watford Borough Council; Cllr Paul Harvey, Leader, Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council; Oliver Deed, Managing Director, Engage, Communicate, Facilitate; and Natasha Lee, Regeneration Communications and Marketing Manager, Stevenage Borough Council. It takes place on Friday, 20 September at 2pm. To attend, please email DCN@local.gov.uk.

LGA Conference DCN will be hosting a drinks reception on Tuesday, 22 October from 18.30 to 20.00. This will take place in Hall D at the Harrogate Convention Centre.

Technology The Local Government Association is holding a Technology Innovation Showcase, which aims to connect councils with cutting-edge AI and smart tech solutions to their challenges, on 14 November, both in-person and remotely. Councils can submit specific challenges by 19 September for tech innovators to propose solutions. Further details are available here.

EXECUTIVE BOARD UPDATE What DCN’s Executive discussed on 21 August

DCN’s political executive discussed:

• Devolution
• Planning reform
• The spending review
• Waste and recycling.