Ipswich, Babergh, Mid Suffolk and East Suffolk councils join call for action to fix ‘broken’ council housing system

Suffolk councils have warned that urgent action is needed to fix England’s ‘broken’ council house system as they join a national call for change.

Mid Suffolk District Council, Babergh District Council, East Suffolk Council and Ipswich Borough Council are among the more than 100 authorities urging the Government to meet its housing targets.

They feared the knock-on effect the current housing crisis could have and said that, unless more is done, they will struggle to maintain existing homes, meet new demands for improvement or build new ones to rent out.

At an event in Westminster today, the councils jointly published five solutions for the Government in what they hope will ‘secure the future of England’s council housing’.

The recommendations made are:

► A new fair and sustainable Housing Revenue Account (HRA) model, including a £644 million one-off rescue injection alongside rent and debt agreements.

► Reforms to ‘unsustainable’ right-to-buy policies

► Removing red tape on existing funding

► A new, long-term green and decent homes programme

► Urgent action to restart stalled building projects

This followed a smaller report published on July 20 containing an summary of their recommendations.

It aims to set out a roadmap to renew the council house market over the next decade and the policy changes needed.

This includes how an ‘unsustainable’ financial model and ‘erratic national policy’ changes squeezed council budgets and caused costs to soar.

New data released by Savills has predicted a £2.2 billion ‘black hole’ by 2028.

In addition, the councils highlighted that projects up and down the country were being delayed, and the domino effect this could have on the construction sector, housing and markets.

They feared councils would be forced to sell off stock to finance a shrinking market for homes.

Cllr Richard Winch, Mid Suffolk’s portfolio member for housing, said tenants were its priority.

He said council house funding heading towards a cliff edge threatened the progress made towards fixing the system – and that it wanted to invest in desperately needed homes, ensure maintenance is robust and existing homes were energy efficient.

“We’ve had to use reserves to plug the gaps in our housing budget, and this is unsustainable,” Cllr Winch said.

“This is a national problem caused by a broken funding model. By working with other councils, we are sending a clear message to the government that urgent action is needed.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Jessie Carter, Babergh’s cabinet member for housing, said increasing constrains would make it difficult for the authority to ensure homes are safe and warm long into the future.

She said: “This action plan can make a huge difference, and we strongly urge the government to work with local authorities to solve this crisis.”

Cllr David Beavan, East Suffolk Council’s cabinet member for housing, said the authority welcomed the fact the new Government was taking the housing crisis seriously.

“What we need is more houses that people can afford to live in, not necessarily just more houses,” he said.

He added that East Suffolk would stage a housing day in September which would mark the beginning of its strategy to solve the crisis in the district.

Finally, Cllr Alasdair Ross, Ipswich’s portfolio holder for housing, said the report marked a pivotal moment for the future of council housing in England.

This allowed councils, coming together to send a unified message – that the challenge was too vast to be addressed at the local level alone.

“By embracing the necessary reforms, we can not only safeguard the future of council housing but also ensure that every family in England has access to a safe, affordable, and decent home,” he added.