Purpose

To present a business case
relating to the purchase of six houses within the
district.

Decision

1.   
To consider the business case and approve the
acquisition of six houses.

2.   
To delegate authority to Assistant Director of
Housing to conclude contractual matters in respect of the purchase
of these homes including signing contracts, transfers and reviewing
due diligence and approving any other matters which may represent a
minor variation to this business case.

Reasons for the decision

1.   
To fulfil the Executive decision (effective from 15th
November 2024) relating to acceptance of the Local Authority
Housing Fund Round 3 grant allocation.
2.    To meet short, medium
and long-term housing needs within the district.
3.    To increase the
provision of affordable housing in the district.
4.    To increase the
supply of temporary accommodation directly provided by the
authority and reduce the use of nightly paid
accommodation.
5.    To increase the
number of homes owned by the authority, which enables the authority
to directly deliver solutions to housing issues within the
district.
6.    To enable the
authority to act swiftly in the housing market to secure the six
homes required to fulfil the contract with Government.
 

Alternative options considered

Do Nothing. In this event the
authority would not proceed to purchase these properties. As a
consequence, the expected benefits set out in the Reasons for
Recommendations section of this report would not be realised.
Officers would seek to identify alternative, appropriate properties
to acquire, for consideration by the Executive.