The Keighley and Ilkley Area Committee met on 11 September 2025, where the main item scheduled for discussion was the Housing Strategy 2020-30 and how it addresses housing and homelessness issues in the district. Councillors were also scheduled to discuss the roles and responsibilities of council teams and partner agencies, as well as the work of Registered Social Landlords in the Keighley and Ilkley constituency. The committee was also expected to confirm the minutes of previous meetings.

Housing and Homelessness

The Keighley and Ilkley Area Committee were scheduled to discuss a report from the Strategic Director, Place, regarding housing and homelessness in the area. The report pack included the Bradford District Housing Strategy 2020-30, also known as A Place to Call Home, A Place to Thrive. The strategy is partnership-led and jointly owned by the council and the Bradford District Housing Partnership¹, and reflects the roles played by a wide range of organisations and agencies in delivering housing and homelessness objectives. The report pack included three appendices:

• Appendix A: Housing Issues & Challenges, Health & Wellbeing Board - 29 July 2025
• Appendix B: Housing Functions
• Appendix C: Registered Social Landlords

Appendix A included a presentation given to the Health & Wellbeing Board on 29 July 2025 by Yusuf Karolia, Head of Housing Access, Strategy & Homelessness at Bradford Council. The presentation covered:

• The Housing Strategy 2020-2030
• Challenges & Opportunities
• Service demand for housing and homelessness
• Service redesign
• Renters Rights Bill
• Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy
• Housing Delivery Plan
• Housing Partnership Structure

The presentation stated that the population of Bradford is expected to rise to over 550,000 by 2037, and that 1,704 net new homes per year are needed to keep up with this growth. It also noted that against an annual target of 411 affordable homes, the average completion rate over the last 5 years was only 185, leaving a 5 year shortfall of over 1000 homes.

The presentation also noted that one-third of homes were built before 1919 and are often in poor condition, and that £71 million was needed in 2015 to remove serious housing hazards from private sector homes. It also stated that 3,500 long-term empty homes are causing neighbourhood blight and reducing supply, and that housing directly affects life expectancy, respiratory illness and mental wellbeing.

The presentation also highlighted the following statistics relating to homelessness:

• 2,800 households homeless or at prevention stage during last year
• 500 households in temporary accommodation
• Rough sleeping increased from 13 people in 2019 to 36 people in 2024

The presentation also noted a number of service redesigns, including:

• Introduction and implementation of the Renters Rights Bill
• Implementation of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, including a locally led licensing regime for supported housing
• Developing a Housing Delivery Plan to ensure access to good quality affordable housing, particularly for special needs groups
• A new Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy
• Recommissioning of Housing Related Support in 2026
• Review of the Social Housing Allocations Policy Winter/Spring 2025/26

The presentation stated that the emerging priorities of the new Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy are:

1. Early intervention to prevent homelessness occurring in the first place.
2. High quality services to tackle homelessness when it does occur and ending the cycle of homelessness.
3. Ending Rough Sleeping.
4. Support for the most vulnerable people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping.

Appendix B contained information about the council's Housing Functions, including:

• Housing Operations, led by David North
• Housing Access, Strategy & Homelessness, led by Yusuf Karolia
• Housing Partnerships, led by Jamie Burns

The Housing Operations teams include:

• Housing Standards Team: Enforcement of standards in rented houses occupied by single/family households (private and social) and enforcement of legislation relating to some issues involving owner occupied housing, i.e. nuisance, hoarding, filthy and verminous
• HMO Team: Enforcement of standards in rented houses in multiple occupation and flats (private and social) and delivery of the mandatory licencing scheme for high-risk HMOs²
• Adaptations Team: Delivery of mandatory Disabled Facilities Grants / Adaptations
• Empty Homes and Loans Team: Delivery of the Council's Empty Homes programme – bringing empty residential properties back into use.
• Enforcement / statutory duties relating to empty properties causing nuisance / insecure, etc.
• Delivery of financial assistance to homeowners to make properties safe, dry, warm through equity loans and grants.

The Housing Access, Strategy & Homelessness Teams include:

• Temporary Accommodation
• Housing Options
• Access to Housing Team
• Private Rented & Support
• Supported Housing Improvement Programme

Appendix C contained a report on property and tenant breakdowns in the Keighley portfolio of Manningham Housing Association (MHA). The report provided an overview of the property and tenant data for the 246 properties in Keighley owned and managed by MHA. The analysis focused on four main areas for MHA's Keighley stock: scheme distribution, property size, tenant vulnerabilities, and property type at commencement.

The report noted that:

• Worth Park is the largest scheme, accounting for 83 properties (approximately 34% of the portfolio).
• Three-bedroom homes make up 63% of properties.
• The majority of households have resided in their properties for over a decade, indicating a stable tenant base.
• The population is ethnically diverse, with the largest groups being White British and Asian Pakistani.
• Employment status is mixed across tenants, with a significant proportion not in work.
• Most households report no disability, but a notable minority identify as having a disability or long-term health condition.
• Household structures are varied, with single adults and families with children making up the majority.
• The most common reason for rehousing is overcrowding (23%).
• 82 households are recorded as having no identified vulnerability, while 44 households are identified as vulnerable, representing a 35–40% vulnerability rate across the sample.
• Relets form the bulk of tenancy commencements, highlighting the importance of void turnaround efficiency.

The report recommended that the Keighley and Ilkley Area Committee note the report and is invited to make comments, ask questions and ask for further information relating to the content of the report.

Minutes

The committee was also scheduled to approve the minutes of the meetings held on 27 March, 24 April and 17 July 2025.