‘More Than a Roof’: Bristol’s Housing Strategy

Bristol City Council has invested in a new strategy that outlines plans that address housing issues over the next five years.

It was last month the strategy ‘More than a Roof’ was agreed by Cabinet following a large amount of consultation throughout the summer, and last night it was endorsed by councillors at a Full Council meeting.

The strategy’s vision acknowledges that homes are more than just the house itself. A good quality home at a cost the household can afford should enable people to achieve a high quality of life and create the opportunity for all to thrive in mixed communities of their choice.

However to achieve this ambition Bristol will need to tackle a number of housing related issues over the next five years.  There is currently a serious shortage of housing, particularly of affordable housing, and addressing this is at the heart of the new strategy.

Also, the implementation of welfare reform changes will result in more households being unable to afford to rent or buy in the private sector, therefore relying on affordable housing. At the same time the current demand for private rental homes is unlikely to go away, and so ensuring that those homes are well-managed and in reasonable condition will become more important.

There are three themes within the strategy. They are:  

1. Increase the number of new homes
2. Deliver the best use of existing homes
3. Intervene early before a crisis occurs

The intentions around intervening early are to try and prevent households becoming homeless wherever possible, which almost always has higher social and financial costs.

‘More than a Roof’ will be published in January 2016 and following that an plan will be developed, which will take forward the actions from the Bristol Housing Strategy and the Mayor’s Homes Commission, as well as other pieces of housing related work both within Bristol City Council and other organisations.

The strategy was developed by the strategic housing partnership for the city, Homes4Bristol.  The Mayor announced in his State of the City Address, that from 2016 he will be co-chairing a revamped homes board, alongside Louise Swain the Executive Director of Curo, one of the council’s principal housing association partners.  This board will develop the action plan.

The strategy will contribute to the Mayor’s vision for Bristol and its recognition of the need to address inequalities of health, wealth and opportunity in the city, supporting everyone to reach their potential by creating successful places to live, work and play.

George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol, said: “This strategy builds on the good work we have been doing over the past three years and sets out the framework for us to continue to tackle the challenging housing issues we face as a city.

“Suitable and affordable housing is one of the most pressing issues we face in Bristol, a growing city with rising house prices, making it essential we work with all partners to increase provision in all sectors.”

Louise Swain added: “Everyone deserves a safe, comfortable place to call home. A joined up approach to tackling the housing crisis in Bristol is critical – fundamental to this will be increasing housing supply across all tenures.

“I particularly welcome the role that the Mayor will play in the new board which will raise the profile of housing issues and make sure that all partners maximise their contributions to deliver more.”

To be successful, the Housing Strategy Action Plan will help link work undertaken across a range of different areas within Bristol City Council including: planning; adult health and social care; children and family services; community development; community safety and transport, as well as work carried out by all our partners in the delivery of housing or housing services in Bristol.