Agenda item

The Chair welcomed Cllr James Jamieson OBE, Member of the Government Older People’s Housing Taskforce (OPHT), Gary Orr, Chief Executive of the Abri Group, Jordan Rosenhaus, CEO of TopHat, and Andrew Shepperd, Managing Director of TopHat, to the meeting.

The Chair invited Cllr James Jamieson OBE to address the Board to update Members on the OPHT’s emerging findings and to share his own views in a personal capacity. He included the following points in his update:

• It was projected that there would be over 20 million people aged 65+ by 2066.
• Approximately 6% of the 65+ age group live in supported housing and less than 1% in housing with care.
• Most people aged 65+ lived in energy-inefficient homes and homes with poor access.
• 9 in 10 people aged 65+ were living in underoccupied homes.
• In the last year, approximately 7,000 retirement homes had been built and approximately 200,000 homes.
• Issues related to social isolation and loneliness were more prevalent in older people living in their own home.
• Local authorities saved approximately £2,000 annually for every apartment which had been designed for older people.
• Accommodation for older people in town centres added approximately £15,000 economic benefit to the town.
• The importance of clarity, embedding a people-centred approach, good leadership and partnership at a local and system level, was emphasised.
• The need to ensure that all housing was suitably designed for later life and creating age-friendly and dementia inclusive communities, was expressed.

Members made the following contributions:

• A suggestion was made which related to stamp duty and the possibility of reducing or eliminating stamp duty for older people.
• The importance of considering health-related issues on an individual basis was recognised.
• In relation to underoccupancy, a question was asked regarding local government’s role in increasing provision of sheltered and assisted living.
• The importance of appropriate transport links close by to sheltered and assisted living facilities, was emphasised.
• The need to consider age limits and ensure that such accommodation remained a desirable place to live, was expressed.
• The opportunity to regenerate wider communities was highlighted.
• The importance of retrofitting, community-led housing and implementing planning policies, was emphasised.
• A suggestion was made which related to potential financial compensation for older people moving out of their current homes to make space for younger families.

Cllr Jamieson thanked Members for their contributions and responded to their comments and questions.

The Chair invited Gary Orr to present a series of slides to Members which related to the work of Abri Housing Association. The presentation slides set out the following information:

• Abri Housing Association background information

• Asset count
• The housing context
• Operating environment
• Good practice that Abri could share
• Homes England
• Strengthening housing association and local authority relationships
• The key policy priorities the next steps which government should address

Members made the following contributions:

·       A question was asked which related to funding for well-designed new build housing.

·       A concern was raised regarding the lack of available land.

·       Members shared personal experiences related to the work of their local authority.

Gary thanked Members for their contributions and responded to their comments and questions.

The Chair invited Andrew Shepperdto present a series of slides to Members which related to the work of TopHat. The presentation slides set out the following information:

• The TopHat mission
• Traditional UK housebuilding facing major structural challenges
• Customisable houses and apartments
• Advanced manufacturing facilities
• Factory 2 status
• Façade styles
• Embodied carbon lifecycle assessment
• Zero bills
• Case studies
• UK Project pipeline

Members made the following contributions:

• Questions were asked which related to the following points:

-        the lifespan of the houses

-        the impact on residents, skills and workforce

-        infill and viability

-        timescales

-        new build delays and speeding up processes

-        retrofitting existing properties

-        support methods from local authorities

-        tackling remediation-related issues

• A concern was raised which related to the mix of materials used.
• The importance of carbon initiatives was recognised.
• Members shared personal experiences related to the work of their local authorities.

Andrew thanked Members for their contributions and responded to their comments and questions.

Decision:

·              Board Members noted the report.