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Response by the Cabinet Member: 1. Current Housing Demand in Powys • How many individual applications are currently on the Powys County Council housing waiting list? 3321 • How many active housing applications are there at present? 3321 • Has this number changed over the past 5 years? Jan 2021: 3326 Jan 2022: 4053 Jan 2023: 4718 Jan 2024: 4051 Jan 2025: 3375 • What proportion of applicants are families, single people, or those with specific support needs? The household type of the housing application is not a mandatory field so there are a high number of blank records, however, we are able to report the following breakdown: Single persons: 1703 Families with dependent children: 437 Couples/ Other household types: 354 Not recorded: 827 The majority of single persons on the waiting list tally with the number of applicants who qualify for a minimum one bed property - 1927 (over half). Regarding specific support needs, we are able to report on the accessibility level required by a household. Of the 3321, the breakdown is as follows: Level access property: 1014 Wheelchair suitable property or level access: 207 Wheelchair suitable: 22 2. Affordability and Local Housing Pressure • What assessment has been made of the impact that rising housing costs and the cost-of-living crisis are having on demand for council and social housing? • How is the council prioritising local people who are unable to access the private housing market? • What pressures does the council anticipate over the next few years if affordability continues to worsen? The cost-of-living crisis and rising housing costs have significantly increased demand for council and social housing. • The number of households registering with Homes in Powys is now around 9.5% of all households in Powys, reflecting a sharp rise in demand for secure, affordable homes. This increase is linked to the widening gap between household incomes and accommodation costs, and legislative changes such as the permanent implementation of the Everyone In policy, which removed previous priority need criteria for homelessness assistance. • The Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan highlights that the cost-of-living crisis is hitting the poorest hardest, amplifying inequalities in accessing suitable accommodation. The Council has responded by creating a Cost of Living Hub and a Child Poverty Task Force, alongside measures to build new council housing, purchase empty properties, and partner with community landlords to meet identified housing need. • Rising costs of materials and labour have increased the cost of repairs, maintenance, and making void properties fit-to-let. This has reduced the viability of new housing development programmes and increased pressure on budgets. Mitigation measures include in-sourcing work, standardising house types, and reviewing procurement policies. • The Council uses the Homes in Powys Common Housing Register (CHR) and Allocation Scheme, which sets out clear priorities for social housing allocation. Priority is given to applicants who demonstrate a local connection to Powys (e.g., current or previous residence, family ties, or employment in the area). This ensures that people with strong links to the county are prioritised for housing. • Applications are assessed and placed into bands according to housing need - this may include those who are unable to access the private housing market. Those who are at risk or have lost their home due to affordability may be eligible for assistance under homeless legislation. Homeless households owed a Section 75 duty under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 receive additional priority on the waiting list. • The Council’s Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (RRTP) (2023–2028) aims to move households from temporary accommodation into settled homes quickly. Policy amendments allow households with a local connection to be “flipped” from temporary accommodation to permanent tenancies, even if this means overlooking other applicants on the register. There are different types of assistance available to those who may be at risk of losing their home or for whom the private rented sector may still be an option. • Working with local organisations (e.g. Money Saviour, Citizens Advice Bureau) which specialise in debt advice casework and management - the ultimate aim being that such intervention would enable the applicant to remain in their accommodation. Maximising income - as we assess an applicant’s situation we might identify they are not claiming all the benefits they’re entitled to or there may be a problem with their income such as their benefits may have stopped. • If it’s identified that the applicant may be able to remain in their current accommodation with a one off payment we can look at arranging this via a Spend To Save (S2S) loan or alternatively, if the applicant cannot afford to pay the deposit and/or first months rent in advance and all other funding options have been exhausted, we can offer a Spend to Save loan. A S2S loan is an interest free loan re-payable by the tenant at an agreed affordable monthly rate, over a period of time, maximum of 3 years. • Powys have two Lettings Facilitators in post whose role it is to work closely with private landlords in Powys sourcing affordable options for applicants. 3. Housing Supply and Development • How many new council or social homes are currently planned or under development in Powys? Number of future new build social rented homes with funding allocated is 434. Number of future new build shared ownership homes with funding allocated is 42. Source: Manage Homes and Places Portal, November 2025. • How many of these developments are specifically intended to meet local housing need? 368 social rent homes will be allocated to households from the common housing register. Priority is given to local connection. 66 social rent homes for extra care will be allocated by a panel. Priority is given to local connection. • Is current housing delivery keeping pace with demand, and if not, what are the main barriers? The 434 new homes will not provide a home for everyone registered on the common housing register. The main barriers are: • Available funding • In some areas the waste water treatment works need to be improved, before homes can be built • In some areas it can be difficult to find a suitable site that is available 4. Asylum Seeker Housing & Support Scheme • How many housing units are expected to be delivered or allocated specifically to support asylum seekers? No new housing units will be allocated to individuals or families seeking asylum. Under the proposal put to the Home Office any new funding would be utilised to build new homes in Powys, which would then be allocated to those already on the Common Housing Register (CHR). For each new unit built, existing, older stock where we identify it, could then be offered to the Home Office for their asylum dispersal programme on a temporary leaseback basis. As the homes would be leased back to the Home Office for use on the dispersal programme the occupants would not be social housing tenants – indeed individuals seeking asylum have no recourse to public funds – and would be required to leave the properties once their asylum claims are determined. Not only would this equate to a ‘neutral’ position regarding waiting list times, it would also enable Powys County Council to better meet existing need; ie. being able to build more one and two bedroom properties which are in the highest demand (see above). After the proposed 10 year period, when the Home Office leases expire and the older stock reverts to the Authority, housing stock would see a net gain, leading to an overall increase in social housing for Powys residents. This model of delivery would also give control over the location and numbers of individuals seeking asylum to the Council – not a Home Office agent (see below). • Separately, how many units are expected to support individuals being released from prison back into the community, many of whom may be British nationals? We do not hold properties specifically for ex-offenders and we only accommodate those leaving prison who have a connection to Powys. Accommodation used would vary across B&B, social housing or private rented stock. • In both cases, what is the current level of housing provision and associated support available in Powys? Currently there is one family (four individuals) seeking asylum placed in Powys under the existing Mandatory Asylum Dispersal scheme. They are supported by the Home Office agent and Migrant Help (phone line) as is usual under the current model of asylum dispersal. Can you clarify Powys County Council’s level of involvement or interest in the UK Government's asylum seeker housing plan? Under the current asylum dispersal scheme all Local Authorities (LA) are mandated to take a share of individuals seeking asylum. The decision about how many each LA takes is made by the Home Office and implemented by their housing ‘agents’. In Wales the agent is Clearsprings Ready Homes (CRH). The agent also decides where individuals are placed. Local Authorities are able to raise ‘concerns’ but the final decision over numbers and locations rests with the Home Office agent. The Council signed up to this scheme in 2021, under the previous Independent and Conservative administration - a year before the scheme was made mandatory. The Home Office agents are private companies and the levels of profit they have been making, together with the inferior levels of accommodation and support, has been much in the news. In April 2025 the Home Office approached all Local Authorities to discuss a new way of providing accommodation for asylum seekers that better served local communities. They suggested some pilot models but invited LAs to put forward schemes which would best take account of local need and community cohesion, as well as providing better value for tax-payers money. This gave the Council a chance to say what would be best for our communities whilst also gaining control over the process in terms of numbers and locations as well as the household make up (ie. families not single men). Given this opportunity, the decision was taken by Cabinet to explore a non-binding expression of interest. In discussions, the Home Office made it clear that any new funding provided to LAs could be utilised to fund additional newbuild homes, and these could be allocated to meet local need. For each new unit funded, existing, older stock could then be offered to the Home Office for their asylum dispersal programme on a temporary leaseback basis. This formed the basis of the Council’s expression of interest (as above). The expression of interest was non-binding and, at this stage, nothing has been agreed. The scheme may not even proceed. The Council is awaiting further details from the Home Office before any final decision is taken, such decision would of course be a matter for Cabinet. • What assessment has been made of the impact this could have on the existing housing waiting list? As the numbers would be very small (a maximum of 20 homes over a three year period) and the homes would come from a new, additional allocation, the impact on the housing waiting list would initially be neutral but, once the leased properties are returned to the Council, our stock would show a net gain. • How will the council ensure that housing provision for asylum seekers and prisoners does not disadvantage people already living in Powys who are in housing need? As numbers in both cases would be relatively low the impact on existing communities would be minimal. • Is there a risk that this scheme is being viewed as a “silver bullet” to address wider housing pressures, and if so, how is that being mitigated? This is not the case as the numbers are so low as to have minimal impact on wider housing pressures. The non-binding EOI is to explore opportunities to make the system work better for our communities. 5. Community Integration and Wider Impacts • What measures are being taken to ensure that any housing delivered through UK Government schemes is fully integrated into existing communities rather than being separate or isolated? Numbers would be relatively low given the annual allocation of housing across the County and, as we would have control over the locations, we could ensure that the right household composition (eg. families) were placed appropriately with adequate support networks and facilities. • How is the Housing Portfolio working with other portfolios (such as employment, health, education, and community services) to ensure a joined-up approach? We are committed to partnership working to deliver the best outcomes for Powys. This will continue. • What safeguards are in place to ensure protection, cohesion, and positive outcomes for all parties involved? As mentioned above, should the Council gain control over how many families are placed and where they are placed we would be able to ensure that numbers are low and that families are placed in areas with appropriate levels of support and access to services. However, it should also be noted that mis- or dis-information are highly damaging and erode trust. It is up to Councillors and politicians to ensure that only correct and accurate information is imparted across our communities. Trust is one of the most important factors in maintaining cohesive and positive community relations.
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