Minutes

Minutes of the fourth Housing meeting held at 3 North Street, Lewes on Thursday 1st February 2018 at 7.30 p.m.

Present: Penny Jones, Jennifer Chibnall, Amanda Deadman, Rita Ellis, Ruth O’Keefe, Debbie Twitchen, Nick Belcher, Emma Montlake, Jo Carter, Ian McKay, Tony Rowell, Lin Heyworth, Maggie Symons

Apologies: Chris Smith, David Nicholson, Barbara Hayes, Louis Blair
Welcome to Emma who has a great interested in the St Anne’s Site and is a trustee for Sussex Wildlife Trust. Also Ian McKay from BBM.

Lewes CLT update St Anne’s and garage sites (LH)

CLT are hoping to submit a written proposal for the scrutiny panel on March 22nd. In preparation Ruth, Lin, Jo and Emily will attend a closed group meeting on 2.2.18 to decide whether there is a willingness and capacity for the CLT to submit a proposal to ESCC. There will be a public meeting after this to publicise plans and gain support in the community.

Garage Sites – Information on what is happening on the garage sites is on the Lewes Action for Social Housing website.

Presentation of recent housing figures for Lewes District (DT)

Waiting 1,140, Band A 15, Band B 8, Band C 503, Band D 403. Temporary accommodation 0 (no figures for that quarter) Homeless 5, Emergency accommodation 75

The new computer system has been put back until June.
The numbers of rent arrears in Lewes are rising as they are in Eastbourne and Hastings.

Universal Credit Update

There are 2 new experienced Case Workers dedicated to help those claiming UC keep their portals open This is essential because if these are not maintained UC can stop and there are fears that eviction could take place if they are notcooperative) .

Case workers are gaining expertise from those working in Eastbourne and Hasting where UC has been rolled out. Jo Carter will find out the flaws in the system, there is money for training and IT, £30,000 to some local agencies

Environmental Issues at St Anne’s EM/IM

Emma lives very near to this site. It is a nice re-naturalised site with a butterfly bank ( built by Sussex Wildlife ) many downland species of plant, butterflies and invertebrates including the Purse Web Spider and about 40 Tree Preservation Orders from 2003. Whether there are bats on the sites is unknown but Subud did surveys where mats were put out for invertebrates and reptiles when they were involved in the previous development plans and will share their findings with CLT. Emma would like to see Homes for People and Homes for Wildlife with a net gain of biodiversity, an essential requirement for any development in The South Downs National Park.

Ian thought that preliminary work there on the ecology of the site and planning to look at the sustainability of existing wildlife and the natural environment is already being done. Following this a survey will have to be carried out at particular times of year so that a Method Statement can be put in place for the relocation of endangered species with proper process so as to fall within the law. Reports should be appearing on the portal now. *Emma and Ian undertook to keep an eye on this part of the development

Presentation of Acorn Tenants Union proposal and vote EC

Emily has been training with Acorn. The Brighton Branch was set up following the model: leafletting, engage with local tenants, door knocking, helping with tenant evictions and unfair rents (successes with this include students received a £60,000 payback recently).

Emily is concerned that evictions are going up and set to rise because of the introduction of UC and the precarious nature of private renting in this area. This may result in private landlords not wanting to take on people claiming UC.

Acorn and Emily want to work with tenants in Lewes District. They will be presenting to TOLD in March and plan to follow the model set up as in Brighton. Tenants  can become members by contributing what they can afford. *The meeting voted unanimously to
Support Emily to set up Acorn for the protection of tenants in Lewes District.

Petition calling on LDC and landlords not to evict tenants for rent arrears as a result of hardship associated with UC (EC) Action to be confirmed once EC/DT have spoken to the council and found out their position on UC evictions
*EC to talk to Jo and Tony to help with putting pressure on the council.
It was decided that we should write an open letter from the group to send to private landlords and letting agents to get them to undertake that they will not evict tenants in arrears because of UC, in the build up to the Lewes ACORN launch.

Report back from Axe, the housing act planning meeting, UC day of action and fact sheet EC
They are working with Disabled People Against Cuts. 12 CLPs have produced a motion which Emily hopes to put to the Lewes CLP.
Day of Action 2.3.18 in London and there will be Nationwide events in the coming months, probably in Brighton as they already have UC. Plan to organise a Lewes day of action on UC.
Update of housing development in Chailey. NB
Nick is a parish councillor. There is a proposal to build new 30 new houses next to the village on Buckleswood Field which is on green belt land but just outside the National Park. After their planning application had been rejected the builders and developers have taken their plans to appeal. Of the 30 new houses 15 are to be for sale as affordable housing at 80% of the market value which is currently £350,000 approx. The developer’s barrister is arguing that although there are not sufficient transport links their development is very like 3 from LDLP and therefore should be allowed. Wealden are trying to look at mitigating factors to try to stop this but as it is already at the public Enquiry stage there is nothing to be done.
*NB to keep an eye on the outcome of this because if granted it may set a precedent for the valley all the way to the Ashdown Forrest.

Plans for moving forward discussion
Jennifer raised the issue of North Street. On 1st Feb it was announced that £10 million had been allocated for infrastructure although the money was meant for housing. She asked who was getting the money and for which? Is this enough to start on site now? There was concern within the group that this money was being used to finance a public/private initiative.
Jennifer wants the group to ask lots of questions about funding, Mass Rae, the director being investigated. This should be done through Jo and DT through TOLD.
February 19th Full Council meeting at Country Hall at 6.00 p.m. and anyone can ask questions but these will need to submitted 5 days in advance.
*Everyone encouraged to send questions to Jo

Rita is very worried about the Malling Brooks site. This is a quagmire and is in danger of flooding. She Fears this site will not be finished.

*Jo to contact with planning enforcement officer to follow up the flooding risk with the Environment Agency.
*Let Emily know if there is anything the group can do anything for this development

Action Points
1) Sending questions to JC
2) Scrutiny Committee 22.3.18, 10.30am
3) Update on ACORN (EC)
4) Core group of 4 people to set up ACORN – anyone interested in being involved to contact EC
5) CLT meeting tomorrow evening. EC to update on progress at next meeting and alert L.A.S.H to public meeting when it’s arranged
6) ACCEL who commissioned this? Town Clerk Consultation Ltd. report of Low Cost Housing. Can we ask the Town Council how much this cost?

A.O.B.
Keep an eye on Pells School Site. Housing will be built here.
Ruth had a petition sheet for this for any member of the group to sign

Meeting closed at 9.10 p.m. Next meeting on Thursday March 8th at 2a Horsfield Road, Lewes BN7 2TA at 7.30 p.m.

Minutes of the third housing meeting held at 3 North Street, Lewes, on Tuesday 12th December 2017 at 7.30 p.m.

Present: Chris Smith, Jane Foot, Debbie Twitchen, Penny Jones, Jennifer Chibnall, Louis Blair, Annie Hailey, Emily Clarke (Chair), Maggie Symons (Minutes).

Apologies: Caroline Pick, Tony Rowell, Ruth O’Keefe, Chelsea Renton, Liz Thomas, Lin Heyworth

Introduction to L.A.S.H.
EC asked everyone to visit Lewes Action for Social Housing website https://lewesaction4socialhousing.com There are links to both Community Land Trust and Acorn. (tenants union started in Bristol to campaign against unfair rents with a message board on Facebook to offer advice to tenants.)

Leaflets and social media videos
EC introduced the leaflet taken from the website and used at The Housing Summit and House of Commons.

Aims for video to be ready at end of Jan and is aimed at both private and council tenants and those who’ve had to move out of the area for housing.

Sussex Community Housing Launch
JC talked about the Community Housing Hub which has just started but aims to bring people together with over 100 people present including Action for Rural Sussex, good video footage from Co-op and Co Housing which produces affordable housing and others who share the same common values. Co-Housing is one example of producing affordable housing but there are many others e.g. Laughton Lodge although this is privately owned, examples of self-building on small sites. An interesting meeting but no further meetings scheduled yet.

TOLD (Tenants of Lewes District) DT
DC showed the presentation (on website) of the plans (including garage sites) for 2017 – 2022. The sites to be used are out for consultation and can be found on the Council Website. The plans have been available to Residents associations for some time but there is a lot of discontent particularly from Malling residents who object to the development of their green spaces.

DT meeting Ian Fitzpatrick (Head of services for Lewes and Eastbourne and MD of Eastbourne Homes Ltd) are there questions we wish DT to ask him?

Lewes CLT LB
The CLT was formed out of a bid from Santon (now Artisan) to take over 15 homes on shared equity as affordable homes. At the public meeting there was lots of interest with 40-50 people outside Lewes establishing a connection with the town who do not qualify for social housing but cannot afford high rents.
The CLT would like to keep properties genuinely affordable by looking at local average income rather than land values.

The Council are developing homes on the garage sites and they will be much easier to rent at 65% of market values.

The CLT is still interested in St Anne’s site and LB will keep the group updated. The CLT needs members with housing and construction knowledge.
The CLT has been reconstructed as a Community Development Society and will have to recruit members with voting rights, have an AGM. As the main concerns at the St Anne’s site are environmental it is essential that there is an environmentalist on the board. EC has received an email about unique wildlife which needs protection. A member of Sussex Wildlife Trust is interested in being involved.
We need to argue for housing (council and affordable) as well as a community facility and keep local support.

Next to St Anne’s 2 pods could be erected over the carpark. Chelsea Renton is very keen on modular housing and The National Park likes them. Is this part of the development? Can she attend next meeting?

Rural CLTs JF
There is a range of ways of doing this from small to whole village development. We need to talk to Council about how other councils are doing this and to find out the numbers in different counties.

Is there a need for an event to bring people together who might want this type of development?

Council homes are being built in Wealdon, Eastbourne, and 22 in Lewes but there are few sites available for Lewes District Council.
EC to draft a letter to ESCC about publication of the report of the consultation on St Anne’s which still hasn’t been published, despite being overdue.

Axe the Housing Act meeting at The House of Commons. EC
There were people from a variety of different campaigning groups, tenants associations and housing workers from all over the country to attend a meeting chaired by Eileen Short of Defend Council Housing and Axe the Housing Act, to discuss the budget and implications of housing. The Labour MP for Stroud listened to the discussion and answered questions. when asked by EC he talked about building council housing using CLTs in his constituencies as councils are unable to borrow against stock to build more. There was a report back from the FBU in relation to Grenfell. EC spoke about UC in relation to housing and fears around evictions due to delayed benefits payments and rent arrears.

National Housing Summit report EC
This was very well run, supported by workshops with action points at the end of every session. EC attended Universal Credit and private renters and ACORN Union workshops.

Acorn Union is trying to get landlords to commit to not evicting people on Universal Credit when they run into debt. (Universal Credit is to be introduced here in June) Councillors and will be trained to help tenants. Southwark was a pilot area for UC and have produced a booklet with advice for those making a claim for and receiving UC – Universal Credit a Factual Guide (order from Southwark) EC to put this on website.

Plans for a UC Day of Action. EC will attend planning meeting with Axe the Housing Act in London in 13th Jan.
Action Points
DT to send figures to Emily for the website.
LB to send contact details and info to EC for website as it becomes available.
JC to liaisse with Community Housing Hub and send info to EC for website.
DT to contact Ian Fitzpatrick so he can give a presentation at next meeting and Q&A.
DT to provide details of presentation from TOLD meeting for website.
LT to find out if z pods over carpark by St Anne’s is part of the development plan.
EC to draft letter asking for results of consultation at St Anne’s.
EC to put Universal Credit – a factual guide on website

A.O.B none

Date of next meeting – January 18th at 3, North Street at 7.30 p.m.

Housing Meeting at 3 North Street, Lewes – Thursday 5^th October 2017 at 7.30pm

Present: Maggie Symons (minutes), David Nicholson, Debbie Twitchen, Annie Hailey, Tilly Grivell, Lin Heyworth, Louis Blair, Rita Ellis, Caroline Pick, Jennifer Chibnall, Liz Thomas, Nick Belcher, Emily Clarke (convenor), Ruth O’Keefe

Apologies: Chris Smith, Tony Rowell, Jo Carter

Proposed outcomes

• To campaign for social housing on all land as it becomes available across Lewes District.
• To campaign to stop the sale of any further housing under the right to buy scheme, until housing stock has been restored to address the Lewes District waiting list.

Updates from Debbie Twitchen re. current Lewes District Housing List

This has fallen from just under 2000 to 1000 households because of death, households/people moving or households can’t be traced. However this is due to increase sharply because there are 50 applications per week already and there is concern that this will rise with the introduction of Universal Credit to all areas of the country. Many of those people receiving Universal Credit will get into debt and may become homeless. As there is not sufficient temporary housing the council will be paying private landlords at very high rents to house them.

Solution to lack of housing  – Z pods proposed by Liz Thomas

Bill Dunster OBE has designed micro homes on stilts above car parks and other spaces, which can save space and decrease cost for homeowners. The advantage to this system is that although the company take the rent the land remains with the council so housing can be produced quickly to meet a need but can be removed easily when the need disappears. We should be insisting that the council uses small car parking sites, for example in Little East Street for pods or low cost housing because we, the people, have already paid for the land.

Temporary accommodation for the District Council figures provided by Debbie Twitchen

Long term hostel accommodation 0

Women’s refuge 3

Leased by LDC 24

Leased by BH 1

LDC stock 30

There was some discussion about Saxonbury and Ruth O’Keefe said that it cannot be knocked down because there is a Saxon burial site in the grounds. Debbie said it was used for temporary housing and retained by the council but it is being redeveloped for private sale and any money made will go back to HRA (Housing Revenue Account). Although it was argued that redevelopment should be for social housing that was deemed not viable. The sale will go to local people first but not at sensible or affordable prices.

Discussion

There was a far ranging discussion about social housing and the need for a Labour Government to build social housing. Emily Clarke said that because the need for housing is so pressing we can’t wait for a Labour government and we should be campaigning to get the message out about the need locally.

It was felt by some that there has been a change in the perception of social housing. Emily said she felt that when council houses were first built it was an aspirational thing to live in one. Unfortunately, with the loss of so many council houses, now only the really desperate are housed and social housing can be viewed negatively by some. Others felt that this was not true in Lewes and could be an unhelpful discussion. All agreed that any new housing should be mixed with both private and social housing.

Emily was keen to make collaborative short videos for social media on housing, showing the local need and giving council tenants, private renters and those unable to afford a home in Lewes a voice.

The Right to Buy has reduced the amount of council housing and Landport Estate in Lewes was given as an example – out of the 792 council houses built many are now privately owned with only about 50% remaining as social housing.

In attractive, affluent areas social/economic cleansing is taking place where people with low incomes are being moved out. Tory policy is to have no councils funds for housing so councils will be unable to provide services.

1000 new houses to be built in the next five years to cope with the current need.

Our campaign – possible sites for housing

Our campaign needs to engage with everyone across Lewes District, particularly those in need of social housing, to make sure that this crisis in housing and the reasons for it are understood.

 There was discussion about the St Anne’s site and whether or not the history with the council and previous proposals, Subud etc might make it too difficult to navigate. It was agreed that the field behind the school would be an excellent site for housing and a proposed one way system for traffic could make the site accessible. Lin Heyworth said It has been empty for 10 years and much time and money has been wasted e.g. £20,000 spent buy the Security Board to employ external consultants. The plans for this site are ongoing with ecological surveys being carried out. In the Neighbourhood Plan St Anne’s has 26 new houses designated for the site. The Community Land Trust is keeping an eye of what is happening at the site and has put in a plan for its development. It may be a Community Asset Transfer and there is an agreement between LDC and Community Land Trust that The Right to Buy is not used so housing would stay with the tenants. Emily Clarke suggested that the previous exposure in the local press on St Anne’s might actually work in our favour as the council needs to be seen to be doing the right thing, so perhaps this would be a good campaign focus with backing a Lewes CLT proposal for example.

Police Garage opposite Cannon O ‘Donnell Hall in Spital Road is the other large site in Lewes for development which needs to be earmarked for housing.

Nick Belcher described the problems in rural areas around Lewes – There is no council housing so local children have to move away because they cannot afford house prices. Developments produce ‘nimbyism’, moneyed people get pretty areas turned into preservation zones so housing can’t be built. It seems that in rural areas home owners see 6 or so houses are acceptable but 30+ is not.  Large houses are built because they make the most profit for developers whilst smaller developments mean that ‘affordable housing is not compulsory as part of the deal.

 What can we do? – Suggestions

• Councils should build small houses to reduce profit margin – Developers profits are now around 25% which is far too high.
• Push for council houses to be built on all sites.
• 50% of the land for development should pass from the developers to the council so the council can build the house which are needed.
• Hold the council to account to make sure they get on with building.
• Produce a local policy for children who were brought up, educated, have lived here to be able to buy a property as Petersfield have.

Action points before next meeting

• Get behind the Community Land trusts
• Get Louis Blair to send over most up to date info from Lewes CLT
• Find out status of CAT at St Anne’s site – Lin Heyworth
• Look at neighbourhood Plan to confirm the number of affordable/social housing at St Anne’s – Liz Thomas
• Disseminate info from this meeting to SNAP branch and any other groups who need it – Maggie Symons
• Plan social media videos and get local people involved – contact Emily Clarke if you are interested
• Bring any info about St Anne’s to next meeting as this is likely to be the initial focus because the council and Lewes CLT already have a good relationship.
• Ruth O’Keefe to have a look at the plan for St Anne’s and share any info she can with the group at next meeting.

Meeting closed at 8.45 p.m. 

Next meeting on Tuesday 7^th November at 3 North Street, Lewes, at 7.30 p.m.