Government budgets are being severely constrained and difficult decisions are being made about priorities and the funding streams that follow them. Whilst we have little influence over macro economic events that will shape future housing market we believe that the existing GHG partnership will help and provide support to tackle the challenges that we all face in maintaining and improving the housing options that can be provided for our local communities. 

This will include continued efforts to respond to the imbalance in supply and demand by increasing the supply of new housing, improving and making the best use of existing stock, maintaining equitable access to housing and support to ensure that that the effects of limited supply do not fall disproportionately on vulnerable households.

The new strategy 2011-15 is the main document that outlines our key ideas and plans for housing in the sub region. It provides a formal statement about our goals, the reasons why we believe they are attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. We believe this approach provides a more ‘future proof’ style of working as it clearly sets out thematic areas of work that move us, as individual Local Authorities, and collectively, as a partnership, towards achieving shared outcomes. In this way GHG will provide ‘added value’ to achieving shared local agendas, within the context of Local Investment Plans, whilst simultaneously situating our work within a broader locale to create the biggest impact.

Key areas of focus include:

• enabling the development of high quality and sustainable affordable housing in places where people want to live responding to local need
• improving the condition and use of existing housing taking into account social and environmental factors that impact on quality of life.
• maximising customers’ housing choices and mobility taking into account changing housing needs and demographics
• providing enhanced housing options based on an understanding of the links between health, well being, training, employment and housing to help prevent homelessness and support vulnerable people

We reviewed the strategy at the beginning of 2012 to make sure that our key objectives were still relevant and achievable in the rapidly changing economic and policy environment. We will continue to up-date the action plans during the life of the strategy.

Click here to view the Greater Haven Gateway Housing Strategy 2011-15 and Appendices