Housing strategies
Contents
- Housing Strategy
- Homelessness and Rough Sleeper Strategy 2024 - Policy Statement
- Fuel Poverty Strategy
- Tenancy Strategy
- Discounted Market Sales Policy Statement
- Rent Grace Period Policy
- South Tyneside Homes
- Annual Tenant Satisfaction Survey
- Related documents
- More information
Housing Strategy
The Housing Strategy team is responsible for identifying housing need, enabling affordable housing and ensuring the efficient management of its housing stock by its housing company, South Tyneside Homes.
The team analyses and interprets evidence to inform the future housing offer across the Borough, taking into consideration the overarching Council Strategy.
Working closely with South Tyneside Homes and other social housing providers, the team ensures the delivery of high quality housing and related services.
Partnership working with a range of stakeholders makes sure that current and future residents of South Tyneside have a range of suitable housing options.
Our Integrated Housing Strategy covers a range of smaller, housing related strategies to encourage effective joined-up working.
It is a long term strategic document, setting out the vision for the housing market within South Tyneside and detailing the actions the Council has committed to carry out over the next 3 years.
The strategy sets out the key strategic priorities for housing across the Borough.
The key strategic priorities are to:
- Prevent homelessness wherever possible
- Address repeat homelessness
- Meet the needs of an aging population through providing appropriate accommodation and promote independence
- Improve the quality, choice and sustainability of the private rented sector
- Effectively support the ambitions of the Council's Economic Strategy
Integrated Housing Strategy April 2019
Homelessness and Rough Sleeper Strategy 2024 - Policy Statement
Under the Homelessness Act 2002 and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, all Councils are required to carry out a homelessness review in their area.
The review must be done in consultation with partners and stakeholders.
Councils must formulate and publish a homelessness strategy, based on the results of that review every five years.
The current Homelessness Strategy is within the Council's Integrated Housing Strategy which was published in April 2019.
This would require the council's Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy to be published in May 2024.
Due to the current ongoing work to bring South Tyneside Homes back within the Council, this will delay publication of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy.
A holding statement is available to provide information on:
- what the current position is
- what the council is doing to prevent homelessness wherever possible, and where it does occur that it is rare, brief and non-recurrent
See the Homelessness and Rough Sleeper Strategy 2024 - Policy statement .
Fuel Poverty Strategy
You may be living in fuel poverty if you struggle to afford to keep your home warm.
It's something that affects many people, regardless of whether their home is in the owner occupied, private or socially rented sectors.
Our Fuel Poverty Strategy examines this issue in South Tyneside and describes how we plan to support residents.
Tenancy Strategy
The South Tyneside Tenancy Strategy describes the types of tenancies we expect registered providers to offer in the Borough.
Registered providers must have regard to this strategy when they produce their tenancy policy.
We continue to work closely with registered providers to make sure affordable housing meets the needs of all.
Discounted Market Sales Policy Statement
To help local residents achieve home ownership the Council operates a Discounted Market Sales Scheme.
The Discounted Market Sales Policy Statement provides guidance on this scheme in South Tyneside.
Discounted Market Sales Policy Statement
Rent Grace Period Policy
The Rent Grace Period Policy explains what would happen to a Council tenancy if the tenant dies.
It describes how there is a grace period for non-payment of rent for the family of the deceased.
South Tyneside Homes
Council housing in the Borough is managed by the Council's housing company, South Tyneside Homes.
The Housing Strategy team is responsible for managing the relationship with South Tyneside Homes to deliver effective management of the Council's 18,000 housing stock.
The team is responsible for making sure that the Council's landlord function and regulatory duties are discharged by the company on the Council's behalf, particularly in relation to tenant involvement and empowerment.
Working in partnership with South Tyneside Homes, the team ensures the successful delivery of the Decent Homes Programme to Council properties in the Borough.
The Council's Housing Allocations Policy was approved in July 2013 following extensive consultation and changes in the law affecting social housing allocations.
The aim of the allocations policy is to more effectively use the limited stock that the Council owns, making sure that homes match the needs of the applicants.
The policy introduces significant changes which determine whether applicants are eligible, whether they qualify and the level of housing need and priority banding that should be awarded.
If you require any housing advice, please contact South Tyneside Housing Options Service on 0300 123 6633.
Annual Tenant Satisfaction Measures survey
In 2023, the Regulator of Social Housing introduced a set of performance measures to find out how our tenants feel about a range of categories.
Read the Annual Tenant Satisfaction Measures Survey.
Related documents
SPD4: Affordable Housing (August 2007)
SPD4: Affordable Housing (August 2007)
First Homes Interim Policy Statement (June 2022)
First Homes Interim Policy Statement (June 2022)
The Neighbourhood Management Policy
The Neighbourhood Management Policy follows a review of area management in the Borough in 2014 and now formalises, in writing, those arrangements.
The policy also makes sure that the Council, via South Tyneside Homes, discharges its duty under the regulatory framework for social housing.
Neighbourhood management policy
Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA)
The SHMA was undertaken by consultants Arc4 in 2012 and an update of the assessment was undertaken internally in 2015.
The assessment sets out the need for housing in the Borough for the future, including the need specifically for affordable housing and homes for older people.
As a statutory requirement, South Tyneside will keep this assessment under regular review to ensure an understanding of the housing market to develop strategies to tackle housing issues in the Borough.
Housing Renewal Policy 2023
The Housing Renewal Policy sets out the process for moving residents when they are required to move due to the Council's decision to regenerate, refurbish or improve the council's housing stock.
More information
Unless stated otherwise, these documents will be reviewed at least annually. The review will be coordinated by the Housing Strategy Team.
If any amendments need to be made to the policy in response to significant changes to regulation, legislation, housing market conditions and/or other local circumstances we will follow relevant guidance.
Any major changes to the policy may require consultation with relevant statutory and voluntary sector organisations and tenant representatives, and must be approved by the Council.
If any amendments are made to these documents, they will be analysed for any equality impacts.
If you need any help or advice about the information contained in any of these documents, please contact the Housing Strategy team on 0191 424 6659.