Hackney housing strategy

Delivering the homes Hackney needs: Hackney housing strategy 2017-22

Our housing strategy plays a key role in helping us meet the Mayor of Hackney’s vision for everyone in Hackney to have a genuinely affordable, good quality and stable home. It builds on what residents have told us and recognises the contribution that the Council and other organisations can make towards building mixed and sustainable communities, and improving the health and wellbeing of residents.

The housing strategy was formally approved in January. It sets out the ways in which we will work until 2022 to tackle residents’ concerns and help them achieve their housing ambitions:

It also sets out the need for more genuinely affordable homes in Hackney:

Annual performance report

Each year the Council will monitor progress against the Housing Strategy action plan. This is the first annual performance report for the Housing Strategy action plan. In the report, as well as reporting on progress, we also take account of the changes that have taken place in the year, for example in terms of the housing market or central government legislation, and identify the next steps in implementing the action plan.

Tenancy strategy

We have published a tenancy strategy as required by the Localism Act 2011. It sets out what registered providers of social housing in Hackney need to consider when formulating policies relating to:

  • the kinds of tenancies they grant
  • the circumstances in which they will grant a tenancy of a particular kind
  • where they grant tenancies for a certain term:
    • the lengths of the terms
    • the circumstances in which they will grant a further tenancy if an existing tenancy comes to an end

You can find more details in our tenancy strategy below:

Homes for Londoners: Mayor of London’s affordable homes programme 2016-2021

The Greater London Authority (GLA) has produced funding guidance for their affordable homes programme for which the Mayor of London has secured £3.15 billion from the government to fund new affordable homes for Londoners, for the period 2016-2021. The funding guidance provides London-wide guidance to registered providers and others, to help inform their bids for GLA funding.

The initial round of bidding closed 13 April 2017, but subject to funding availability the GLA will be undertaking continuous market engagement.

Guidance for registered providers in Hackney

The Council has also produced guidance for registered providers developing affordable new homes in Hackney, which sets out:

  • the preferred bedroom size mix and tenure mix based on evidence about Hackney’s housing need and policies in the local plan
  • rent levels, reflecting the Mayor’s London affordable rent and London living rent levels
  • Hackney’s preferred approach to shared ownership, for example, enabling local people living or working in Hackney within defined income brackets to be prioritised for properties for the first 3 months of marketing

The guidance for registered providers also sets out the Council’s requirements around:

  • conversion of re-lets to affordable rent
  • supported and specialised housing
  • disposals
  • right to buy for housing association tenants

Joint framework agreement with respect to the GLA’s funding for new homes, 2015-2018 programme

The GLA’s previous funding round (2015-18) has secured funding for a number of schemes to deliver affordable rent homes and low cost home ownership in Hackney. The 2015-18 programme has secured:

  • lower rent levels – in agreement with the GLA rent levels should be ‘capped’ at 50% of lower-level market rents rather than at the average
  • new, affordable shared ownership homes to buy, will be prioritised for local residents for the first 3 months of marketing

To learn more, read the joint framework agreement with the GLA below.

Asset management strategy

It’s essential the Council makes the best use of its financial resources to invest in improving homes and buildings – this means making sure quality and value for money in go hand in hand in everything we do.

Our asset management strategy sets out the guiding principles that allow us to maintain and enhance Council housing. It also ensures we work clearly and transparently, engaging residents  throughout the process, and helps us learn and develop from all the housing work we carry out.

Page updated on: 24 August 2022