North Yorkshire devolution deal is key to solving region's affordable homes crisis, says housing association chief

Under the planned agreement, the Government will hand over broad powers to drive regeneration and build more affordable, low-carbon homes, including the ability to acquire and dispose of land.

The region will also get new funding to identify and bring forward a series of housing projects.

The chief executive of Broadacres Housing Association, Gail Teasdale, has welcomed the prospect of greater housing powers for York and North Yorkshire.

She said the deal will allow the new authority to create policies that specifically suit rural areas rather then being bound by a country wide standard.

It may also help retain other services in villages such as schools, shops and pubs.

Ms Teasdale said: “One of the key things devolution can do is provide a universal planning policy which is relevant and specific to the needs of York and North Yorkshire. That will be really useful because at the moment, many policies are written for the whole country and they are not tailored to the rural environment.

“How many times have you gone to the Dales or the Moors recently and seen a pub or a cafe that isn’t open or noticed that a school is shutting down? Most of that is because local people cannot

afford to live and work in those areas.

“If we can build more affordable housing, schools will stay open, local businesses will flourish and the economy of North Yorkshire will grow.”

Broadacres Housing Association is headquartered in Northallerton and manages nearly 7,000 homes, all in North Yorkshire, which are let at affordable rates of around £100 per week. The not- for-profit body is currently carrying out a major retrofitting programme to improve energy efficiency across all its homes.

The affordable homes crisis in North Yorkshire is particularly accentuated in the county’s rural areas.

Average house prices in the Yorkshire Dales are about a third higher than the county’s average, with the average cost of a property nearly £400,000 while the weekly wage in North Yorkshire is just over £530.

There is a high demand for second homes, increasing the strain on an already limited housing stock. According to the National Housing Federation, there are 8,199 second homes in North Yorkshire – the highest number in the region.

Ms Teasdale added: “The demand for affordable housing is huge. If you think about North Yorkshire and what has happened to house prices post Covid and the growth of the Airbnb and holiday let market, they have both exploded and that has driven local people out of these areas.

“These are the people who might work in local businesses such as the pub and deliver vital services, such as care. The proposed devolution deal will help to solve many of these problems.”

The independent North Yorkshire Rural Commission, which was established in 2019 by North Yorkshire County Council, claimed that a devolution deal is key to helping tackle the lack of affordable homes.

In its final report published in July last year, the Rural Commission called for the Government to revise the formula for designating affordable housing so that it reflects average income and not the

market value of properties in an area.

Reforms should also allow North Yorkshire County Council to have the power to levy a charge on second homes to be used to finance affordable housing.

It comes after members of the county council voted last month to back plans to introduce a 100 per cent premium on council tax bills on second homes to try and bring more properties back into use for local communities.

The new scheme, set to come into effect from April 1, 2024, will effectively double council tax bills for second home owners, and means that North Yorkshire is one of the first areas in the country to progress with adopting the Government’s new measures.

It is also expected that the decision to introduce the premium will provide a boost of up to £14m to finance key council priorities, including a central aim to use the funding to help introduce more housing in areas particularly affected by the affordability crisis.