One in three private homes in city ‘is below decent standard’

A total of 34 per cent of the city’s private housing stock does not meet the Government’s Decent Homes Standard, a rating which says properties must be in a reasonable state of repair, have reasonably modern facilities, and provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort.

The figure is in line with the average for Yorkshire and the Humber but above the England average of 30 per cent, and is prompting calls for improvement in a draft five-year housing strategy which has been published by the city council.

The report also found that about 25 per cent of the private housing stock in Hull has at least one “category one hazard”.

The report suggests residents in the city enjoy a better standard of accommodation if they live in council housing or that provided by housing associations.

As of March this year, 99.9 per cent of housing association stock met the standard, as did 98.5 per cent of council properties.

Outlining its aims for improving the stock, the document says: “We need to improve the quality of individual homes to make them better places to live in. This will contribute to improving the health, safety and well-being of people who live in them and in the overall neighbourhood.

“We also need to improve the overall quality of housing in the city by increasing the mix of housing types and sizes to make sure that the housing market in Hull meets both individual needs and aspirations in order to support economic growth.

“In addressing this objective, we will be meeting our vision to improve the lives of everyone who lives and works in the city and assisting in providing the environment for residents to benefit from economic growth.”

The report also warns the number of people seeking advice on the risks of homelessness is increasing, especially among younger people.

One of the council’s means of combating this is through its Homelessness Prevention Fund, which can provide support through bonds and rent assistance.

It is aimed at people at risk of homelessness who are not eligible for council housing and can provide assistance with providing a deposit for rental accommodation and make payments towards rent arrears.

The fund is in addition to discretionary housing benefit payments when the local authority can provide additional housing benefit for people at risk of homelessness.

More than 19,000 private sector households are in fuel poverty - having to spend more than 10 per cent of their income on energy costs.

Estimates in 2008 found that 19.7 per cent of properties in North Hull were in fuel poverty, 19.5 per cent in West Hull, and 18.6 per cent in East Hull. City-wide the figure is about 19 per cent, which compares favourably with regional statistics.

Figures obtained by the Yorkshire Post in September showed that 6.6m households across the UK were unable to heat their homes because of soaring energy prices, a number far above official Government estimates.

In the Yorkshire region, 26 per cent of all households were suffering fuel poverty.

As many as 595,000 households in Yorkshire and the Humber were thought to be living in fuel poverty, a rise from 333,000 in 2007.

About 43 per cent of households in the city have an income of just over £15,000, with 28 per cent having less than £10,000.

The Yorkshire Forward Affordability Profile for Hull showed that household income in 2009 was nearly 39 per cent less than the national average.

The housing strategy, which will go before the council’s planning committee on Tuesday, is out to public consultation until early December. A final version is expected in February.