Equality Impact and Needs Assessment (EINA)
Environment and Regeneration Directorate
Proposal / Function / Housing Delivery Plan 2012 - 2016Date assessment completed / June 2012
Officer responsible for EINA / Fiona Dodsworth
Review Date / March 2013
Introduction
Housing Delivery Plan 2012/13
This sets out housing related actions which help to achieve our priorities. These priorities are:
- A working city
- Decent neighbourhoods
- Tackling inequalities
The delivery plan has been written by the Fairer Housing Unit. This unit is responsible for carrying out our strategic housing functions including:
- Understanding housing need
- Housing policy
- Working with Your Homes Newcastle and Registered Providers of social housing
- Good management standards in private rented housing
- Working with housing developers to build new homes
The plan also includes actions by other organisations working in Newcastle. These include Your Homes Newcastle who manages the Council homes on our behalf. The plan shows which organisations are responsible for ensuring each action will be achieved.
How the delivery plan will be monitored
This will be done 4 times over 2012/13 by our Strategic Housing Board. An annual progress report will placed on the Newcastle City Council website informing how we have performed against targets. The delivery plan and our evidence base will be reviewed and updated annually. The update will be placed on the Council's website alongside the annual monitoring report.
Delivery plan – key actions list
This sets out a number of housing aims under each of the Council’s three priorities. It then goes onto show what actions are intended to achieve each aim.
Research
To identify the equality, social inclusion, cohesion and health implications of the Housing Delivery Plan we looked at the information included in the plan. This information was pulled together for the Housing Delivery Plan 2011/12 and updated in June 2012. It contains information from different sources, including the views of local residents through Let’s Talk Newcastle.
Information from Let’s Talk events was also used to inform the Housing Delivery Plan. This information is set out in the Housing Delivery Plan but a summary is provided here.
Views on… / SummaryCondition of homes / Contribute to decent neighbourhoods.
Shared housing / Pressure must be put on landlords to address unacceptable standards.
Empty homes / Tackling these will provide more housing.
Student housing / Build more purpose-built accommodation.
Building new homes / Support for this but concerns over the use of green belt land.
Affordable homes / Support for more to be built.
Lifetime Homes standard / Mixed views on whether housebuilders should be required to build all homes to this standard.
Size of homes / A need for 3 and 4 bedroom homes.
Housing suitable for older people / Lack of housing choice and importance of support services in the home to reduce social isolation.
The assessment
The assessment has considered each aim. It then goes onto look at how the actions could have potential equality, social inclusion, cohesion and health implications. The reasons why we think the actions could have potential implications are set out. This information will be used to monitor these implications with the Councilteam or organisation responsible for the action. This will be published alongside the Housing Delivery Plan monitoring report on the Council’s website.
Reviewing the assessment
This assessment will be reviewed in March 2013. An update on the action plan will be carried out. We will also look at the following sources of information:
- Newcastle Future Needs Assessment
- Census 2011 (information not available at the time of writing)
- Service monitoring undertaken by the Fairer Housing Unit
- The impact of the under-occupation penalty in social housing for working age housing claimants. The impact will be assessed this year before it is introduced in April 2013.
- Plans to provide more wheelchair accessible homes
- Annual refresh of the Gateshead Newcastle Strategic Housing Market Assessment
- Information from service user groups
- Comments on this Equality Impact and Needs Assessment
Further information and comments
If you would like further information or would like to comment on the issues raised in this Equality Impact and Needs Assessment please contact:
Fiona Dodsworth
Housing Policy and Information Officer
Environment and Regeneration Directorate
Newcastle City Council
10th floor, Civic Centre
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
NE1 8PR
Tel: 0191 2777860
E-mail:
All comments received will be logged and used to inform the review of this assessment in 2013.
This equality impact and needs assessment can be provided in alternative formats.
Please phone 0191 2777860 or e-mail
Equality Impact and Needs Assessment
Aim / Strand / Implications / Actions for 2012/13 / Who this will be monitored withPriority 1: A working city
1.1 Local people benefit locally from housebuilding. / Vulnerable workers and people facing multiple barriers to employment / YHN have employment and training schemes to help Council tenants to get back into work. These have social inclusion implications as they aim to improve the long-term employment prospects. Their objectives for 2012/13 are to:
- refer at least 85 housing service users into Newcastle Futures or other employment services
- support 30 long-term unemployed tenants into paid employment
Priority 2: Decent Neighbourhoods
2.1 Provide new housing, including more affordable housing. / All / We set annual targets to build new affordable homes, including those to rent from YHN or a Registered Provider. Through our Allocations and Lettings Policy we can use local letting plans to encourage sustainability and cohesion on new housing developments. We can also use them to help meet unmet needs within a locality. The Allocations and Lettings Policy requires that an Equality Impact and Needs Assessment is carried out when these plans are proposed to assess if they will have a negative impact on any particular groups. / Ensure an Equality Impact and Needs Assessment has been completed for each local lettings plan. Find out how any equality and cohesion implications have been addressed. / Fairer Housing Unit (FHU) – Housing Policy and Commissioning Manager
2.2 Provide housing management services which are viewed by residents and other stakeholders as visible, proactive and responsive. / All equality strands / YHN’s target for tenant satisfaction with their services in 2012/13 is 83%. This target is monitored by equality strand to find out if there are any differences in satisfaction levels for different groups. / Find out what the satisfaction levels are by equality strand and what is being done to address any areas of concern. / YHN – Business Strategy Team
2.2 Provide housing management services which are viewed by residents and other local stakeholders as visible, proactive and responsive. / All / We will be working with Registered Providers and YHN to achieve consistent standards to how they manage the areas around their housing stock. The outputs for 2012/13 are to agree:
- a short document which sets out the standards
- a process to monitor these standards
- how any issues will be resolved
The aim of this work is to have a positive impact on our local communities by helping to improve neighbourhood standards. However, we will be carrying out an equality impact and needs assessment to ensure that the equality and community cohesion implications are fully considered. / Carry out an Equality Impact and Needs Assessment. / FHU – Housing Policy and Commissioning Manager
2.3 Improve the management of private rented housing. / Cohesion / Following consultation in 2011 an Article 4 Direction came into force the area of housing mix. This area of housing mix was previously established by a Supplementary Planning Document which was also consulted on. The area of housing mix covers South Gosforth, Jesmond, Spital Tongues and Heaton (part area).
The purpose of introducing was to address issues such as high levels of residential turnover, an imbalance in the social mix of the neighbourhood and retain family housing and lower cost homes such as Tyneside flats. The Article 4 Direction requires planning permission to be sought if a property in the area is to be converted from family use to shared household use. Requiring a planning application to be submitted does not automatically mean that planning permission will be refused. However, it does mean that we can assess each application using agreed criteria, and to assess the benefits and any harm before reaching a decision. This Article 4 Direction will be monitored over 2012/13.
We are also looking at applying Article 4 Directions in other areas. The first of these is High West Jesmond which, at the time of writing, is awaiting approval from the Secretary of State to include this in the area of housing mix. We will be carrying out a formal consultation between July and October 2012 to extend an Article 4 Direction in St. Gabriels.
We have also started informal consultation on whether an Article 4 Direction is appropriate for Elswick and Wingrove. The Equality Impact and Needs Assessment highlights the need for further research and engagement on the impact on private rented landlords. It also highlights the large proportion of BME households in the area and that any specific impacts on these households require further research. / Find out the results of monitoring information on the Article 4 Direction in the area of housing mix.
Find out the results of consultation on extending an Article 4 Direction in St Gabriels.
Find out the results of consultation on an Article 4 Direction for Elswick and Wingrove. / Development Management - Kath Lawless
2.4 Seek new ways of involving communities in housing management decisions. / All / In keeping with the requirements of the HCA and localism we will set up a tenant’s panel. The panel will provide a way for Council tenants to identify and resolve complaints about housing services. The panel should reflect the main concerns of Council tenants and for this reason an Equality Impact and Needs Assessment will be carried out. The purpose of the assessment will be to find out what procedure can be put in place to ensure the panel does this. / Carry out an Equality Impact and Needs Assessment. / FHU – Housing Policy and Commissioning Manager
2.5 Make better use of existing homes / Disability
Age (older people) / We provide funding through Disabled Facilities Grants for people with disabilities to have their home adapted. These can include bathroom adaptations, a ground floor toilet/shower and handrails/grab-rails which are the top three services/facilities required by households with specific needs in Newcastle. [1] Adaptations can also contribute to health and wellbeing by helping people to manage safety risks in the home. Falls around the home is one example. The likelihood of falls around the home which lead to an A&E admission in Newcastleincreases with age. The percentage of admissions per annum increases from 2.873% of 65-69 year olds, 3.679% of 70-74 year olds and 9.453% of people aged 75 and over (
The target for 2012/13 is to provide 300 Disabled Facilities Grants. / Find out if this target has been achieved. / FHU – Private Housing Team Manager
2.6 Enhance the existing housing offer by tackling homes in poor condition. / Health / Our 2011 ‘Private Sector House Condition Survey’ provides a detailed breakdown of failures in, decency, thermal comfort and Category 1 Hazards (excess cold, falls, risk of fire etc). Although our stock of private housing is better than the national averages, there are still 20,750 properties that fail to meet the decent homes standard, and within this group there are 6,840 properties where the occupiers were classed as vulnerable. Vulnerable includes occupiers on low incomes, disabled people and older people who can all be affected through living in a non-decent home. The main reasons for failure were:
- 11.7% (10,310 homes) had a Category 1 Hazard[2] and
- 10.8% (9,530 homes) due to thermal comfort failure.
Poor housing can also exacerbate some of the most common health conditions and increase the risk of severe ill health and disability by up to 25% during childhood and early adulthood. [4]
Large-scale investment to tackle homes in poor condition came to an end once Bridging Newcastle Gateshead funding stopped. Our Helping Hands Service, which started in 2010, offers a range loans for homeowners who wish to carry out major improvements to their homes. The service focuses on providing financial options for those on low incomes who are excluded from mainstream sources of finance. Since 2010 Helping Hands has dealt with over 350 cases. Over 40 cases have been households aged 60 and over. It is also estimated that over 70 cases have been BME households.
Our Regulatory Services and Public Protection Team also take enforcement action on private sector homes with Category 1 Hazards. The team set a target every year to reduce the number of homes with Category 1 Hazards. The target for 2012/13 is a reduction of 100. / Find out what household types have received Helping Hands loans.
Find out if the Category 1 Hazard target has been met. / FHU – Private Housing Team Manager
Regulatory Services and Public Protection – Public Health and Private Sector Housing Manager
2.7 Reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in neighbourhoods and increase awareness of reporting mechanisms. / Awaiting copy of Safe Newcastle Delivery Plan EINA.
Priority 3: Tackling inequalities
3.2 Address fuel poverty and CO2 emissions of homes. / Health / Fuel poverty has been identified as a key risk to health. The resulting ill-health costs the NHS more than £750 million each year[5], leading in part to over 20,000 excess winter deaths every year (nationally).
Newcastle Warm Zone started in 2004. The main aims of the service are to tackle fuel poverty and improve the energy efficiency of homes. The service will close in December 2012 and there is a target to install 3000 energy efficiency measures between April and December 2012.
YHN will be looking at what measures they can put in place to tackle fuel poverty amongst Council Tenants. / TBC
3.3 Ensure people can access a range of housing options. / All / A housing mix Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) will provide information to housebuilders on the housing needs of Newcastle residents.
In 2007 we introduced the Rent Deposit scheme to help people on low incomes or who are homeless to access private rented accommodation. As part of this scheme they can receive additional support to help them to get settled into their new home.
The Localism Act 2011 gave powers to Council’s to use flexible tenancies. These are social housing tenancies which are offered for a fixed period and at the end the occupant will be required to find alternative housing. We are required to have a Tenancy Strategy to show if and how we will use flexible tenancies.
We plan to provide guidance to housebuilders who build supported housing for older people, and for people with physical and learning disabilities. This was initially in response to our aim to increase the provision of housing for older people. However, using good practice design guidance we found that supported housing for people with disabilities shared similar design requirements. The decision was taken to extend this to housing for people with disabilities. The aim of this guidance is to promote their requirements in the design and location of new housing. Consultation on this guidance will be carried out with Newcastle Elders Council, the Learning Disability Partnership Board and the Physical Disability and Sensory Issues Board. / Carry out an Equality Impact and Needs Assessment on the housing mix SPD.
Find out if the target of 100 new private rented tenancies through the Rent Deposit Scheme is achieved.
Carry out an Equality Impact and Needs Assessment on our Tenancy Strategy.
Carry out an Equality Impact and Needs Assessment on the supported housing developer guidance. / FHU – Housing Policy and Commissioning Manager
FHU – Private Housing Team Manager
FHU – Housing Policy and Commissioning Manager
FHU – Housing Policy and Commissioning Manager
3.4 Ensure older people can access housing options and live independently. / Age (older people)
Disability / Research for the national First Stop service[6] highlighted that older people were generally unaware of available housing options and were prepared to have the ‘difficult conversation’ with advice services about whether or not they should continue to remain in their existing home.Tyne and Wear Homes is a new service which provides advice on the housing options available in each area of Tyne and Wear[7]. The service offers specific advice to older people on:
- The types of housing available in Newcastle
- What to consider when choosing accommodation
- Services in their home which can improve their quality of life and help them to maintain their independence if they choose to stay put
The actions for 2012/13 are also intended to contribute to our health and wellbeing priorities.
Specialist housing for older people is designed to be more accessible in order to meet the needs of people with age-related disabilities. We intend to increase the options available for housing with care and support services. This provides an alternative choice to living in general housing. However, research highlights that general housing is still a preferred option for many older people and that if moving they would consider bungalows and flats[8]. The Housing Delivery Plan sets out the new housing to be built in 2012/13.
People are more at risk as they get older of issues such as falls around the home due to age-related disabilities. The demand for services which help people to manage these issues is predicted to increase due to the ageing population. There is predicted to be an increase of 35.9% between 2010 and 2030 in the number of people aged 65 and over who will have falls in the home.[9]
On site warden services in sheltered schemes are also there to offer piece of mind to residents that somebody is there to help if they have an issue in the home. However, due to cuts in Government funding we have had to remove this service. We are looking at the other ways to fund an alternative service by using technology such as Telecare. The actions for 2012/13 aim to ensure these services are sustainable in the future to meet the demand from older people. / Use the training events as an opportunity to find out if the advice offered on Tyne and Wear Homes meets their needs.
Find out of the target for new housing has been achieved.
Find out the outcome of the sheltered housing review and Telecare review. / FHU – Housing Policy and Commissioning Manager
FHU – Principle Housing Delivery Officer
YHN – Care Service Manager
3.5 Minimise the negative impact of homelessness on the lives of those affected and enable people to live independently. / Adults facing chronic exclusion / Homelessness rarely has a single cause or explanation; it is often seen to be a symptom of wider underlying problems, for example those who suffer from physical or mental ill health, substance misuse or have an offending background.[10]
Understanding Complex Lives: Tackling homelessness and exclusion 2011[11] shows that homelessness generally comes towards the end of a pathway into exclusion and there are usually several steps on the way, e.g. debt, family breakdown, health problems etc. These steps are also opportunities to identify and intervene to support those at the risk at the earliest stage. Homelessness is a strong indicator that someone is not coping and that health, social or behavioural problems are likely to worsen.
Extra support so that people can maintain their tenancy and are not at risk of becoming homeless provides an opportunity to tackle some of these issues. There are already a number of services in place, such as floating support, which provide this. The aim for this year is to make further improvements to the advice and information offered to people who need emergency accommodation and in tackling rough sleeping. / Find out what services are offered in the emergency accommodation prevention hub.
Find out how the ‘No Second Night Out’ initiative will help to tackle rough sleeping. / Adult and Culture Services – Housing and Welfare Rights Manager
Adult and Culture Services – Housing and Welfare Rights Manager
[1]Gateshead and Newcastle Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. David Couttie Associates 2011.