Housing Services summary of strategies

Housing Services produce a number of strategies and plans designed to tackle local housing problems. The Council is required to produce some of these by Central Government, whilst others have been developed as a local response to specific issues. All of the strategies contribute to the aims of the Richmond upon Thames Community Plan, which is concerned with the social, economic and environmental well-being of Richmond upon Thames and its residents.

The Service Plan sets out the aims and objectives for Housing Services for the forthcoming year.

Interim Policy Statement on Affordable Rent

This Interim Policy Statement(pdf, 38KB) outlines the position of Richmond upon Thames on Affordable Rent prior to the development of our Strategic Tenancy Policy.

Housing Strategy

The Housing Strategy 2008-2012 covers the whole range of housing issues facing Richmond upon Thames and identifies the challenges to be met and how the Council, with its partners, intends to deal with them. It is complemented by a number of more detailed strategies and reviews that are focused on specific issues, as laid out below.

Homelessness Strategy

The Homelessness Strategy 2008-2012 sets out how the Council, with its partners, plans to reduce homelessness in Richmond upon Thames by adopting an approach based on prevention and increasing the supply of suitable accommodation and support available to households at risk of homelessness.

Young People's Housing Strategy

The Young People’s Housing Strategy 2008-2012 aims to improve the housing options and opportunities for young people. The Young People’s Housing sub-group of the Homelessness Forum is responsible for ensuring that the targets contained in this strategy and the Teenage Parents' Housing Strategy 2008-2012 are delivered.

Older People's Supported Accommodation Review

The Older People's Supported Accommodation Review (2008)(pdf, 478KB) looks at older people's existing means of maintaining independent living. In light of this analysis of local data, trends and best practice, the Review develops options and recommendations regarding the services that allow older people to remain at home and independent, and the changing nature of sheltered housing and residential care.

Supporting People Strategy

The Supporting People Strategy 2005-2010 outlines our plans to enable vulnerable people to live independently within Richmond upon Thames. The strategy is accompanied by an Evidence Base that provides detailed information on the demand for and supply of housing support within Richmond upon Thames.

Black and Minority Ethnic Housing Strategy

The Black and Minority Ethnic Housing Strategy 2005-2008 describes the particular housing problems faced by BME communities within the borough and the accompanying action plan sets out what the borough and its partners will be doing to promote equality of opportunity and community relations.

The Black and Minority Ethnic Housing Strategy 2010-2015 is currently being developed and the evidence base to support this strategy was produced in 2009.

Empty Property Strategy

The Empty Property Strategy(pdf, 1650KB) (EPS) aims to encourage owners to bring empty domestic properties in this borough back into occupation.

Private Sector Housing Renewal Policy

The Housing Services Private Sector Housing Renewal Policy(pdf, 384KB) sets out the Council's priorities for offering grants, loans and other forms of assistance to help improve private sector housing in the borough. The original policy was published in summer 2003 and was reviewed in 2004 (see the 2004 reviewed policy here(pdf, 24KB)).

Further amendments were made in June 2006 (see the 2006 ammendments here) and May 2009 (see the 2009 amendments here(pdf, 23KB)). The new version of the Private Sector Housing Policy is currently under review and will be available soon.

Private Sector Enforcement Policy

The Private sector housing enforcement(pdf, 83KB) relates to the duties and powers vested in the Council to deal with substandard private sector housing, substandard management of private housing and the enforcement of various legal aspects of the relationship between neighbouring residents or landlords and their tenants.

South West London Housing Partnership

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is part of the South West London Housing Partnership (SWLHP), along with the boroughs of Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth.

The partnership launched a Housing Strategy for South West London(pdf, 447KB) in April 2004. The SWLHP has agreed six strategic objectives to guide the partnership’s work in 2008/09.