Real Life Stories
In the run up to the meeting Frome Town Council and FACLT collected real-life stories from local people about their experiences of the housing crisis. Some of the stories were shared with those attending the meeting, for example a family with a disabled child waiting more than 4 years for suitable housing, another family with multiple health problems living in a mould infested house, a pensioner living in their family’s shed as they can’t afford to rent here. These and other stories illustrate the inequalities in the renting market, the cost of living crisis and lack of availability of affordable housing, all creating massive insecurity and negatively impacting people’s health and wellbeing.

The Data
Delia Goddard (a FACLT Director) has been exploring the recent housing data, nationally and locally, and shared what she found (the presentation will be made available on the website). She asked people to think about this question as they listened to the facts…

‘What can we do individually and as a community to enable those of our neighbours who are not adequately housed, to find a safe, decent home that’s suitable for their needs and that they can genuinely afford to live in?

According to the National Housing Federation (2021) there are 8.5 million people in England who can’t access the housing they need in the UK, and the Campaign to Protect Rural England says ‘A country faces a housing crisis when a significant part of the population doesn’t have access to a safe, decent home that’s suitable for their needs and that they can genuinely afford to live in.’

A study conducted by UWE (Housing Affordability in the South West of England March 2023) showed that the factors affecting affordability in the South-West are high house prices, low earnings, 2nd homes and holiday lets, migration, the impact of right to buy and impacts of national and local policies.

Here in Frome average rents (according to a local rental agency) are between £600-£700 for a 1 bed, £850-£975 for a 2 bed, £1000-£1,300 for a 3 bed and £1,400-£1,600 for a 4 bed. There are very few opportunities for multiple occupancy rentals, massive competition for tenancy, and generally low availability.

We always seem to be hearing about new homes being built locally, with a 30% requirement for affordable housing on new developments (over 10 houses). Yet despite the intensive need, the statistics from 2007 to 2022 show only 1754 houses were built in Frome during those 15 years, and of those only 402 (23%) were considered ‘affordable’. 563 houses have consent but have not yet been built, but of these only 17% are ‘affordable’.

Finally, the Homefinder Somerset data shows that a total of 684 households are currently waiting for social housing in the Frome area. Last year only 105 social homes became available in this area (only 2 with wheelchair access) and with an average of 83 bids for every home that is advertised, competition is fierce!

Discussion
Following the presentation of the data and local real-life stories, a panel discussion was facilitated by Sophie Docker. Panellists included Ali Barclay (a founder of Fair Housing for Frome and member of FACLT board), Steve Watson (Director of Middlemarch Community Led Housing CIC), Town Cllr Polly Lamb (previously ran a lettings company in Frome), and Stephen Fowler (who has extensive experience in landlord and tenant law, led a property management business and provides in house consultancy for agents, housing charities, local authorities and associations).

The discussion generated a lot of comments, ideas and questions…
– It was noted how few multiple occupancy rentals are available in Frome, how can we encourage and support landlords to take that path?
– Under occupancy could be a blessing in disguise for owner occupiers, with options for people living alone to gain a tax-free income of £7,500 from having a lodger. Or house sharing options for older people with support needs and younger people with housing needs.
– The economic difficulties in retrofitting central town buildings to create flats was discussed and concluded to be an unlikely solution with such expensive prices.
– The challenges of finding land for development when brownfield sites are not an option, and greenfield sites are so valued for their support of nature and wellbeing. How can we create new developments which will boost wellbeing and biodiversity?
– The pattern of developers mostly not meeting the 30% affordable housing requirements in local developments was highlighted, with calls to amend future local planning policy to demand 40% affordable housing to reflect our greater need. Is it possible to hold developers accountable for not achieving requirements?
– Others pointed out that we need new developments with 100% social housing to be able to meet the demand, such as the current North Parade development, and discussed issues with right to buy removing social stock. Can we create community led eco-friendly housing which can remain affordable in perpetuity?
– Many people spoke in support of a declaration of an official housing crisis here in Frome, to ignite a social movement to work together to solve these problems.