Holding Housing Associations to account
The Liberal Democrat administration has failed residents terribly on the provision of affordable housing and standing up to the less than efficient, remote and incompetent Housing Associations that dominate the Affordable Housing stock in Mole Valley.
As shown tragically by the death of Awaab Ishak after being exposed to mould in his home, it is important that local councils ensure that their social housing is in a suitable condition.
A Conservative administration will introduce public meetings with Housing Associations for residents to share their concerns directly, and introduce a dedicated Cabinet Member for Housing to directly oversee this important area and hold the Housing Associations to account for their failures to look after residents.
A Conservative administration will also introduce a charter for repairs and caring for council tenants.
A Plan to deliver affordable housing
It is clear that Mole Valley needs more social and affordable housing for residents. There are currently 640 households on the Mole Valley housing list as of September 2023 and concrete plans to build 36 new affordable housing units with a possible 20 further homes built in the next two years. This is not enough for the demand in Mole Valley.
A Conservative administration will implement a comprehensive plan to deliver social housing in the district and allocate the appropriate resources to deliver this plan.
One key aspect would be to demolish the existing Council Offices at Pippbrook and turn the site into social housing for residents on the housing list. This will not only fix the issue of overspending on the environmentally unfriendly office, but also provide social homes that are much needed in the community.
Alongside this plan, we would proactively find other sites across the district to build social housing and set a target to build a number of high quality, affordable housing units to be let in Mole Valley to alleviate the pressure on the housing list.