Shropshire housing takes step forward
A council run housing business that aims to provide 2,000 homes in ten years has taken a step forward after a business case was given the rubber stamp.
An outline business case was prepared by consultants who said that Shropshire Council could make millions of pounds by building homes, as well as tackling a shortfall in commercial house building in the county.
Under the plans, some homes will be built for sale on the open market, while others will be built for the affordable rental market.
In the report presented to Shropshire Council on Thursday, a business case was confirmed, along with establishing who would sit on committees on the board.
The authority also authorised an initial unsecured loan of £250,000 to the company to provide funding for operating and set up costs, with authority delegated to the Director of Finance, Governance and Assurance to agree the terms of the loan in consultation with the Executive Director of Place.
Portfolio holder for housing Robert Macey said: "This is something that is needed.
"We want to maximise the portfolio and get the most out of at, and by doing this we can do that.
"By supporting this councillors will be doing that.
"We will be going out and speaking to many people including landowners about this."
Councillor Macey said it would be in place for the summer, however Ludlow councillor Andy Boddington said he supported the idea, but the timescale was ambitious and should be extended.
Councillor Nic Laurens offered his backing to the scheme and praised staff within the council, adding: "What I would say is we have some fantastic officers within this council, and on this scheme wherever possible can we use our own workforce in this.
Roger Evans, Lib Dem leader on the council added: "We have always supported this and the Shropshire residents need it to go through."
