The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Cheltenham Borough Council met on Monday 25 November 2024 to discuss air quality and barriers to affordable housing delivery. Key decisions included a commitment to revoke the current Air Quality Management Area and develop a new Air Quality Strategy, and a detailed examination of the challenges and opportunities in increasing affordable housing supply.

Air Quality Update

The committee received an update on air quality in Cheltenham, noting that levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are slowly but steadily falling across the borough, with monitoring results expected to show compliance with legal limits for the third consecutive year. This trend suggests that the current Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) may soon become obsolete. The focus of national attention is increasingly shifting towards fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which originates from a wider range of sources, including domestic solid fuel burning.

Gareth Jones, Senior Environmental Health Officer, and Hannah Leatherland, Air Quality Education Projects Officer, highlighted the success of the Care for our Air project, which has engaged with 35% of schools in Cheltenham. Initiatives such as anti-idling campaigns, the Pollution Revolution project where secondary school students build their own particulate matter monitors, and a bus banner campaign have been implemented.

Looking ahead, the council plans to revoke the AQMA and develop a new Air Quality Strategy. There is also a proposal to revise Smoke Control Zones and launch an education and enforcement campaign, alongside an anti-idling campaign. Challenges remain, including the temporary nature of the Air Quality Education Projects Officer role and the cancellation of DEFRA air quality grants.

Understanding Barriers to Affordable Housing Delivery

The committee discussed the significant challenges and opportunities in delivering affordable housing in Cheltenham. Tracey Birkinshaw, Director of Communities and Economic Development, Martin Stacey, Housing Strategy and Partnerships Manager, and Ewan Wright, Senior Housing Strategy and Engagement Officer, presented a report detailing past and projected delivery, barriers, and strategies.

The Local Housing Needs Assessment identifies an annual requirement of 194 affordable homes, a target that has not been met in recent years. Between April 2018 and March 2024, 477 affordable homes were delivered, with projections suggesting a shortfall even with planned developments. Key barriers identified include a reliance on large, complex sites, financial and capacity constraints within the Housing Revenue Account, increased construction costs, and financial pressures on Registered Providers (RPs). Viability challenges, where developers argue they cannot afford to meet policy-compliant affordable housing requirements, have also led to a reduction in anticipated affordable homes.

Despite these challenges, the council is actively pursuing opportunities to increase delivery. This includes focusing on 'additionality' through land-led schemes and buy-back programmes, unlocking stalled sites like Pittville School, and leveraging the potential of strategic allocation sites such as North West and West Cheltenham. The upcoming Strategic and Local Plan presents an opportunity to introduce new affordable housing policies and strengthen existing ones.

Councillor Chris Day raised concerns about developers being able to make significant profits while potentially reducing affordable housing contributions due to viability assessments. Councillor Peter Jeffries, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member Finance and Assets, acknowledged that the current system allows developers to profit, while the council often has to purchase homes on the open market at higher costs to meet housing needs. Councillor Frank Allen questioned the inclusion of acquisitions and buybacks in additionality figures and asked about stratifying housing delivery targets by house numbers. The officers confirmed that acquisitions and buybacks are considered additionality and that stratifying targets further is theoretically possible but would require viability testing and agreement with neighbouring authorities.

The discussion also touched upon the need for accessible homes and the potential for stratifying targets based on development size. Councillor Richard Pineger, Cabinet Member Climate Emergency, highlighted the innovation in the report and questioned the sustainability of the current team. He also raised concerns about the projected need to build 275 homes per year to address the backlog.

Councillor Paul Baker, Cabinet Member Planning & Building Control, inquired about staffing resources, the £180 million allocated for new housing, and efforts to bring forward stalled schemes. He also stressed the importance of social housing. The officers confirmed that while resourcing is challenging, the housing enabling team is well-resourced, and they prioritise social rent delivery, aiming for 70% of new developments to be social housing. They are actively working to bring forward schemes like Pittville School and 320 Swindon Road.

Draft Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2023-2024

The committee considered the draft Annual Scrutiny report for 2023-2024. Councillor Tabi Joy, Chair of Overview and Scrutiny, highlighted the committee's work over the year, including the 'call-in' of the transfer of Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH) back to the council and scrutiny of various partnerships. The report was noted for submission to the full Council.

Feedback from Other Scrutiny Meetings

Updates were provided on meetings of the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel. Councillor Richard Pineger raised concerns about elective waits for NHS treatment exceeding 18 weeks and questioned why patients are not being informed of their right to choose alternative providers. Councillor Stan Smith inquired about the monitoring of the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment in light of recent floods.

Review of Scrutiny Workplan

The committee reviewed its workplan for the upcoming year. It was noted that the discussion on the Cheltenham Trust would be rescheduled, and a task group on the Household Recycling Centre might be introduced.