To inform Cabinet of the outcome following the consultation on the draft Housing Strategy 2026-30 and to seek Cabinet’s approval of the final Housing Strategy 2026-30 for submission to Full Council.

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a)     notes the responses to the consultation on the draft Housing Strategy 2026-30;

(b)     agrees the final Housing Strategy 2026/30 and recommends it for adoption by Full Council at its meeting to be held on 27 January 2026; and

(c)     authorises the Portfolio Holder for Housing & Planning to make amendments to the final version of the strategy prior to its approval by Full Council in response to any recommendations made by the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 14 January 2026.

Cabinet considered a report of the Housing & Planning Portfolio Holder (A.4) which informed it of the outcome following the consultation on the draft Housing Strategy 2026-30 and which sought Cabinet’s approval of the final Housing Strategy 2026-30.

Cabinet recalled that, at its meeting held on 26 September 2025, it had approved a draft Housing Strategy 2026-30 for consultation. That consultation had been launched on 6 October 2025 with a questionnaire available on the Council’s website.

It was reported that 24 responses to the consultation had been received via the online survey form with 92% agreeing with the proposed length of the strategy and 92% agreeing with the four strategic priorities. Several comments had been received that were summarised within the Portfolio Holder’s report.

Members were advised that Essex County Council (ECC) had submitted a detailed response (as attached as Appendix B to the Portfolio Holder’s report) that in essence stated: “ECC welcomes the development of this Housing Strategy and the clear articulation of Tendring’s priorities. The document is well-structured and provides a strong narrative about the local context, including the challenges of deprivation, an ageing population, and housing affordability. We particularly value the emphasis on partnership working and the recognition of the role of Essex County Council in delivering shared objectives.”

Overall, the responses to the consultation had not required the draft strategy to be substantially altered. Reflecting the feedback received, some minor additions had been made. The proposed final version of the strategy set out notable achievements along with ambitions across four strategic priorities:-

1.   Maintain and improve our existing housing stock.

This focussed on the Council’s role as a landlord and the management of its homes ensuring compliance with its statutory obligations along with the Consumer Standards and Tenant Satisfaction Measures

2.   Preventing and reducing homelessness.

With homelessness having increased and most councils facing significant cost pressures this priority set out what the Council was doing to reduce expenditure and increase its prevention work.

3.   Delivering, with partners, high quality homes.

This priority focused on the delivery of affordable housing in the District.

4.   Supporting people in their homes and communities.

This priority was aimed at those living in the privately rented sector and those owning their own homes and set out what the Council was doing to ensure housing standards were maintained across all tenures.

The Housing and Planning Portfolio Holder read out the following statement:-

“Leader, I bring this report to Cabinet, asking it to approve that the Housing Strategy 2026-2030, shown at Appendix A, be presented to Council for adoption at the next full Council meeting on Tuesday 27^th January 2026.

Cabinet will recall that at our meeting in September, I had asked for that a draft Housing Strategy be approved for consultation, which was agreed. The consultation took place from 6^th October to 14^th November, with a questionnaire available to be completed on the Council’s website.

24 responses were received via the online form, of which 92% agreed with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 90