Social housing residents have come together with York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith to share views on how the region can deliver more affordable homes.
A listening event was held at the Royal Hotel in Scarborough on Tuesday as part of a commitment to make sure the voices of local residents are heard on housing and other key issues including transport, regeneration, skills and employment.
Currently, around 10,300 households across York and North Yorkshire are on council waiting lists for housing.
The Mayor recently launched his vision to address this urgent need by prioritising the development of affordable and social housing to ensure local people can afford to live in their local communities.
David Skaith, the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said:
“Events like this are vital in enabling me to hear, first-hand, the issues important to residents.
“In this case it was encouraging to hear that my top priorities are exactly what our coastal communities want us to focus on.
“Access to affordable housing in towns like Scarborough will help stem the loss of young people to other areas, and instead create thriving neighbourhoods in our coastal areas. It will, also, help maintain and create communities in an area where many homes are used as holiday lets.
“When you link this with jobs, opportunities, and the outdoors, you have the building blocks of a thriving region.”
The listening event was organised by Beyond Housing – a member of the York and North Yorkshire Housing Partnership.
It gave residents from the Scarborough and Whitby areas a chance to share their feedback with the Mayor and other guests including representatives from housing providers and local councillors.
Rosemary Du Rose, Chief Executive at Beyond Housing, said:
“It was great to see so many people attend the event and have the chance to speak with the Mayor directly.
“Thank you to everyone who attended, we gained some great insight, which will be invaluable in shaping our services and plans.”
The York and North Yorkshire Housing Partnership is made up of 23 housing associations and has aligned its priorities with the Mayor’s vision for thriving communities where everyone can have a safe, warm and affordable home.
Over the past year, its partnership members have built 741 new homes – with hundreds more underway.
In total, they own and manage more than 30,000 affordable rented homes which add around £75 million each year to the regional economy and support 1,600 full-time jobs.
The partnership is working closely with the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to further increase the supply of affordable homes and help the region meet its 2034 net-zero target.
Housing associations in the partnership have a strong commitment to reducing carbon emissions and many are already building new homes using low carbon solutions to provide clean energy and reduce residents’ energy bills.
Low carbon homes are one of the partnership’s key priorities which also include building the right homes in the right places and increasing workforce capacity.
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