Shropshire examines new draft housing strategy

The number of homeless households in Shropshire has soared by almost a quarter in the last two years, according to a new council report.

The council’s cabinet are due to meet this week (26 March) to discuss the local authority’s draft housing strategy for 2020-2025, which reveals the number of homeless households in the county has increased by 24.5% in the last two years.

According to the draft strategy, there were 1.9 homeless households per 1,000 in Shropshire in 2016-17, which rose to 2.4 in 2017-18.

The report also highlights the ‘inability’ of households on average wages to buy homes in the county.

In Shrewsbury, a household would need a mortgage 6.7 times their income to buy an average home, while in Owestry the figure is 5.4.

The report also notes that the high cost of housing in the county ‘challenges the ability of essential workers’ to support and care for older people living in Shropshire.

It states that by 2041, a third of Shropshire residents will be over the age of 65.

And almost two thirds (61%) of residents living in rural parts of the county will be between 65 and 79 years old.

In addition, the report also notes there are currently more than 1,700 empty homes in Shropshire, of which 600 have been empty for at last two years.

‘Empty homes are recognised as a wasted resource, depriving people of a home and contributing to the need for more housing,’ the report states.

‘It is only when properties stay empty longer than six months without any obvious signs of renovation or rental that they become true empty homes.

‘They are a blight on local communities and may prevent investment in the area.’

The draft strategy also states there are more than 5,000 households on the housing register requiring affordable housing in Shropshire.

‘The number of new affordable homes over the last five years has averaged at 343 per year,’ it adds. ‘This is significantly below the number of homes required.’

Photo Credit – Inspiredimages (Pixabay)