Frome Town Council declares a housing crisis

A HOUSING crisis has been declared in Frome by the town council who voted to draw up an action plan to address the pressing housing issues facing Frome.

The plan will look at what help is currently available and what will be needed going forward and aims to rally the support of the local community to support change.

It comes at a time when the average rent in Frome has risen to £1,499 a month while the cheapest flat for sale in the town on Rightmove is £135,000 and the cheapest two-bedroom house is £220,000.

At the full council meeting on Wednesday 9th August, cllr Polly Lamb gave a comprehensive overview of the housing situation in Frome and across the country.

She highlighted the distinct challenges that have culminated in the current crisis and shed light on how the town council can take proactive steps to alleviate the situation.

Key factors contributing to the housing crisis, she said, include housing supply, the right-to-buy social housing, and the escalating affordability of housing. And she outlined ways in which the council could help to improve the situation locally.

Cllr Lamb proposed that the town council could affect change through declaring a housing crisis in Frome; by providing more social housing and becoming a housing provider; by supporting more affordable housing and doing more to support Frome Area Community Land Trust in its quest to build affordable homes.

She also proposed the town council should have more influence over planning and commit to 40% affordable housing on all new residential planning applications, which will influence the revised Neighbourhood Plan document.

Cllr Lamb wants to see better use of existing housing; for the council to have more influence over second homes and holiday lets; to encourage more landlords to rent to social housing tenants; encourage more urgent action on housing; and be proactive on the difficult issues of land development.

Appealing to the council to support this motion and declare a housing crisis, one resident said, “I have got to the point now where I am ashamed of this situation here in Frome and I feel it shouldn’t be called a housing crisis, it’s a housing emergency. I feel that the council needs to think carefully about how we change the whole philosophy of the town as a whole.”

Suggesting the council could join forces with other community groups and declare a housing crisis to ensure the ‘heart of Frome’ is preserved, Ali Barclay a director at Frome Area Community Land Trust said, “We can act as a resource for you, you can act as a resource for us. I completely believe that housing is something we need to pay attention to because we will lose the heart of this town and the reason why people are coming to this town will no longer be there.

“I heard only last week of two single mums who are being evicted from private rental and one of their only options is to move out of Frome. They haven’t got a hope in hell to be housed, with the housing list as it stands now. By making a noise, by raising awareness, we also can affect other people who live in Frome.”

Along with a majority vote from councillors to declare a housing crisis and seek ways to implement change, concern was raised from other councillors specifically about the ‘dangers’ of the town council becoming a housing provider.

Cllr Max Wide, whilst in support, would not vote on the recommendation to develop an action plan, unless wording was amended to explore the ‘feasibility’ of developing the plan first.

Cllr Lisa Merryweather said, “My understanding through conversations with other councillors and Polly is that we identified a need to declare a housing crisis. We know the situation is very precarious for a lot of our residents.

“I also see Max’s point and we would probably all agree about thoroughly exploring what the issues are, getting a better understanding and exploring the opportunities.

“There are nine decent suggestions to be explored. There are others that we haven’t yet looked at, there are examples of people doing things in other places and this perhaps feels like a starting point that includes looking into how we bring in other parts of the community to support the change that’s necessary.

“I don’t feel the responsibility should fall wholly on the council who actually don’t have a lot of powers to change much, particularly in planning, but it’s about exploring who can do what and how we can work as a community to solve a problem that is affecting our community.”

Cllr Fiona Barrows asked for more Frome specific data to inform the plan going forward and provide support specific to the residents.

Councillors voted on the amendment to look into the feasibility of a plan based on the nine points in the report and potentially other ideas and will return to council in October.

Frome was also featured on BBC News Points West on Monday 14th August, in a segment about the housing crisis, which spoke to residents in the town about their situation.

After the meeting she said, “Here in Frome, there are over 600 households currently on the social housing list, and only 49 homes have become available in the last six months – which sounds like a lot but that leaves 551 households in a very vulnerable position.

“This also pushes up demand for private rentals, as there are simply not enough houses in the rental market and pushes up prices for all. Add to this that Frome is also a desirable place to live, which can mean bidding wars for the few private rental properties that become available. This can favour people moving from elsewhere as wages are low in Somerset.

“The average rental cost is now £1,499 a month, which is 50% of the average salary – this makes it unaffordable for a lot of people, and prices many of Frome’s young people out of Frome.”