Housing impacts on many areas of everyday life.
To ensure we provide the right housing services to meet local needs and priorities, we produce strategies and action plans. We also consult with members of the local community and our partners to make sure we take their views into account.
The Council is legally required to provide a Homelessness Strategy and a Tenancy Strategy. The other strategies are ‘non statutory’ and have been developed and adopted by the Council at its discretion.
Housing Strategy 2021-2026
This Housing Strategy identifies four key themes and their associated objectives:
- Understanding housing needs.
- Delivering the homes.
- Making best use of existing housing.
- Meeting the housing needs of vulnerable people.
The Housing Strategy 2021-2026 was adopted on 3 February 2021.
Care and support accommodation strategy
Theme 4 of the Housing Strategy 2021-2026 is “Meeting the Housing Needs of Vulnerable People”. The Council has previously adopted individual accommodation strategies for those with specialist housing needs. These strategies are provided below.
As the accommodation needs of these client groups are not mutually exclusive, the Council intends to combine these strategies into one over-arching Care and Support Accommodation Strategy. This work is scheduled to be undertaken in 2024-2025.
Learning disabilities accommodation strategy 2017-2022
- Learning disabilities accommodation strategy (PDF).
- Learning disabilities accommodation action plan (PDF) (reviewed in September 2021)
Physical disabilities accommodation strategy
Strategy currently in development.
Mental health accommodation strategy 2018-2023
- Mental health accommodation strategy 2018-2023 (PDF)
- Mental health accommodation strategy 2018-2023 action plan review (PDF)
Older persons’ accommodation strategy 2018-2023
Homelessness strategy 2016-2021
The Homelessness Strategy 2016-2021 was extended to cover the period up to June 2024 at a meeting of the Executive on 8 March 2023.
The new Homelessness and Rough Sleepers Strategy 2024-2029 is currently in development. Public consultation on the draft is programmed for early 2024 with adoption anticipated shortly thereafter.
- Homelessness strategy 2016-2021 (PDF)
- Homelessness strategy action plan (PDF) reviewed November 2018
- Homelessness strategy action plan (PDF) revised version as approved at 6 November 2019 Housing Committee
Empty homes strategy 2019-2024
Tenancy strategy 2019-2024
- Tenancy strategy 2019-2024 (PDF)
- Fixed term tenancy review report 2019 (PDF) reviewed October 2019
- Fixed term tenancy review report 2022 (PDF) reviewed October 2022
Bedford strategic housing market assessment
The Bedford Strategic Housing Market Assessment Update 2016 and its Addenda November 2018 evidence housing need for adopted Local Plan 2030. A Local Housing Needs Assessment 2021 and its 2022 Addendum have been prepared to support emerging Local Plan 2040.
Private sector housing
We commissioned the Building Research Establishment to complete a private sector stock modelling exercise. A Private Sector Stock Report was completed in 2018 and an addendum report in 2020.