District Dispatch - 2 January 2025

As a council, one of our first key areas of focus this year is the launch of our new 'Let's Talk: Housing' consultation, which will begin on Monday 20 January and will run until Monday 3 March. As part of this consultation, we've created a short and simple survey that will enable you to share your views on the suggested aims and actions that we are considering including in our new Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy.

As you may be aware, housing is a top priority for us. Our vision is to ensure that everyone has a safe, stable and affordable home where they can live an independent and prosperous life.

We want to see the right homes built in the right places. It's important that we provide a range of opportunities to meet the housing needs of all of our residents, including addressing the needs of older people and creating and retaining affordable housing opportunities for young people and families so that they can stay in the district, including in our rural parishes.

We meet the needs of our residents through direct support; delivering and managing temporary accommodation; working with partners and community groups; and supporting the social housing providers in the district to make sure that our residents' voices are heard and that housing standards are met.

The Chichester District, like the rest of the country, is facing the severe effects of a housing crisis. As such, it is crucial that we regularly review and set out the ways in which we aim to help improve the quality, supply and affordability of homes in the district and the services we provide to those who find themselves facing homelessness.

This is why we're currently updating our Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for the period 2025-2030, which will address all of these issues. The strategy relates to all types of homes, including social housing, the private rented sector, and owner-occupied homes.

We've already started to talk to those who are currently using our services, as well as key partners — such as housing associations and service providers — to share the draft strategy, and now we're almost ready to ask for your feedback too.

To have your say when the consultation goes live on Monday 20 January, simply visit our Let's Talk 'Housing' Consultation page (opens new window) to complete our quick, easy-to-use survey.

To help make it as easy as possible for you share your views, we've created designated Let's Talk 'Housing' web pages (opens new window) where you can find background information; a range of frequently asked questions to explain some of the topics and terms used in our survey and strategy; and a copy of the draft strategy itself.

If you would like to be notified as soon as our consultation starts, why not join our Let's Talk Panel and we'll contact you by email when the consultation goes live. As a member of the panel, there's no commitment to participate — you can choose which of our consultations you wish to take part in. To find out more and to sign up, visit our Let's Talk panel web page.

For those who do not have access to a computer, paper copies of the survey are available on request by emailing: letstalk@chichester.gov.uk

When the consultation closes, we will be carefully analysing your responses and taking into account your feedback. The final strategy will then be considered for approval later this year, when the current version of the strategy ends.

If you're interested in finding out more about our housing services, please visit our Housing web pages.

Don't forget that you can keep updated on the council's work, including news about schemes and projects that benefit residents and businesses, by signing up to our monthly email newsletter.

Best Wishes

Cllr Oona Hickson

Cabinet Member for Housing, Revenues and Benefits at Chichester District Council