Housing Needs Assessment 2006 - Westminster City Council

Westminster – Housing Needs Assessment 20067.7 Total backlog needHaving been through a number of detailed stages in order to assess the backlog of need in the Cityof Westminster we shall now bring together all pieces of data to complete the ‘B: BACKLOG OFEXISTING NEED’ element of the Basic Needs Assessment model encouraged by the ODPM. Thisis shown in the following section.The table below summarises the first stage of the overall assessment of housing need as set out bythe ODPM. The data shows that there is an estimated backlog of 1,728 households in need (seestage 5). The final stage is to include a quota to progressively reduce this backlog. A reduction inthe backlog of need of 20% per year has been assumed in the City of Westminster. The tabletherefore shows that the annual need to reduce backlog is 346 dwellings per annum.ODPMGuide‘It is also unrealistic to expect to meet all of any backlog in the planning period. It isrecommended that all authorities apply a standard factor of 20% here forcomparability (this implies eliminating the backlog over a 5 year strategy period).LA’s may then make policy judgements to determine the practical rate at which thisbacklog can be reduced’. [Section 2.4 (page 25)]Table 7.5 Basic Needs Assessment Model – Stages 1 to 7B: BACKLOG OF EXISTING NEEDElement Notes Final number1. Backlog need existinghouseholds2. minus cases where in-situsolution most appropriate3. times proportion unable to affordto buy or rent in marketNumber of households currentlyliving in unsuitable housingIn situ (or outside the City) solutionmost appropriate for 9,576households82.0% = 1,488 – also remove 901social renting tenants11,390Leaves 1,8144. plus Backlog (non-households) Homeless = 1,141 1,1415. equals total Backlog need 1,7286. times quota to progressivelyreduce backlog587Suggest 20% as in ODPM report 20%7. equals annual need to reduce346BacklogNB Elimination of the backlog over a five-year period is recommended in the Guide. However,the Council can make a policy decision to do so over a longer period.Source: City of Westminster Housing Needs Survey 2006PAGE 76