Fareham Borough Council has reaffirmed its decision not to purchase Wates House, which comprises 27 one and two-bedroom apartments, in Fareham. The confirmation was given at a Council Meeting on 17th April following a motion put forward by the opposition for the Council to ‘Secure Wates House to support local housing need’.
Wates House was recently the subject of local interest due to the Home Office expressing a potential interest in procuring the site to accommodate asylum seekers. The Council, along with other partners including the Police, had raised strong concerns regarding the proposal with the Home Office; the Home Office subsequently withdrew its interest.
During the debate, Councillors shared their reasons why the purchase of Wates House would not be the right choice for the Council. These included:
- The one and two-bedroom apartments would not support those most in housing need, according to the housing register.
- The apartments are considered to be better suited to the private rented sector, which is not a market that the local authority subsidises and would not represent best value for public funds.
- As the properties would neither support priority cases on the housing register, nor represent best value for public funds, there would be potential for a legal challenge.
- The apartments are built to a different standard to the Council housing delivered through its own sites which, in six years, has delivered just over 100 new homes across six sites. This may require modifications by the Council prior to occupation, at additional cost.
- A large amount of similar-sized affordable homes are currently being delivered by social housing providers in the Borough.
Cllr Simon Martin, Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council, said:
“It would not be acceptable for this Council to spend significant sums of taxpayers’ money without a clear business case to support it. The research undertaken by officers has shown that the properties do not represent value for money for the taxpayer because it could not be filled by the families on our waiting lists. The Council is therefore continuing to focus the use of its limited housing funds and borrowing capacity on providing the right social housing in the right places.”