Walsall Borough Housing Strategy 2026 - Short term 0 – 24 months
How we will deliver
This section sets out the actions that we will implement on our journey to attracting and accelerating investment.
| Action | Description | Lead / Partner(s) | Enabling function | Impact | Success measures | Objectives linked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strengthen asset management strategy | Identify, rationalise, and publish 5-year council assets management strategy. | Asset Management, Planning Policy, Regeneration & Economy, Finance | Process | High | Asset management strategy published setting out assets to be rationalised and completions tracked annually | E, F, G |
| Strengthen regeneration pipeline strategy | Establish a regeneration pipeline ‘single source of truth’ identifying supply and delivery across all land sizes inc (new supply, brownfield, retrofit). | Asset Management, Planning Policy, Regeneration & Economy, Finance | Process | High | Pipeline published, with partners having direct access, updated regularly and completions tracked annually | E, F, G, H |
| Resource and expand delivery/enabling teams | Recruit and upskill teams for legal, retrofit, planning, delivery, asset management and supported housing. | HR, Regeneration & Economy, Housing, Asset Management | Process | High | Team capacity, delivery times, staff satisfaction | E, F, G, H |
| Update/implement key regulatory levers | Refresh and enforce S106, PRS licensing, Decent Homes, and other standards to drive investment in quality and affordability. | Development Management (Planning), Regeneration & Economy, Legal Services, Housing | Policy | High | Levers adopted, enforcement activity, compliance rates | E, F, G |
| Enhance RP/PRS landlord collaboration | Establish/refresh landlord forums to support the improvement of stock condition, compliance and quality standards. | Regeneration & Economy, Housing, Community Building & Cohesion, Legal Services | People & Partnerships | High | Compliance rates, forums held, engagement | E, F, G, H |
| Develop local skills pipeline | Set up training, apprenticeships, and partnerships for construction, retrofit, and green jobs. | HR, Regeneration & Economy, Local Colleges, Economic Development, Business Intelligence | People & Partnerships | High | Number trained/certified, job placements, skills gap | G, H |
| Map and prioritise focus areas for investment | Use data to identify and publish priority areas for targeted investment and regeneration. | Regeneration & Economy, Business Intelligence | Place-Based Focus | High | Priority areas mapped, published, used in decisions | E, F, H |
| Develop integrated data dashboards and KPIs | Build dashboards and set targets for supply, EPC, and health outcomes, reporting progress quarterly and publicly. | Business Intelligence, DaTS (IT), Housing, Public Health | Performance | High | Dashboards live, regular updates, KPI achievement | E, G, H |
| Market Walsall’s investment case and publicise early wins | Launch campaigns and case studies to attract new investment and demonstrate progress. | Economic Development, Communications, Regeneration & Economy | Promotion | Medium | Investor interest, positive media coverage, funding secured | E, F, G, H |
| Design guidance | Define the design guidance for high quality, energy efficient, healthy homes. | Regeneration & Economy, Planning Policy, Housing, Developers, Legal Services | Policy | Medium | Design policies developed and published which provide signals to the market via local plan policies. | E, F, G |
| Map and Set Locality-Based Targets for Specialist Housing Supply | Use needs analysis and demand mapping to set five-year supply targets for specialist and supported housing by locality (e.g., for older people, adults with disabilities, mental health). | Business Intelligence, Housing, Adult Social Care, Planning | Place-Based Focus | High | Locality targets published; delivery against targets; annual review | E, F |
| Modernise Outdated Specialist Housing Stock | Work in partnership with Registered Providers and other specialist housing providers to influence and support the auditing of specialist housing stock (retirement/sheltered/extra care) and promote and facilitate programmes to modernise or decommission units that do not meet current standards for accessibility and energy efficiency. | Asset Management, Housing, Registered Providers | Process | High | No. of units refurbished/decommissioned; improved EPC ratings; resident satisfaction | F, G |
| Secure Grant Funding and Enable Cross-Sector Retrofit Delivery | Proactively identify, apply for, and secure external grant funding (e.g., from government retrofit schemes, West Midlands Combined Authority, or other sources) to support the large-scale upgrade of homes to EPC C or above. Coordinate enabling activities by establishing partnerships with registered providers, private landlords, local contractors, and skills providers to facilitate delivery, maximise funding impact, and ensure a robust local supply chain. | Housing, Finance, Economic Development, Registered Providers, Skills/Training Providers | Process / People & Partnerships | High | Amount of grant funding secured (£); number of successful bids; number of partner organisations engaged; number of homes upgraded attributable to secured funding. | G |
| Deepen Partnership Working with WMCA and Homes England | Work closely with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Homes England to unlock strategic funding, support the delivery of regeneration and housing priorities, and jointly bid for programmes that accelerate affordable and specialist housing delivery in Walsall’s priority areas. | Housing, Regeneration & Economy, Finance, WMCA, Homes England | People & Partnerships | High | Number and value of joint funding bids submitted; funding secured; number of partnership projects initiated; affordable and specialist homes delivered as a result | E, F, G |