Pensioner housing policy to be reviewed

11 June 2014

Waipa District Council has established a working group to review the council's pensioner housing policy.

The existing policy has been in place for nearly five years and must be formally reviewed by February next year. Mayor Jim Mylchreest stressed pensioners living in council-owned units or flats had no reason to be concerned.

I believe there will continue to be a demand for pensioner housing in Waipa in the future. So we have to make sure that going forward, we consider all the issues and do what's best for our older people and for the district as a whole.

Currently, Waipa's pensioner housing must be fully funded by rental income; no rates money goes into it. Under the existing policy, tenants in council-owned pensioner flats get a 25 per cent discount on market rentals with rents independently assessed each year. The rental covers basic costs but does not allow for major property renewals.

The issue has come to head in Te Awamutu where major renewal work is needed for the council-owned units in Palmer Street. In the the 10-Year Plan, the council had budgeted $2.6 million over four years for the Palmer Street units to be renewed.

Before we spend that amount of money, we need to make sure the district's policy reflects where we need to go given a range of issues, including government policy. We also need to make sure that the council's policy reflects what the community needs. That means we'll need to consult with the community before any changes to the existing policy are made, Mr Mylchreest said.

Members of the working group include councillors Andrew Brown and Vern Wilson from Te Awamutu plus Liz Stolwyk and Judy Bannon from Cambridge. The Mayor will be an ex-officio member of the group which will be supported by staff. The working group will report back to the council's Finance and Corporate Committee before the end of this calendar year.

Ends

All media enquiries, contact Jeanette Tyrrell (on behalf of council) 027 507 7599