Agenda item

HRA Capital Programme 2024/25

Meeting of Cabinet, Tuesday, 27th February, 2024 10.30 am (Item 80.)

Decision:

*RESOLVED –

1. That it be recommended to Full Council that the Housing revised Capital Programme for 2023/24 be approved.

2. That it be recommended to Full Council that the Housing Capital Programme for 2024/25 be approved and its procurement, as necessary, be authorised.

3. That it be recommended to Full Council that the Housing Capital Programme for 2025/26 to 2028/29 be provisionally approved.

4. That authority be delegated to the Service Director – Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Service Director – Finance, to vire between programmes and budgets as necessary, to manage and deliver the Capital Programme for 2024/25 as set out in the officer’s report.

REASON FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

The Council as a social landlord has a legal duty to ensure that all its properties are fully compliant and maintained to Decent Homes standards.

Minutes:

The Service Director – Housing presented a report seeking approval for the Housing Capital Programmes for 2023/24 and 2024/25 and an indicative programme for 2025/26 to 2028/29.

The 2023/24 Programme had been revised to recognise changes during the financial year. The principal change was the delayed start of major new build schemes at Staveley and Middlecroft, due to the Covid pandemic and a main contractor going into liquidation. The delayed works had been incorporated into the revised 2023/24 and 2024/25 Programmes, as shown in Appendix 1 of the officer’s report.

The 2022 Stock Condition Survey, carried out by Savills, had identified that the condition of the Council’s housing stock had improved since the previous survey undertaken in 2017. The proposed 2024/25 Programme had been designed to ensure stock achieved and maintained 100% decency. Currently, 99.7% of the housing stock met the Decent Homes Standard (as of December 2023) and it was anticipated this would reach 100% during 2024/25.

One of the main focusses of the Programme remained the modernisation of properties, with the majority of activity over the next 12 months concentrated on building elements such as new kitchen, heating renewals, roof and window replacement programmes, alongside further improvements to external estate environments.

The work programmes for 2024/25 until 2028/29 continued to be prioritised in line with the level of investment needed according to the 2022 stock condition survey, and the amount of recent expenditure incurred on responsive repairs and maintenance.

Investment in blocks would continue through the block refurbishment programme, with the next scheme to be completed being Newland Dale (expected in February 2024) and Loundsley Green commencing in 2024/25.

The investments proposed in the Programme would also make a significant contribution to improving the energy efficiency of the Council’s housing stock whilst also contributing to the Council’s overall decarbonisation targets. For example, a decarbonisation feasibility study had been undertaken for a pilot scheme at one of the sheltered schemes, Brocklehurst Court.

The Council’s new build programme would continue with new homes at Middlecroft and Westwood Avenue due to complete in 2024/25. An additional new site at Mastin Moor had been identified and the designs submitted to planning. Development was planned to start in 2024/25. All existing and proposed new build schemes were shown in the Table at paragraph 4.14 of the officer’s report.

It was also proposed that the council’s successful programme of strategic housing acquisitions would continue, to allow the purchase of properties which met housing need, thus increasing the Council’s housing stock. Seven new units had been acquired at Newhall Road in August 2023.

The Table shown at paragraph 6.1 of the officer’s report showed the level of planned investment in the council’s housing stock, over the 5-year Programme to 2028/29.