Agenda and draft minutes

No declarations of interest were received.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Kellman, Ridgway and Snowdon.

The Service Director – Housing presented a report on the forecast outturn for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) for the current financial year, 2024/25, and both the draft HRA budget for 2025/26 and the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for the years 2025/26 to 2029/30.

The 2024/25 budget reflected various pressures totalling £3.6m, which included:

·        New fees payable to the Regulator of Social Housing (£66k)

·        Commissioning an external contractor to deal with the backlog of void properties (£750k)

·        Disrepair claims (£250k)

·        Void rent and council tax losses (£694k)

·        Transformation activities (£200k)

·        Reshape of the Housing Assets service (£427k)

·        Temporary additional staff to deal with customer care, damp and mould (£260k)

·        Additional costs to renew and work towards electrifying fleet vehicles (£723k)   

As a result of building these pressures into the 2024/25 budget, the Housing Service was able to deliver a number of improvements which contributed to the positive outcome of the inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing in September 2024:

·        Procurement of an external contractor, to address up to 200 void properties, with 29 properties completed during the first two months of the contract.

·        Procurement of a new ICT system for scheduling repairs more efficiently and the commencement of the review of trades employees’ terms and conditions.

·        A successful reshape of the Housing Assets service, which created dedicated posts to deal with compliance and safety and decarbonisation.

·        Increased capacity to deal with damp and mould cases, resulting in a more robust approach to addressing disrepair claims.

·        Implementation of the fleet replacement strategy and procurement of 34 electric vehicles.

Members discussed the Voids workload and whether the contractor would be asked to complete more than the agreed 200 properties. It was reported that this was not planned. The backlog was being brought down to a manageable workload for the Council’s own employees. It was noted that since the introduction of pre-termination visits resources were able to be better prioritised within the Housing service.

Members discussed the Right to Buy scheme, including the implications of a large number of sales in recent years. It was noted that in January 2025 a consultation began with central government on the scheme.

Members suggested that some tenants may benefit from training on how to run a household, including paying of rent, reporting of repairs etc., especially if it was their first home. The Service Director – Housing reported that specific projects existed for young people and care leavers and a support plan was put in place for all new tenants. The Cabinet Member for Housing reported that it was hoped that now the new Repairs Booklet had been circulated to tenants, improvements would be seen in the timely reporting of repair needs.

Members questioned if the demand for properties had risen in the last twelve months. The Service Director – Housing reported that numbers were relatively stable. The Cabinet Member for Housing noted that there had been a rise in the number of people joining the Housing register when private landlords were evicting tenants for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.

The Service Director – Housing presented a report which showed the Housing Capital Programme for 2025/26 and provided an indicative programme for 2026/27 to 2029/30.

The 2024/25 Capital Programme had been revised to recognise changes during the year. The main changes were slippage of new build works into 2025/26. The projected out-turn for 2024/25 was £17.288m.

The overall proposed programme for 2025/26 would cost £31.339m and the main elements of the programme were:

·        Safety and compliance (£4.381m)

·        Investment in existing housing stock (£17.076m)

·        Investment in new council homes (£8.038m)

Members discussed the possibility of using disused parkland or large, unused gardens for the building of new housing stock. Alternatively, adding extensions onto one bedroom bungalows. The Service Director – Housing reported that often land appears to be suitable but isn’t, due to underground factors. These options were not actively being investigated at the present time however all options would be considered, although on a case by case basis.

Members questioned the decarbonisation of the housing stock and the fleet, asking whether this would become the main focus for the housing service. The Service Director – Housing reported that the new decent homes standard was being awaited, and this would inform the direction of concentration. It was hoped that more grant funding opportunities would become available, allowing the council to invest in further decarbonisation of the housing stock.

The Chair wished to recognise the improvement works which were being undertaken in the Borough and thanked all staff involved.

The Cabinet Member for Housing commended the staff of the housing service for their dedication to helping residents have homes which were being renovated both inside and out.

The Committee wished to receive an update on the progress of the HRA Budget and Capital Programme, including the end of external contractor voids situation, in the autumn.

RESOLVED –

1. That the report be noted.

2. That the Service Director – Housing return in the autumn with an update.

Feedback was received on the progress of the Executive – Scrutiny Protocol Working Group. A meeting had been held with the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Governance providing feedback from Cabinet Members. A further draft would be produced by the DSO and circulated to members of the Working Group, prior to a meeting to agree the amendments.

The Monitoring Schedule was considered.

RESOLVED –

That the Monitoring Schedule be noted.

The Committee considered the Forward Plan for the period 1 March to 30 June 2025.

RESOLVED –

That the Forward Plan be noted.

The Work Programme for the Scrutiny Select Committee – Resilient Council was considered.

The Chair asked members if they had any topics they would like to see on the Work Programme in the future.

An update was requested on the progress of the Staveley21 project.

RESOLVED –

That the Work Programme be noted.