Agenda item

The Policy Review Committee is asked to consider and comment on the draft version of the HRA Business Plan and its accompanying Action Plan 2020-2025. The HRA and Action Plan was considered by the Executive on 5 September 2019, and was approved for consultation with key stakeholders.

The Committee received the report of the Head of Operational Services which asked Members to consider and comment on the draft version of the HRA Business Plan and accompanying Action Plan 2020-2025.

Officers explained that the draft HRA and Action Plan had been considered by the Executive on 5 September 2019, and was approved for consultation. The HRA detailed the Council’s ambitions over the next five years and beyond as to how it managed and looked to improve the housing stock, ensuring as much as possible that the needs of residents were met.

Members felt that more time and effort needed to be put into maintaining the environment around Council housing (i.e. grass cutting etc.), as this had a tangible effect on how people felt about their local areas or neighbourhood.

Members also emphasised the importance of looking after the Council’s housing stock with decent homes standard repairs and refurbishment where needed; Officers explained that there was an eight to ten year backlog of work that was being worked through, and with the new proposed HRA standards would begin to improve. It was hoped that within fifteen years the standard of Council homes would be much better.

The Committee acknowledged that it had been difficult to recruit and retain tradespeople to work on Council properties, as the Council was not able to pay rates that were as competitive as private companies, which added to the backlog of work.

Officers that explained that some tenanted properties were well kept and did not require much remedial work; others were left in a very bad state and needed a great deal of repair and refurbishment. There was also the ongoing issue of some tenants not giving permission to the Council to come into their properties to do regular maintenance, which added to problems in the long term. The Council was only able to enter a property without permission to undertake works that were required for health and safety purposes.

Members noted that improving energy efficiency was being considered, with more effective heating systems and better insulation being explored.

The Committee were informed that some private properties had been purchased by CPO and were currently being refurbished; other options included the purchase of S106 properties and use of the Homes England grant to be put towards refurbishment.

Members expressed their interest in the Council’s affordable housing policy and asked if this could be brought to the committee for consideration, and felt that the Council should be more aggressive in its purchase of housing in order to compete with housing associations. Officers agreed that the policy could be brought back to the committee, but that due to the demands of current work on the Housing Development Programme and the availability Officer resources, this may not be for around six months.

RESOLVED:

i)             The Committee considered and commented on the draft HRA Business Plan and Action Plan 2020-2025.

ii)            The Committee welcomed the increased expenditure in the HRA Business Plan to address the large backlog of repairs to properties and the aim of bringing all Council properties up to a high standard. 

iii)           The Committee accepted that the living conditions of the Council’s tenants were rightly the priority, but stressed the need to improve the external environment in Council owned areas. The maintenance of Council owned areas was being considered by a Task and Finish Group established by full Council.

iv)          The Committee recommended that the views expressed in their debate on the HRA be forwarded to the Task and Finish Group, and given due consideration during its work.