Issue - meetings

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing, which provided Members with details of the investment priorities that were proposed for the 2013/14 Decent Homes Programme, together with details of a number of other investment priorities that were recommended for inclusion in the programme when funding became available.

RESOLVED:

1. That the proposed investment priorities for 2013/14 (Year 6 of the Decent Homes Programme) as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report be noted and agreed.

2. That the £10m ‘reserve list’ of homes, detailed in Appendix 2 of the report, be noted and that it be agreed that these homes should be added to the Decent Homes Programme when funds allow.

3. That it be agreed that authority to approve the Agreed Maximum Prices for the 2013/14 Decent Homes Programme be delegated to the Director of Adult and Housing Services after consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing.

4. That it be agreed that, where it is deemed necessary to make adjustments to the 2013/14 Decent Homes Programme and/or the reserve schemes (due to confirmation of the Agreed Maximum Prices for these works, the availability of funding and/or stock investment priorities), such decisions are delegated to the Director of Adult and Housing Services after consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Carbon Reduction.

5. That it be noted that further reports would be produced early in 2013, recommending that investment priorities for the 2014/15 (Year 7) Decent Homes Programme and the appointment of Quantity Surveying and Multi Disciplinary Design consultants to support the delivery of the housing capital programme from 2013/14 onwards. 

Alternative Options Considered

The Decent Homes Programme 2013/14 and 2014/15 will ensure that at least another 2,459 Council homes are brought up to the Decent Homes Standard by the end of March 2015. Planned investment is being arranged in priority order.

Although it is possible to alter the investment priorities between years, the investment proposed for 2013/14 is deemed to represent the most effective way of making homes decent and meeting current and future investment needs.

Reasons for Decision

A decision is required to allow Haringey Council and Homes for Haringey to improve specific properties in 2013/14 following the confirmation of the Backlog Decent Homes funding allocation by Greater London Authority (GLA) in September 2012. Approval of this decision by Cabinet will ensure that the allocated funding is fully spent within 2013/14 to meet the GLA’s requirement.