Agenda and minutes

Please note that this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method. Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting. Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on. 

By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

The Chair referred Members present to agenda Item 1 as shown on the agenda in respect of filming at this meeting, and Members noted the information contained therein’.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Barnes and Cllr Moyeed. Apologies were also received from Cllr Gordon

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business (late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with as noted below).

None

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:

(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and

(ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

None

To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, Paragraph 29 of the Council’s Constitution.

None

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting. 

In relation to the pervious minutes, Cllr Bevan asked to be notified when 105 Waverley Road was let. (Action).

Cllr Bevan also requested that the location of the stopcock be provided to new tenants as part of the tenant checklist. (Action).

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting of 14^th November were agreed as a correct record.

The Panel received an update on the Bed & Breakfast (B&B) Elimination Plan. The plan is a requirement of the Homelessness Prevention Grant funding from DLUUHC and details plans to reduce and then end our use of B&B accommodation for residents who are homeless. The report was introduced by Denise Gandy, Assistant Director of Housing Demand, as set out in the agenda pack at pages 11-36. Cllr Sarah Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Planning and Private Renters was also present for this item. The following arose during the discussion of this item:

1. The Panel sought assurances around the accountability mechanism with DLUHC. In response, Members were advised that there was a specialist advisor who worked with the team on developing their B&B Elimination plan and that they met monthly. Officers compiled a detailed return to the government around the numbers of B&B placements. Officers advised that the funding for 2024/25 had already been allocated so that was secure, funding for 2025 onwards was unsure.
2. The Panel sought assurances around domestic violence victims and how the Council protected them from having to be moved out of their accommodation. In response, officers advised that the main pressure related to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, which broadened the Council’s responsibility around homelessness and domestic abuse, so that the Council had to treat all people as an emergency case where they were made homeless through domestic abuse. Officers advised that there were blockages in the market in terms of moving people out of refuges and into the private sector. The Council did not place domestic abuse victims in accommodation with shared facilities.
3. The Panel sought clarification about whether the voids figures in the report reflected HCBS properties. In response, the Cabinet Member advised that the report set out that there were 272 general void properties, 77 HCBS voids and 74 sheltered accommodation void properties.
4. In response to a question, officers advised that 1% inspection figure in the report referred to the estimated number of illegally occupied properties, rather than the percentage of properties that received an inspection.
5. A panel member raised concerns about the demolition of Love Lane and the impact this would have on available housing units. In response, it was acknowledged that there could be pinch points in the system but that there were new properties coming into the system to replace those being demolished and that the goal was to get flow into the system to free up units. 
6. In relation to a question around whether the new build properties should be put into the HCBS in order to achieve higher rental income, the Cabinet Member advised that this wasn’t possible as the grant funding for the new build properties was allocated on the basis that they would be secure lets.
7. In response to a question, the officers advised that the Homelessness Reduction Act placed three duties on local authorities. The authority had 56 days to prevent homelessness, then 56 days to relieve homelessness and after that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 152.

The Panel received the Council’s Draft Budget and 5 Year Medium Term Financial strategy (MTFS) 2024-2029 proposals, relating to the Panel’s remit. The Panel was asked to consider the proposals and to provide recommendations to Overview & Scrutiny Committee on these proposals. The report was introduced by John O’Keefe, Head of Finance (Capital, Place & Property) and Kaycee Ikegwu, Head of Finance (Housing & Chief Accountant) as set out in the agenda pack at pages 37-123. The Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning was present for this item. Sheela Thakrar, Finance Business Partner, was present for this item. The Director of Housing and Placemaking was also present for this item, along with a number of other officers from the Housing and Placemaking directorate.

By way of introduction, the Panel was advised that the December Cabinet report set out that there was an overall budget gap of around £16.4m. This budget gap was largely due to demand pressures, particularly in Adult Social Services. Finance would be working with the Directorates between now and February to close this budget gap and to present a balanced budget to Cabinet in February. It was noted that within Housing and Placemaking there was a balanced budget being presented. There were pressures within the budget such as business rates, repairs, hard FM and planning fee income, but that they were being contained by the wider Housing and Placemaking budget. Finance advised that the report differentiated management actions from policy changes and that management actions referred to actions taken by the Director to reduce budget pressures that were carried out in the normal day-to-day management of the service, such as a restructure. Table 7.2C highlighted that there were around £1m of management actions in the area of Housing and Placemaking. 

Officers set out that there had been a £396m reduction in the capital programme from March 2023 to November 2023. This was due to rising costs associated with construction, and the increased scrutiny of debt levels within local authorities. By way of context, officers were advised that every additional £1m spend in the capital programme generated a debt cost to the revenue account of circa £72k. The Housing Revenue Account at period 6 reported a forecast adverse variance of £1.686M. The forecast year-end HRA surplus was £6.554m compared to a HRA budgeted surplus of £8.238 M. This position had improved from the Quarter 1 position, this was largely due to a drawdown of reserves. In relation to the HRA, officers highlighted two key actions. The first was a proposal to charge formula rent plus 5% on new builds. The second was to charge the full September CPI inflation rate increase to service charges (last year these had been capped at 10%).

The following arose as part of the discussion of this report:

a.    The Panel sought assurances around legal disrepair claims being a budget pressure within the HRA and questioned what actions were being taken to minimise their impact. In response, the Cabinet Member advised that there  ...  view the full minutes text for item 153.

RESOLVED

Noted

To consider any items admitted at item 3 above.

N/A

26 February

26 February