Issue - meetings

AGREED that Cabinet approve the following delegated authority:

a)       purchase of property with a value of £300k or less be delegated to Director - Housing, Health & Wellbeing; and

b)       purchase of property with a value over £300k be delegated to the Portfolio Holder for Housing, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Section 151 Officer subject to Key Decision requirements.

The Portfolio Holder for Housing presented a report which sought to secure delegated authority to enable the Council to fulfil obligations of the Local Authority Housing Fund to purchase 14 market sale properties in a timely manner between April and November 2023.

It was noted that the Council had been successful in securing funding under the Local Authority Housing Fund to provide capital funding for Councils in areas facing most significant housing pressures as a result of Ukranian arrivals. The funding was split into two elements, £1,050,400 to provide 13 homes to assist with alleviation of housing pressures from Homes for Ukraine schemes and a bridging element of £171,457 to provide a four bed or larger home to allocate to a household currently in bridging accommodation.

It was reported that a desktop exercise had been undertaken to explore house prices and stock availability within the district and the grant offered would enable the Council to purchase suitable stock with the ideal purchase price to maximise grant between £153,000 and £200,000.

AGREED      (unanimously) that Cabinet approve the following delegated authority:

a)            purchase of property with a value of £300k or less be delegated to Director - Housing, Health & Wellbeing; and

b)            purchase of property with a value over £300k be delegated to the Portfolio Holder for Housing, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Section 151 Officer subject to Key Decision requirements.

Reasons for Decision:

To enable the Council to fulfil our obligations under the Local Authority Housing Fund Scheme to purchase 14 market sale properties in a timely manner between April and November 2023.

The delivery of this scheme aligns with our community plan to “create vibrant and self-sufficient local communities where residents look out for each other and actively contribute to their local area”.

Options Considered:

Continue with no delegated authority and fail to meet financial deadlines required to fulfil our obligations of the Scheme.