Minutes:
Councillor Lee Brazier, Portfolio Holder for Housing gave a presentation on the work of the Housing directorate. Councillor Brazier introduced each business unit of the directorate and gave an overview of their responsibilities and what had been the main focus and achievements in 2023/2024.
At the end of the meeting, the Chair invited Councillor Brazier back to the floor to take questions.
In noting the presentation, a Member commented that as part of ensuring high standards, the Regulator stipulated that the Council engaged with tenants and that the Council had a newsletter, The Tenant Times, which should have paper copies in all community rooms, however, this was not the case in Southwell and asked if this could be addressed. Having access to paper copies was especially important for those tenants who did not have access to online copies. Councillor Brazier responded noting that it was important to know where the newsletter was not accessible and would ensure it was addressed by the Tenant Engagement Team. Councillor Brazier advised he would also raise it with the Business Manager - Tenancy & Estates and ask that Tenancy Officers take copies of the newsletters when they visit tenants.
In noting the presentation, a Member referred to the 50 unit new development scheme detailed in the Community Plan and queried when work would start on this. They also queried, in relation to the 3-5 year program, what would be included and when was it likely to commence. Councillor Brazier responded confirming that in relation to the 50 unit program a report outlining the details of how it would look going forward would be brought to the committee by the Business Manager - Regeneration & Housing Strategy in the next few weeks. In relation to the 3-5 year development program, the priority was to ensure the current stock was at the highest possible standard before going forward with the development program. The Chair raised that the forthcoming report from the Business Manager - Regeneration & Housing Strategy be shared with all Members.
In noting the presentation, a Member asked as to how the 2,500 people on the Housing waiting list would be accommodated, noting that the housing stock reduced in numbers each year as a result of Right To Buy sales and what would the priority be in terms of addressing the decarbonisation of existing homes against building new green homes. Councillor Brazier replied that it was important to note that the majority of people on the waiting list were adequately housed in Band 4. With respect to decarbonisation, Councillor Brazier stated that to-date, all work had been carried out through grant funding and they continued to look for suitable grant funding to support properties when possible. Work was ongoing to ensure the best lifestyle for current and future tenants. Building new properties was challenging due to limited land supply and limited finances and it was not known when funding would become available, it was not possible to know when new properties would be built. Should funding become available for decarbonisation in certain properties, then this would be utilised accordingly, but obtaining funding for a few properties would not take priority over getting the basics right for all properties and tenants. The current Stock Condition Survey was incomplete and must be completed, as per the legislation. Once completed it would give the most accurate data and would be in a position to look at new builds from that point.
In noting the presentation, a Member commented on the new Hub at Boughton and queried if there were plans for more hubs during 2024/25 and 2025/26 in areas across the district that were considered to be socially challenging. Councillor Brazier advised that most areas have a community facility. Boughton was considered unique within an area of social deprivation because it did not have a community centre. The Boughton Hub was modelled on Chatham Court and was working well so far. After the first year they would consider what the benefits had been for the residents, what the social and economic impact had been and would hold training courses with Citizens Advice and other services. Once past this point and should the Tenancy teams feel there was a recognised need for further Hubs, then it would be considered.
A Member commented that following a walk-about in the district recently, noting the environment as opposed to the properties, it was their belief that properties which were previously owned by Newark and Sherwood Homes were maintained by the Street Scene Team under a Level Agreement. They queried to what extent was that service less than other Service Level Agreements in the district and if so, are there any plans to address it. In addition, the Member stated that they were impressed with the Street Scene Team and how quickly they addressed issues using a miscellaneous budget. This seemed more preferrable compared to other service level agreements which created lists of issues, often outsourcing to contractors which was more labour intensive and expensive. The Member queried if the miscellaneous Street Scene budget could be used more and could the budget be increased. Councillor Brazier responded that there should be no difference between the Service Level Agreements and that they are all in place to provide the same level of service. The HRA Street Scene was funded by the HRA budget which was a ringfenced budget of tenant money. If there was a lack of quality within the HRA Street Scene Team, then it needed to be raised with the Business Manager - Tenancy & Estates. Councillor Brazier further advised that Street Scene teams had limited resources and may not always have the capacity to deal with problems quickly therefore some work was carried out by external contractors. Service Level Agreements were reviewed with the Director - Housing Health & Wellbeing to ensure that fees were not being over or under charged. He noted that the General Fund was separate to the HRA and whilst services could be paid through the General Fund, budget could not be transferred from the HRA to the General Fund. If there were any concerns about spending within the HRA or issues with service quality these should be raised. The HRA budget was the responsibility of all Members to ensure it was providing the best value for tenants.
In noting the presentation, a Member queried what plans were in place for recruitment and retention of staff in terms of CPD, trainees and apprenticeships in order to fill gaps and to ensure they were not in the same position in 5 years’ time. Councillor Brazier responded that apprentices were appointed and the Could would be looking to colleges with a view to getting apprentices coming forward at the end of this academic year. It was also important to upskill the local talent and show that the Council was a good place to work and that it offered job security.
In relation to HRA and green spaces, the Member stated that previously there had been estates which had a high percentage of council owned properties but with Right To Buy those communities have now changed and the parks were accessed by anyone, not just council tenants. The Member queried if there were any plans to review the assets and which spaces are paid for purely by the HRA. Councillor Brazier responded that they had looked at scatter land and how best it could be utilised. There was a project going forward across portfolios into how some land was transferred into the General Fund. It was important that tenants had access to parks and green spaces where it is available. Councillor Brazier and the Director - Housing Health & Wellbeing were continually looking at assets if proving to be good value for tenants.
A final question was asked in relation to the York Drive project as to the degree of confidence there was in the planning of it this time and given that the level of trust residents had in the Council had dropped and how this would be rebuilt. Councillor Brazier responded that at the last public consultation event no negativity was raised regarding the revised plans and the feedback had been positive. The planning officers and Statutory Authorities were happy with the plans, the concerns had been appropriately addressed and the developer was on board. Therefore, they were in a positive position for the work to be carried out and to build the relations back up with residents which was a key priority. The Tenant Engagement Team would be part of the relationship building. Councillor Brazier gave a special mention to the good work of Julie Madin, Tenancy Officer.