Issue - meetings

(Housing and Communities – Cllr. H Whitbread) - To approve the commissioning of a third party to write the housing asset management strategy (C-044-2022-23).

(1)        The Cabinet approved the commissioning of a third party to write the Housing Asset Management Strategy in line with the 30-year HRA finance business plan, to include a rolling five-year investment plan

(2)        The Cabinet approved the start of consultation with leaseholders and residents of the Broadway’s major works project with an estimate cost of £6million.

(3)        The Cabinet approved the co-funding of decarbonisation works to 130 properties should EFDC be successful in securing funding through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 2. It was noted that Cabinet approval was needed to direct award the works to E:On as set out in the Fusion 21 framework. This would come back to the Cabinet when more detail was known.

(4)        The Cabinet agreed that the Interim Strategic Director be the Council’s responsible person for Health and Safety in Council Housing.

The Housing and Community Portfolio Holder introduced the report. She noted that EFDC had a 30-year HRA finance business plan which outlines the available annual finances to meet our obligations under the decent home standard and the social housing white paper. However, we did not have an up-to-date housing asset management strategy document that would run alongside the 30-year finance plan which would direct our spending, outline our aims and goals including our approach to achieving Net Zero across our housing stock and informing our approach to disposal and development options.

We would like approval to outsource the production of this report to a third party via competitive tender. Whilst we would have hoped to have produced this report internally, resource and time constraints mean that outsourcing would produce the document in a timely manner.

Also, at January’s 2022 report to Stronger Communities regarding the housing business plan, there were several assets highlighted within section 7 requiring capital works expenditure. One of these assets was The Broadway which in the January 2022 report was estimated as requiring £2.75m worth of planned works.

We now want to bring this project back to the attention of members for two reasons. Significant additional works identified by our independent surveyor suggests that many components to the buildings external envelope are now life expired and require urgent maintenance/replacement.  The required budget for these is estimated to be £6m and is available within years 24/25 & 25/26 of the business plan. Firm costs for the proposed scheme would be provided following a competitive tender process under the SEC framework for External Works in the 3rd quarter of 2023.

Local ward members wondered how the estimated £36million cost would affect the leaseholders and the shopkeepers. What provisions were to be made to help them. They were told that they would be consulted, and the results would be brought back through scrutiny to the Cabinet.

Decision:

(1)        The Cabinet approved the commissioning of a third party to write the Housing Asset Management Strategy in line with the 30-year HRA finance business plan, to include a rolling five-year investment plan

(2)        The Cabinet approved the start of consultation with leaseholders and residents of the Broadway’s major works project with an estimate cost of £6million.

(3)        The Cabinet approved the co-funding of decarbonisation works to 130 properties should EFDC be successful in securing funding through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 2. It was noted that Cabinet approval was needed to direct award the works to E:On as set out in the Fusion 21 framework. This would come back to the Cabinet when more detail was known.

(4)        The Cabinet agreed that the Interim Strategic Director be the Council’s responsible person for Health and Safety in Council Housing.

Reasons for Proposed Decisions:

(1)        The Housing Asset Management Strategy will provide reassurance to the Council that our approach to investment in housing assets maintenance is driving the portfolio in a direction which meets our legal obligations but will also  ...  view the full minutes text for item 100