Agenda and minutes

To agree the notes of the last two Panel meetings held on 24 July and 7 August 2012 (attached).

RESOLVED:

That the notes of the last two meetings of the Panel held on 24 July and 7 August 2012 be agreed.

(Assistant to the Chief Executive)  To report the appointment of any substitute members for the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest made.

(Assistant to the Chief Executive). To declare interests in any items on the agenda.

In considering whether to declare a personal or a prejudicial interest under the Code of Conduct, Overview & Scrutiny members are asked pay particular attention to paragraph 11 of the Code in addition to the more familiar requirements.

This requires the declaration of a personal and prejudicial interest in any matter before an OS Committee which relates to a decision of or action by another Committee or Sub Committee of the Council, a Joint Committee or Joint Sub Committee in which the Council is involved and of which the Councillor is also a member.

Paragraph 11 does not refer to Cabinet decisions or attendance at an OS meeting purely for the purpose of answering questions or providing information on such a matter.

There were no declarations of interest made pursuant to the Member’s Code of Conduct.

(Chairman/Lead Officer) The Overview and Scrutiny Committee has agreed the Terms of Reference of this Panel and associated Work Programme. This is attached. The Panel are asked at each meeting to review both documents.

(a)        Terms of Reference

The Panel’s Terms of Reference were noted.

(b)       Work Programme

It was noted that:

Item 9 (Annual Review of the Housing Allocations Scheme) and Item 23 (Adoption of EFDC’s Tenancy Policy) would be discussed at an extra-ordinary Panel meeting on 17 December 2012 at 5.30p.m. The Chairman requested the reports for this meeting to be circulated to members, as far as possible, before the normal agenda deadline.

Item 34 (Progress Reports on the Welfare Reform Mitigation Action Plan). It was advised that the Cabinet had referred this item to the Panel. It was proposed that the first progress report be scheduled for the meeting in January 2013. The Housing Portfolio Holder requested that the meeting should be held in the Council Chamber. In response to a suggestion from the Panel the Director of Housing advised that priority for this item would be changed from “low” to “medium.”

(Director of Housing) To consider the attached report.

The Panel received a report from the Director of Housing regarding the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan Key Action Plan (2011/12) – 6 Month Progress Report.

In March 2012, the Council’s latest Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan 2012/13 was produced, incorporating the Repairs and Maintenance Business Plan. This document set out the Council’s objectives, strategies and plans as landlord, in relation to the management and maintenance of its own housing stock.

An important section of the HRA Business Plan was the Key Action Plan, which set out the proposed actions the Council would be taking over the next year. It was good practice that the progress made with the stated actions was monitored.

Members raised the following issues around the action points:

(1)        Action 9 – Introduce a facility for tenants to apply for housing on-line.

It was noted that this action referred to applicants rather than tenants which would be corrected. Officers advised members that between 90 – 95% of housing applicants “bid” for vacant properties on-line. Members were concerned about applicants not being IT literate and being discriminated against.

(2)        Action 13 – Select the Council-owned (mainly difficult to let garage) sites suitable for development and formulate the Council Housebuilding Programme accordingly.

Officers advised that on average, between 40-50% of these garages were difficult to let. There would be a detailed feasibility study on the development potential for each site before any garages were required to be vacated, many garage sites would, in all likelihood, not be developed, and in cases where development was undertaken, other garages would be offered to vacanting tenants.

(3)        Action 24 – Introduce a programme of providing scooter stores at sheltered housing schemes.

Officers said that the Housing Directorate was trying to identify suitable places for scooter stores, although this had been difficult.

(4)        Action 25 – (Subject to Cabinet approval) Introduce a free Handyperson Scheme operated by:

(a)        the Council’s Housing Repairs Service for all older tenants in sheltered housing schemes; and

(b)        Voluntary Action Epping Forest (VAEF) for all older tenants in non-sheltered housing, funded by a grant from the Council.

The Director of Housing advised that a letter was being dispatched to all sheltered housing tenants informing them of this, combined with an official launch.

RECOMMENDED:

That the Six Month Progress Report on the Key Action Plan contained within the HRA Business Plan 2012/13 be noted.

(Director of Housing) To consider the attached report.

The Panel received a report from the Director of Housing regarding the HRA Financial Plan – Half Yearly Update.

At the Panel meeting in March 2012, members considered the draft HRA Business Plan for 2012/13 and recommended its adoption to the Housing Portfolio Holder, which was subsequently approved. An important part of the HRA Business Plan was the HRA Financial Plan, which set out the anticipated HRA income and expenditure over the next 30 years.

The Financial Plan had a much higher profile than previously, following the introduction of HRA self financing from March 2012, whereby the Council made a £185 million payment to the CLG, funded with loans from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB), as a replacement regime to the former (discredited) Housing Subsidy System.

The HRA Financial Plan within the HRA Business Plan was approved by the Cabinet at its meeting on 12 March 2012. The Cabinet asked this Panel to review updates to the HRA Financial Plan twice each year, at its scheduled meetings in October and March.

CIH Consulting had acted as the Council’s HRA Business Planning Consultants for the last few years, and the Cabinet had agreed that the Council should contract with CIH Consulting to act as the Council’s HRA Business Planning Consultants for a  further three years until 2015.

CIH Consulting had met with officers from the Housing and Finance/ICT Directorates and had updated the Council’s HRA Financial Plan to take account of the Council’s current financial position and national and local policies.

RECOMMENDED:

That the updated HRA Financial Plan and report from CIH Consulting, the Council’s HRA Business Planning Consultants, be noted.

(Director of Housing) To consider the attached report.

The Panel received a report from the Private Housing Manager – Technical, regarding progress on the work by the Technical Officer dealing with Empty Properties and Park Home Sites within the Private Sector Housing (Technical) Team.

In November 2009, the Cabinet agreed to the addition of a part time, temporary post in the Private Sector Housing (Technical) Team assisting with bringing empty properties back in to use and helping with the licensing of the District’s park home sites. In September 2011, the Cabinet agreed to the existing post being made full time and permanent. The former post holder had resigned in August 2011 and the new full time permanent post was filled during February 2012.

Empty Properties

A systematic procedure had been established for dealing with empty properties in the private sector, beginning with tracing and communicating with property owners or other interested parties establishing why a property was empty. Following this the Technical Officer’s role was to determine how best the owner could be assisted in bringing the property back into use. The Council could offer financial incentives for bringing properties up to the Decent Homes Standard and providing affordable accommodation for tenants or owner occupiers. The PLACE (Private Lease Agreements Converting Empties) Scheme was one form of financial assistance; the scheme ran at no cost to the Council other than the administration process by the Technical Officer. It currently offered high level grants of up to £50,000 to an owner in return for leasing the property for 3 years to the Consortium’s preferred partner, Genesis, during which time the owner received no rental income.

In June 2011 the previous Portfolio Holder for Housing agreed to the PLACE Scheme being extended to offer smaller grants and loans to owners of empty properties. The grant allowed an owner to take out a smaller grant for renovating their home and lease for an agreed period, dependent on the grant size, but to also receive some rent themselves. The PLACE Small Grant was available to owners; the first three applications were being considered. In the near future, interest free loans would be available; once approved they would be up to a maximum of £25,000 per unit on either a “loan-to-sell” or “loan-to-let” agreement. The loans would be repayable and recycled back in to the PLACE scheme funds.

The Council attached conditions requiring all grants to be repaid when the recipient sold the property. The Empty Homes Repayable Assistance was effectively an interest free loan up to £10,000, repayable on the sale of the property and available to owners wanting to live in the property themselves. The loan had been available from July 2012 and officers were currently processing one application with several other owners showing interest.

In some cases, where a problematic empty property existed and the owner was either absent or un-cooperative in bringing their property back to use, it was necessary to consider enforcement action. This could be through Enforced Sale, Compulsory Purchase (CPO) or making an Empty Dwelling Management  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

(Director of Housing) To consider the attached report.

The Panel received a report from the Housing Resources Manager regarding the Housing Directorate’s Service Strategies on “Home Ownership” and “Rent Collection and Administration” Key Action Plan.

The Housing Directorate’s Service Strategies were originally produced 15 years ago in accordance with an agreed standard framework and had since been updated on an ongoing basis. The strategies gave more detail than the Council’s main Housing Strategy on the various housing services provided. In total, 17 Housing Service Strategies had been produced to date.

The strategies were produced to a common format that set out how individual housing services would be delivered. They had assisted the Directorate in achieving the Customer Service Excellence award and ISO 9001:2008 Quality Accreditation, and had been important in meeting the minimum requirement for Supporting People funding under the conditions of the contract.

RECOMMENDED:

That the Housing Directorate’s Service Strategies on Home Ownership and Rent Collection and Administration be recommended to the Housing Portfolio Holder for adoption.

To consider which reports are ready to be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its next meeting.

The Chairman advised that he would update the Overview and Scrutiny Committee verbally at its next meeting.

The next scheduled meeting of the Panel will be held on Tuesday 29 January 2013 at 5.30p.m. in Committee Room 1, and on Tuesday 19 March at 5.30p.m. in Committee Room 1.

The next meeting of the Panel would be an extra-ordinary meeting on Monday 17 December 2012 at 5.30p.m. in Committee Room 1, and then on;

(a)               Tuesday 29 January 2013 at 5.30p.m. in Committee Room 1; and

(b)        Tuesday 19 March at 5.30p.m. in Committee Room 1.