Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs P M Bryant and Mrs L E Clubley

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Housing Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 27 June 2024.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 27 June 2024 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

There were no Chairman’s announcements.

To receive any declarations of interest from members in accordance with Standing Orders and the Council’s Code of Conduct and disclosures of advice or directions received from Group Leaders or Political Groups, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.

There were no declarations of interest made at this meeting.

To receive any deputations of which notice has been lodged.

There were no deputations made at this meeting.

To consider any item of business dealt with by the Executive since the last meeting of the Panel that falls under the remit of the Housing Portfolio.  This will include any decisions taken by the Executive Member during the same time period.

There were no comments or questions for clarification in respect of this item.

The Panel will receive a presentation by the Housing Delivery Manager which will inform members of the progress with Fareham Housing sites and other relevant strategic housing matters.

The Panel received a presentation by the Affordable Housing Delivery Manager which presented members with an update on the progress with the Fareham Housing sites and other strategic housing matters, including a look back at completed projects to provide newer Members with a more detailed overview.

RESOLVED that the Housing Scrutiny Panel notes the content of the presentation.

The Panel will receive a report by the Director of Housing which will provide members with information in respect of the requirement for Fareham Housing to comply with new social housing Consumer Standards which came into force in April 2024.

The Panel received a report by the Director of Housing which provided Members with an update on the new Housing Consumer standards which came into force in April 2024.  The report also presented the draft Fareham Housing Action Plan which has been developed to ensure that confident compliance with the new Standards is achieved. 

Members asked if there were any areas of the new housing consumer standards that Officers were concerned there may be a risk of not being compliant. The Director of Housing explained that some areas, such as stock surveys, may take a little longer to reach compliance. Officers also explained that the initial focus had been on those more pressing actions such as developing an Anti-Social Behaviour Policy, and a Tenant Engagement Strategy, and that the outcomes from Inspections of other providers will also help to inform any further actions needed.

RESOLVED that the Housing Scrutiny Panel:

(a)  agrees the content of the draft Action Plan as attached at Appendix A to the report;

(b)  notes that the Action Plan will be an iterative document, to be kept up to date and relevant by the Director of Housing in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing; and

(c)  provides the comments and observations as detailed above for referral to the Executive for consideration at its meeting on 15 July 2024.

The Panel will receive a report by the Director of Housing which provides members with an overview of the Draft Fareham Housing Repairs & Maintenance Policy.

The Panel received a report by the Director of Housing which provided members with an overview of the Draft Housing Repairs & Maintenance Policy and the need to update current information in line with the changes introduced by the Regulator of Social Housing by way of ‘Awaab’s law’ and new consumer standards.

The Fareham Housing Repairs & Maintenance Policy was tabled at the meeting for consideration.

Members asked several questions for clarification to provide a greater understanding of the new Fareham Housing Repairs & Maintenance Policy and enquired as to the timescales for the next steps following Executive approval in September. Officers explained that once approved, a period of 6 weeks public consultation will begin following conclusion of the call-in period.

RESOLVED that the Housing Scrutiny Panel:

(a)  considered the report and Draft Fareham Housing Repairs & Maintenance Policy as attached at Appendix A to the report; and

(b)  refers the comments detailed above for consideration by the Executive when the Policy is presented for approval.

The Panel will receive a report by the Director of Housing which will update members on the Fareham Housing Annual Review.

The Panel considered a report by the Director of Housing which presented the Fareham Housing Annual Housing report 2024 for information.

Members enquired if hard copies of the final published document will be made available to tenants who may not have easy access to the website. The Director of Housing explained that hard copies will be made available, on request, for those tenants that wish to view a hard copy.

RESOLVED that the Housing Scrutiny Panel notes the content of the report.

The Panel will receive a presentation by the Housing Delivery Manager in respect of changes to Government Shared Ownership guidance.

The Panel received a presentation by the Housing Delivery Manager which provided Members with information on the Government affordability guidance updates in the Capital Funding Guide for grant funded shared ownership schemes and how these updates will be reflected in the Council’s Shared ownership Policy and Processes.

The Housing Delivery Manager explained that the changes to the policy will be considered by the Executive on 15 July 2024 to ensure that the Council’s grant funded shared ownership scheme at Ophelia Court is compliant with the updates ahead of the homes being marketed.

RESOLVED that the Housing Scrutiny Panel notes:

(a)  the contents of the presentation; and

(b)  the requirement for grant funded share ownership schemes to reflect the updated affordability guidance.

To provide an opportunity for members to consider the scrutiny priorities for the Housing Panel.

The Panel considered the ongoing scrutiny priorities for the Housing Scrutiny Panel.

Membersasked if an item could be brought to the Panel that provides an analysis of the Council’s waiting list. The Director of Housing advised that a great deal of work is currently underway to provide some analysis data on the website. The purpose of this data will be to set expectations for prospective tenants as to how long they may be waiting to be housed and to provide information on alternative housing providers if appropriate. Once this piece of work is complete, Officers will bring an update to the Panel.

RESOLVED that the Scrutiny Priorities for the Panel were reviewed.