Minutes:
The Interim Head of Assets and Involvement introduced the item and provided the panel with an overview of the key headlines within the report.
The Interim Head of Assets and Involvement explained that the Council had faced significant financial challenges which resulted in a section 114 notice being issued in November 2020. During this time, the council re-addressed its corporate priorities in order to help manage the financial problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the Corporate Plan 2018-2022 was replaced with a new set of priorities and ways of working, which had established its aims as working within our means and balancing the books, whilst providing value for money with their residents.
The Interim Head of Assets and Involvement confirmed that they would be focusing on tackling ingrained inequality and poverty within the borough, following evidence in order to tackle the underlying cause of inequalities and hardships such as systemic racism, environmental injustice and economic injustice. The Council would also continue to provide social care services for vulnerable residents in the borough, and would keep these individuals safe and healthy.
The Interim Head of Assets and Involvement stated that as of 2021, the council had 13,751 tenants at homes within the HRA and these homes had been maintained and improved through the capital maintenance programme. In addition, they also manage 595 properties that were either service tenancies, general fund owned properties or council flat properties on behalf of private landlords. The Council also had 2,460 leasehold homes, and currently owned 1,119 blocks within the HRA; this required a significant amount of work in order to maintain the conditions of these homes and blocks.
The Interim Head of Assets and Involvement noted that the council had been reviewing and implementing the new responsibilities for landlords that had been brought in through the fire safety bill and building safety bill. Practical steps had been taken ahead of the introduction of this new legislation to reduce risks to their residents, such as the implementation of 15 hardwired smoke alarms to replace battery operated smoke alarms.
Following the council's declaration of a climate emergency in July 2019, they had installed ground source heat pumps to three high rise blocks on Chertsey Crescent, College Green and Dartmouth House. These heat pumps would provide low carbon renewable heating solutions to the residents of those blocks.
In summary of their performance for 2020/21, the Capital Programme had been disrupted this year on two fronts. Firstly from the COVID-19 pandemic as due to the first lockdown between March 2020 and July 2020, the construction industry had initially stopped before slowly restarting under strict social distancing guidance. This had a significant impact on the ability to deliver the planned programme as some work took longer than planned and others had been deferred until the next financial year. The Interim Head of Assets and Involvement then explained to the Panel that the second aspect was the financial situation within the Council and the issue of the Section 114 notice in November 2020, which had resulted in strict spending controls being imposed across the whole organisation, including the HRA. This caused delays to planned start dates for several projects.
It was confirmed that despite the difficulties faced, work had been completed at Long Heath Gardens; 20 rooms on street properties had been replaced, new windows in 18 blocks or 186 flats and 24 houses had been installed. They had modernised kitchens in 132 homes and bathrooms in 124 homes, conducted electrical checks across 2,131 properties and carried out remedial works where necessary. They had also continued work at 98 to 176 College Green to install rain screen cladding, replaced the roof and windows and upgraded the lift. The intention was for work to begin on the neighbouring block in 2022. It was also noted that work had begun at 56A to 76D Chertsey Crescent; installing rain screen cladding, replacing the roof and windows, upgrading the lift and installing ground source heating. They also intended to start similar work to Dartmouth House. It was confirmed that currently 99.58% of properties met the government's decent home standard and the average energy efficiency rating of their homes was 68.87.
It was further confirmed that the HRA have been provided with £26,771,000 of new investment for maintenance and improvements for the next financial year. In addition to that, they would be just short of £1,600,000 for cyclical work, which involved making sure that they were doing servicing and routine inspections for compliance and to ensure the performance of key pieces of equipment.
The Interim Head of Assets and Involvement detailed the repairs investments for 2021/22, as detailed in the officer’s report.
In response to the Chair, the Interim Head of Assets and Involvement explained that the HRA was ring fenced and could only be spent on social housing related activities, so the rent that came in from tenants and leaseholders should only be spent on activities related to tenants and leaseholder homes and local community spaces.
A Panel Member then noted to the Panel that despite the fact that the HRA’s finances are ring fenced, the reason that the expenditure from the HRA was being approved by the Spending Control Panel was to ensure that all of the money spent through the HRA was monitored and justified.