Issue - meetings

Report of Director of Housing

Cabinet noted the report.

Mr Swinn referred to the e-mails he had sent to the Directors of Housing and Finance & Support on 11 and 19 April 2010 that the Chair had agreed be circulated. He commented that a review of the HRA had been ongoing since 2007 and over that time the Council had had the opportunity to consult with tenants at least twice. In respect of the current Government consultation tenants were unaware of what was going on. Mr Swinn stated that he had attended a conference near Chester organised by the CLG and TSA for any tenant of social housing. He also stated that the future financing of council housing was probably the most significant decision that would be made for the last 21 years. Mr Swinn noted that although the Council set aside 25% of council house sale receipts for reinvestment in the stock, Right to Buy sales had diminished as tenants could not afford to buy their council homes. There was also a repairs backlog. Mr Swinn commented that there needed to be an open and transparent discussion and he referred to the Advisory Panel meetings that, so far, had been in private. Tenants had a right to be consulted. Mr Swinn queried when tenants would be consulted and when he might receive answers to the questions posed in his e-mails.

Councillor Beardsworth submitted a report that notified Cabinet that a Government consultation paper had been published on 25 March setting out proposals for dismantling the current HRA system and replacing it with a devolved system of funding and responsibility. The consultation ran until 6 July 2010. The report also indicated that the cross party advisory group to the Cabinet for Housing Options would review the document and the financial modelling. The Director of Housing noted that Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2 would have a briefing on the proposals and their implications in May although the results of the modelling were not likely to be available by then. A further report would come to Cabinet in respect of a response to the consultation that would be informed both by the work of the Advisory Group and Overview and Scrutiny and by a dialogue with other Councils.

The Chair noted that the consultation affected every local authority in the country that had a HRA. The timescale of it was such that a full consultation with tenants was not possible. This matter was not an issue of housing management or of tenancy agreement but was about the financial management of the service. In the time allowed the Council would work with the public and other local authorities as best it could. The Advisory Panel, as already mentioned had been asked to work on this and Overview and Scrutiny also wished to be involved. Mr Swinn was thanked for his questions, which would be passed onto the Advisory Panel and members of the public were encouraged to get involved through Overview and Scrutiny. The Chair noted that the HRA was not sustainable as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7