Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

Councillor Bibby introduced the report which presented the draft Housing Revenue Account (HRA) 30-year Financial Business Plan and the proposed HRA Budget for 2023/24.

Full details were provided on borrowing, rents, garage rents, service charges, the capital programme and capital funding, and reserves. 

On reserves, they should not be used to fund recurring pressures in the Budget as that would make the Business Plan unsustainable.  The Council was looking to utilise £0.589m of existing reserves towards one off pressures identified in the 2023/24 Business Plan, which was considered affordable and left a sufficient level of reserves to balance future risks.

It was recommended that levels were reviewed in year and a proportion of any surplus reserves were released to support the improvement in void rates across the County.

The HRA was a ring-fenced budget.  The HRA budget and Business Plan demonstrated that the Council could achieve the ongoing Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS), could meet service improvement plans and commitments and with prudential borrowing could continue it Council house building programme.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the HRA 30-year Financial Business Plan and budget for 2023/24 as set out in the report and appendices be approved; and

(b)       That is be agreed that consideration should be given, in year, to utilise available reserves to bring into use void properties across Flintshire.