Issue - meetings

That the County Council approve the recommendations of the Cabinet from its meeting held on 18 February 2014 as set out in Appendix 1 of the report to Cabinet attached to the Council report.

The Head of Housing presented a report which provided Members with the recommendations of the Cabinet on the revenue budget proposals for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) for 2014/15 and the Capital Programme for 2014/15. 

The Head of Housing provided a detailed presentation which covered the following areas:-

·        Welsh Government – Final determinations

·        HRA subsidy system

·        Approach to HRA budget setting

·        2014-15 HRA efficiencies

·        2014-15 HRA Service Improvements/Pressures

·        Funding for HRA Capital Programme 2014-15

·        HRA Capital Programme 2014-15

·        HRA 30 year business Plan

Councillor Helen Brown, the Cabinet Member for Housing, proposed that the County Council support the recommendations as outlined within the report.  She thanked the Head of Housing, her team and the workforce for their hard work which had resulted in significant improvements in the service and she also gave thanks to the Tenants Federation for their role as a key player in the delivery of services.  Councillor Brown referred to the In-house Adaptations Team which had become a permanent scheme and she spoke of reductions in the number of days taken to carry out adaptations including level access showers.  In praising the work of the Income Management Team, she indicated that rent arrears were £0.025m lower than at the same time in 2012/13 and that 97.2% of rent income had been collected.  Councillor Brown also referred to the amount spent on meeting the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) and the number of jobs and apprenticeships that would be created during the project.           

Councillor Ron Hampson agreed with the proposal and in reflecting on areas of concern in the performance of Housing that had occurred in the past, he said that the changes to turn the department around should be celebrated.  He felt that credit should be given to the Head of Housing and thanked her for the work she had undertaken.  Councillor George Hardcastle echoed the comments and praised the Head of Housing and her team. 

Councillor Alex Aldridge gave thanks to Penny Storr, Julie Gorman and Janet Manning for their work with tenants who had been moved to new homes from properties in Flint.  He said that they, along with the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Head of Housing and her team, had ensured that their new homes were fit for purpose.  Councillor Tony Sharps said that the Housing Department should be identified as a good service and the good practices in place should be replicated across the whole of North Wales.  Councillor Marion Bateman also thanked the Cabinet Member for Housing for her work with the Head of Housing and the team.  Councillor Hilary Isherwood echoed the comments and welcomed the first class service provided by all those in the department.   

RESOLVED:

That the County Council approve the recommendations of the Cabinet from its meeting held on 18 February 2014 as set out in Appendix 1 of the report to Cabinet attached to the Council report.