Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Housing introduced the report which sought approval for the final stage of implementation of the Council’s revised tenancy agreement.

The Council gave a commitment to tenants in the ‘Choices’ document that if it retained its housing stock, the tenancy agreement would be updated.  Following an extensive consultation exercise, a copy of the proposed tenancy agreement along with the preliminary notice of variation was sent to all tenants in March 2014.

The responses to the consultation were positive.  There were two queries raised by a tenant who had been invited to the Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting when the update report was considered: one query related to the legality of varying the tenancy agreement, with the second query relating to the section on ‘tenants rights’.  Both were addressed by the Council’s legal team at the meeting.

The Cabinet Member for Education asked if there was the facility within the Agreement that the Council could be charged a fee if they were unable to attend a scheduled appointment.  The Chief Officer (Community and Enterprise) said that there was the option for this to be implemented but a separate report on the matter and specific Cabinet approval would need to be sought first.  He then asked if, following the death of a tenant, was there a specific timeframe for the property being emptied and handed back to the Council.  The Cabinet Member for Housing explained that this varied and was determined on a case by case basis.

Following a query raised by the Cabinet Member for Education, the Cabinet Member for Housing clarified that the reference in the Agreement to National Assembly should read Welsh Government.

The Cabinet Member for Housing thanked all officers and Members involved in the production of the new Tenancy Agreement, particularly in the consultation that had been carried out which had been widespread. 

RESOLVED:

That approval be given for the final stage of the implementation of the new tenancy agreement.