Issue - meetings

That the Committee support the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) 30 year Financial Business Plan & Budget for 2022/23 as presented within the report and appendices.

The Committee received a report to consider the proposed Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget for 2022/23 and the draft HRA 30 year Financial Business Plan. The Chief Executive and Strategic Finance Manager (Commercial and Housing) gave a presentation covering:

• Borrowing
• Rents
• Garage Rents
• Service Charges
• Capital Programme
• Regeneration
• SHARP
• Capital Funding
• Reserves
• Resource Implications (including re-structure to cover work pressures)
• Impact Assessment & Risk Management
• Ways of Working (Sustainable Development)
• Well-being Goals Impact

The rent increase proposed in the business plan, applied an overall uplift of 1.18% to all tenants and, in addition, applied the transitional uplift of £2 to tenants who currently pay at least £3 under target rent which equates to an overall rent increase of 2% as set out in the Business Plan. 

The proposed garage rent and garage plot increase was 2% for 2022/23, which equated to £0.20 per week for garage rent and took the rent per week to £10.23 (based on 52 weeks).

On Service Charges, it was proposed that these increases were frozen again in 2022/23 due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic and during 2022/23 further work would be undertaken to ensure services provided were of  high standard, represented value for money and that the true costs were reflected in the service charges calculations.

Councillor Helen Brown asked if a breakdown of the rent and garage rent charges in £’s and pence could be provided for the Committee.  The Strategic Finance Manager (Commercial and Housing) explained that this information would differ for each tenant but she could provide an average for tenants to the Committee following the meeting.

Members spoke in support of the work being undertaken around garage plots, as detailed as part of the presentation. 

            The recommendation, as outlined within the report, was moved and seconded by Councillor Ron Davies and Councillor Helen Brown. 

RESOLVED:

That the Committee support the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) 30 year Financial Business Plan & Budget for 2022/23 as presented within the report and appendices.