Agenda item

That the report be noted.

The Environment & Housing Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator introduced the report to inform the Committee of its Terms of Reference, set in the context of Terms of Reference of all of the Overview & Scrutiny Committees.  She explained that the Terms of Reference would assist the Committee in determining future items for the Forward Work Programme and took the opportunity to highlight the availability of Overview & Scrutiny training sessions for Members.

Whilst providing an overview of Housing services, the Director of Community Services commented on improved performance during the past two years and suggested that the Committee may wish to consider a consultation paper produced by the Welsh Government (WG) on homes for Wales.  He went on to provide information on the five main services within the Housing section:

·         Housing Asset Management

·         Neighbourhood Housing Management

·         Community Support Services

·         Housing Renewal

·         Housing Strategy

The Head of Housing detailed performance improvements following changes implemented to processes and staffing structures, including work undertaken to reduce the number of empty properties and rent arrears.  She also spoke about challenges in the service such as taking steps to address the 25% increase in homelessness presentations which would be further affected by welfare reforms.

The Director listed the priorities for the year ahead:

(i)         increasing the supply of affordable housing by delivering the objectives of the Housing Strategy by 2016;

(ii)        minimising homelessness by offering integrated services and ensuring that no person is placed in temporary accommodation for more than 12 months, by 2016;

(iii)       ensuring that the Housing Landlords service achieves performance in the top quartile by 2016;

(iv)       ensuring that quality standards are raised in the private sector by delivery of the revised private sector improvement policy; and

(v)        completion of the Flint Masterplan and delivery of new homes and services in Flintshire and wider areas.

In response to questions raised by Councillor A.M. Halford, the Director confirmed that the Empty Homes Working Group had been disbanded following agreement of the Members involved and he suggested that the WG paper be circulated to Members with a possible workshop arranged.  Following a further query on the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS), the Leader referred to Council Priority No. 8 carried over from the former Council administration together with other Cabinet priorities.  He stressed the importance of understanding subsidy changes and early discussions with officers and WG representatives on how to achieve the WHQS with involvement from Overview & Scrutiny Members.

Due to concerns about increasing pressure on services, Councillor S. Jones asked about monitoring of the Welfare Rights and Homelessness service to ensure that the workload was manageable.  On Anti-Social Behaviour, she spoke of the need to involve outside bodies on issues beyond the jurisdiction of the Council.  The Director gave assurance that the Welfare Rights service would continue to be monitored and that wider partners would be involved in anti-social behaviour issues.

The Cabinet Member for Housing remarked on a meeting on anti-social behaviour in 2011 in which different groups had signed up to a Compact and said that all parties would need to be accountable.

Councillor R. Dolphin referred to legislation recently introduced where the Police would investigate incidents of anti-social behaviour if at least five complaints had been received and suggested that the Council could adopt a similar approach.  Councillor P.J Curtis commented on the need for all complaints to be acted upon.  The Head of Housing reassured Members that regardless of the number of complaints, all incidents of anti-social behaviour were investigated and that Members’ comments would be taken into consideration as part of improvements to the Anti-Social Behaviour Policy.

Councillor Dolphin also suggested that a list of meanings for abbreviations used in reports would be useful and the Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator agreed to provide this to all Members.  In response to a further query, the Director said that the need to encourage more private sector property rentals would be addressed in the new policy.

In response to comments from Councillor H.G. Roberts on empty homes, the Head of Housing explained that a recent audit had identified around 500 empty properties in Flintshire.  She referred to £200,000 capital funding from WG to help improve homes and the potential for this amount to double, however some properties would require significant investment.  Owner contributions could be made via the Council’s loan scheme, allowing the Council to have nomination rights.  The aforementioned WG White Paper included a proposal to allow Councils to increase the amount of Council Tax on properties which remained empty over the longer term.

Due to Members’ comments on the WG White Paper, the Director suggested that this could be included in the Committee’s Forward Work Programme at an early stage, to be discussed under the last item of the agenda.  Members also requested that Anti-Social Behaviour and Empty Properties be included on the Programme.

On Anti-Social Behaviour, Councillor R. Hughes asked if nuisance noise monitoring equipment was still in use and the Head of Housing confirmed this.

The Chairman commented that the backlog of repairs had been a concern of the Committee and asked whether the intention for in-house teams to carry out work on disabled adaptations would affect this.  The Head of Housing said that additional posts had been created for the Disabled Adaptations Team and therefore did not affect those working on the backlog of repairs which was expected to have ceased by August 2012.

Councillor Curtis stressed the importance of allocating a completion deadline to repair requests and for tradesmen to undertake repairs at the allotted time.  In response to queries on the involvement of Members, the Head of Housing explained that local Members could not be informed of progress on repairs in their wards as a matter of course, as around 40,000 repairs were undertaken each year, however Members who had been specifically involved with a repair issue would receive feedback.  Members who were aware of cases where this was not happening were encouraged to pursue with Housing officers.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.