Agenda item

(a)       That the report be received; and

(b)       That feedback be provided to the Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

The Director of Community Services introduced the report for the Committee to note and consider elements of the 2013/14 Mid Year Improvement Plan Monitoring Report relevant to the Committee for the period October to December 2013.

The Director and Head of Housing each gave a short presentation on performance within each of the sub-priority areas, highlighting work which had been undertaken to improve performance and areas where improvement was needed, as outlined within each report.

Extra Care Housing

The Director reported that the Llys Jasmine complex had been shortlisted for the UK Housing Awards in the large development category, for consideration later in the month.  He went on to confirm that £550K was being made available from Welsh Government (WG) Intermediate Care Funding towards the development of two more extra care developments in Flint and Holywell.

In welcoming plans to develop further facilities following the success of Llys Eleanor and Llys Jasmine, Councillor Rosetta Dolphin asked how these would be publicised.  The Director said that events would be held locally to advertise the benefits of these types of facilities, however word of mouth about the quality of service had helped to quickly fill places available at the two current sites.

Councillor Hilary Isherwood spoke about a need for facilities in all of the Council’s wards and suggested that consideration of residents in surrounding areas should be built into the planning process for future developments to ensure that neighbouring properties were not overlooked.  The Director said that there had been local Member representation on the Board and that consideration had been given to the wider community.  When asked about the cost to individuals wishing to take up extra care provision such as Llys Jasmine, the Facilitator agreed to re-circulate details of costs.

In response to comments on plans for a facility in Holywell, the Director confirmed that plans to identify an appropriate site were underway and that all suggestions on potential sites had been evaluated.

Following a comment from Councillor Gareth Roberts, the Director confirmed that mixed tenure was part of the model, however demand for purchasing units was currently low across North Wales.

Councillor Brian Lloyd asked if priority was given to Council tenants as this would free up housing stock for allocation to others.  The Head of Housing said that many Council tenants had been accepted into Llys Jasmine as they had met the necessary qualification criteria for extra care.

Modern, Efficient and Adapted Homes

In response to a query from Councillor George Hardcastle on the 29 empty homes which had been brought back into use during the period, the Performance Support Manager replied that these were a mix of 2-3 bedroom properties which had remained empty for at least six months.

Councillor Peter Curtis referred to a recent local press article which had raised concerns about page 10 of the revised Tenancy Agreement.  The Neighbourhood Housing Manager explained that the changes had reflected the existing legal rights of tenants in terms of managing their properties.  She agreed to email Councillor Curtis to explain this in more detail.  It was noted that the Council had made a formal response to the press article.

When asked by Councillor Dolphin about repayment of loans for private houses, the Head of Housing confirmed that charges applied to these properties and that different funding streams were available to bring empty homes back into use.  Under the Empty Homes initiative, loans for completing properties must be repaid to the WG within two or three years respectively if the property was sold or rented.

Achieve the Wales Housing Quality Standard (WHQS)

As a point of accuracy on page 1 of Appendix 3, the Head of Housing clarified that there was a six year work programme to achieve the WHQS and that the funding gap had been reduced from £14m to £8m.

In response to a comment from Councillor Hardcastle on exceeding the target on the number of bathrooms replaced in the capital programme, the Head of Housing explained that despite none being promised within the Choices Document, it was predicated that 60 would be replaced in 2013/14, in addition to wet room installations as part of Disabled Facilities Grant work.

Councillor Dolphin praised all those involved in exceeding the planned work targets and requested an updated list with proposed timescales.  The Head of Housing said that Members and tenants would be consulted on areas of priority over the Summer period, prior to endorsement by Cabinet in the Autumn.

Welfare Reform

In relation to the homelessness service, the Chairman asked about current bed and breakfast placements.  The Head of Housing was pleased to report that this was being well managed as this currently only applied to a small number of individuals and that partnership with the private sector would help to further reduce this need.

Fuel Poverty

Councillor Dolphin praised the energy efficiency measures being taken to help households and asked that her thanks be passed on to Gavin Griffith.

Following a query from Councillor Mike Reece on solid wall insulation, the Head of Housing said that funding was available through various sources such as Arbed, Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Green Deal, however funding previously available was restricted to certain areas.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the report be received; and

(b)       That feedback be provided to the Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee.