Agenda item

The Executive Member for Housing and Support.

The Executive Member for Housing and Support, Councillor Neame, introduced a report to Committee which set out a number of policies to support the Council’s social housing landlord functions as a registered provider as permitted by the Regulator of Social Housing. Three policies supported aspects of the Council’s new responsibilities and operation of services to customers to provide transparency and clarity on approach and practice. These were:

·        Rent Policy – this sets out the Council’s approach to rent setting and annual rent reviews. This year a rent increase of 2.3% is proposed.

·        Compensation Policy – this explains the Council’s approach to managing discretionary and compulsory compensation claims made by tenants.

·        Decant Policy – this is where the Council may need secure or introductory tenants to vacate their homes on a temporary or permanent basis.

The Leader, Councillor Mark Brunt, said that as the borough council grew as a social landlord these policies needed to be in place to continue to manage the Council’s growing housing register. The proposed rent increase in April for the Council’s new social housing tenants (with levels capped and set by the Government) was set at a reasonable level of 2.3%.  It was noted that Raven Housing Trust had set its rent increase in April at 7% this coming year.

Visiting Members raised questions in the following areas:

·        Number of council-owned social housing accommodation – it was confirmed that in addition to the 32 new affordable rented homes at Wheatley Court, Redhill, there were just under 50 units in total in the borough (including those classed as emergency and temporary accommodation).

·        Housing Revenue Account (HRA) –  Local authorities are not permitted to own more than 199 social housing homes without opening a Housing Revenue Account (HRA). It was confirmed that the Housing Revenue Account was a ringfenced account used for all income and expenditure relating to housing properties and land.  Members asked if the current income from just under 50 units was ringfenced and would be used for housing purposes. It was confirmed this was the case and the Council was committed to ensuring income generated from future rents would be used to invest in properties, as set out in the Housing Strategy.

The Council was on the shortlist for a national award for the delivery of the social housing development Wheatley Court in Redhill which had been the first scheme in social housing for some time. This followed on winning the best large social housing development for the South East region in the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Awards last year. The Leader said this development had been a huge achievement for the Housing team and Development team working closely with the Portfolio Holder for Place Delivery and Planning Policy, Councillor Biggs.

RESOLVED that the Executive AGREED:

(i)               That the Rent Policy at Annex 1 be approved and the Executive authorise the Head of Housing in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Support to make any necessary minor amendments of the Rent Policy prior to publication.

(ii)             That the Executive approve 2.3% rent increase for the Council’s social housing in 2023-24.

(iii)           That the Compensation Policy at Annex 2 be approved and the Executive authorise the Head of Housing in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Support to make any necessary minor amendments of the Compensation Policy prior to publication.

(iv)           That the Decant Policy at Annex 3 be approved and the Executive authorise the Head of Housing and Support to make any necessary minor amendments of the Decant Policy prior to publication.