Issue - meetings

Oral introduction by the Executive for Housing on the immediate priorities for the portfolio and an introduction to the Lead Councillor role for Private Rented Housing and the Lead Councillor role for Homelessness.

Lead Councillor for Private Rented Housing

To assist the Executive Councillor in developing policy on private rented housing, starting with a review focusing on the priorities in the Annual Statement.

Cllr Dave Baigent

Lead Councillor for Homelessness

To assist the Executive Councillor in developing policy on homelessness, starting with a review focusing on the priorities in the Annual Statement.

Cllr Richard Robertson

The Committee received oral reports from the Executive Councillor for Housing, Councillor Price and the Chair of the Housing Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Todd-Jones.

Councillor Price advised the aim of the new Housing Scrutiny Committee was to enhance the focus on Housing and to reduce Officer, Tenant / Leaseholder Representatives and Councillor time. There had been occasions in the past when the same item would appear on the former Housing Management Board agenda and the Community Services Scrutiny Committee agenda, all items now would be on the same agenda.

Councillor Price explained it was important that the Housing Scrutiny Committee continued vital resident involvement with the Tenant / Leaseholder Representatives as part of the Committee.

The Committee were informed that the following items would be addressed in the new municipal year 2014/15:

·        An increase in the fencing budget

·        Social house buildings (using potential garage sites)

·        Major Environment Improvement Project being undertaken with existing funds that have been moved around in the accounts year on.

·        Reviewing the whole of the Revenue Account.

Councillor Price explained that two Lead Councillors had been selected to work with Officers in the Housing Sector, for the following:

·        Councillor Baigent, Lead Councillor for Private Rented Housing: To assist the Executive Councillor for Housing in developing policy on private rented housing, starting with a review focusing on the priorities in the Annual Statement.

·        Councillor Robertson, Lead Councillor for Homelessness: To assist the Executive Councillor in developing policy on homelessness, starting with a review focusing on the priorities in the Annual Statement.

Councillor Todd Jones, Chair of the Housing Scrutiny Committee, spoke of the new format of the meeting.  'The new Vice Chair (Tenant / Leaseholder Representative) would chair the first part of the meeting and would no longer alternate with a Councillor Chair as was the case with the former Housing Management Board. They would have the casting vote, which they did not have when Chair of the Housing Management Board.' All six Tenant / Leaseholder Representatives were non-voting members of the second part of the meeting concerning strategic housing matters, rather than having three non-voting representatives as was the case on the Community Services Committee.'