Councillor
Clare Cummins, Cabinet Member for Housing Services, presented the
report which outlined that a review of the capital works programme
has been quickly undertaken to ensure compliance with regulatory
standards and in recognition of the backlog of work that has been
identified during the transfer process of Six Town Housing’s
principal responsibilities.
The
programme saw a large volume of council owned properties given
necessary adaptations and the housing stock has been improved.
Trying to keep people well at home often means changes to the
property and is a welcome part of the report.
In response
to a members query regarding the reports reference to historical
process errors, members were advised that these issues have not had
financial issues.
Decision:
Cabinet:
- Acknowledged
the proposed Capital Programme to be funded within the HRA,
estimated at £19,841,760 and recommends to Council that it be
approved.
- Subject to
Council approval, authorised external competitive procurement to be
commenced in respect of the respective schemes identified within
the Capital Programme on a compliant basis in accordance with the
Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Council’s Contract
Procedure Rules 2022.
- Requested
reports back on the individual schemes with recommendations as to
contract awards at the conclusion of the respective procurement
processes.
- Noted that
whilst the target completion date for the respective contract works
is the end of the current financial year, the duration of some
contracts and the associated expenditure will run into 2025/26 and
that further updates will be provided to Cabinet as part of the
Budget reporting process.
- Approved
payments to Green Grants Install Limited for decarbonisation works
under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 1 and 2
programmes grant funded by the GMCA and delegates to the Director
of Law and Governance authority to facilitate the necessary
contractual arrangements.
Reasons for
recommendations:
- To enable
work to the Council’s housing stock to be
undertaken.
- A
requirement of the Regulator of Social Housing is to have
“accurate, up to date and evidenced understanding of the
condition of homes that reliably informs their provision of good
quality, well maintained and safe homes for tenants.”. The
2024/25 programme of work has been developed to address this
need.
Alternative
options considered and rejected:
- This is an
asset led programme, undertaking work where it is needed and not
geographically based. The focus for the 2024/25 is on dealing with
long standing issues, delayed projects, and backlogs to ensure
compliance with regulatory standards. To ensure an improved
approach to longer term planning from 2025/26 onwards, including
the introduction of a cyclical painting and repairs programme, a
full stock condition survey is currently being
completed.