New Forest Borough Council Housing and Homelessness Overview and Scrutiny Panel Meeting

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 January 2023 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

No declarations of interest were made by members in connection with an agenda item.

No issues were raised in the public participation period.

The Panel considered the Revised Gas Safety Policy for Housing (Landlord Services).  The last policy had been approved in 2019 and the policy had been updated to incorporate the changes to national guidance and the Council’s gas safety management roles and responsibilities, following changes within the housing service.

The proposed policy included a robust procedure to cap gas supplies where the Council was not able to service gas installations prior to their annual expiry date. The policy provided affected tenants, or those requesting the removal of gas meters, with welfare support to ensure they had every help in reinstating their supply.

Members welcomed the inclusion of the welfare and safeguarding element to the policy.  A view was expressed that the policy should refer to customer satisfaction.  The Service Manager for Housing Options, Rents, Support and Private Sector Housing responded to this noting that the policy primarily focused on gas safety.  However, the Council would, through the new Tenant Satisfaction Measures seek customer engagement and views on the services received in relation to repairs and therefore would be picked up via a different route.  A Customer Engagement Strategy was proposed to be developed, which would include how the Council would seek the views of tenants on all aspects of compliance.  Officers agreed to review the policy and consider including reference within the policy to customer satisfaction.

RESOLVED:

The Panel supported the Revised Gas Safety Policy for Housing (Landlord Services) and requested officers to reflect upon the suggestion to include reference to customer services within the policy.

The Panel considered the annual report of Housing Compliance which provided a comprehensive summary of the Council’s performance against statutory compliance measures. This included asbestos, electrical safety, fire safety, gas safety, legionella, lifts and lifting equipment as well as playgrounds and play equipment.

It was highlighted to the Panel that some actions would always be outstanding due to the rolling nature of risk assessments and surveys, but this did not indicate high risk failings.  Procedures were in place to ensure the compliance checks were carried out when required, in a timely manner, and with prompt action to redress and actions highlighted.

Members recognised the value of the forthcoming roll out of a mobile app for asset maintenance, to allow staff to have immediate access information from any location.  The importance of the fire safety work to the housing blocks, particularly those in the extra care blocks with vulnerable residents was also acknowledged.

RESOLVED:

That the proposed annual Housing Compliance report in response of the Housing Services’ performance against key statutory compliance measures be noted.

The Panel considered the proposed Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy which outlined the legislative and regulatory powers available to the Council, and how the Council would take enforcement action against landlords in the private sector who do not comply with informal action to improve housing conditions.

Members noted that the Council takes a supportive and cooperative approach with landlords to resolve issues in a cooperative way without the need to take enforcement action, which had been largely successful in resolving complaints in all but two cases.  However, should this fail, enforcement action would be taken as a fall-back position.  The Council had only issued two enforcement notices in the last 12 months.  The draft policy introduced a charge for the serving of enforcement notices and the adoption of civil penalties as an added deterrent.

Members questioned how landlords would be made aware of the Policy.  It was noted that the Council’s Landlord Forum would next meet in April and the policy would be highlighted and explained to landlords.  Officers would also use a range of different communication methods to get the key messages out in the public domain, this included working with letting agents, using social media, informing known landlords, etc.  Information on landlords obtained through homelessness services, or other areas of housing services would also be used to contact landlords directly. 

The Panel requested to receive an annual update on this Policy alongside other strategy and policy updates.

A concern was raised about the safety of families living in HMOs and that this had not been addressed within the policy.  In response, it was noted that HMOs were regulated through the licensing regime.  All licenced HMOs were inspected by the Council to ensure they had minimum safety standards in terms of room sizes, the number of people who could live there and that the correct facilities were provided relating to kitchens and bathrooms, etc to ensure that properties were safe to live in.

A comment was made by a Panel member in relation to page 5 of the policy which stated that the tenant should contact the landlord in writing before contacting the Council and felt that this should include electronic communication.

RESOLVED:

That the proposed Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy be supported with an amendment to the wording within page 5 of the policy to include electronic communication.

The Panel received a presentation providing an overview of the progress of the priorities identified within the Private Sector Housing and Empty Homes Strategies.  The presentation has been attached the minutes as an Appendix.

SP1 – Achieving High Standards in the Private Rented Sector: Over the year, 72 properties had been inspected, resulting in 58 category 1 hazards being assessed and 249 category 2 hazards being assessed.  Two improvement notices had been served due to lack of cooperation of the landlord, which had since been complied with. 

SP2 – Enabling Safe Independent Living:  Since 1 April 2022, 79 Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) had been awarded through Hampshire County Council for owner occupied properties and 83 DFGs had been completed to date in relation to Council owned housing stock.  It was expected that £1 million would be spent on the NFDC housing stock by the end of the financial year.

SP3 – Tackling privately owned empty homes: It was noted that 3 priorities had been identified in the Empty Homes Strategy.  Over the last year 47 properties had been brought back into use.  Officers were working with 72 empty home owners.  1 Section 215 notice had been served in July 2021 on a long term empty property (empty for 20+ years).  This property had been sold and the renovation work was close to completion.

SP4: Energy Efficiency: The Council had joined a Warmer Homes Consortium manged by Portsmouth City Council to provide grants to raise the energy efficiency of low income and low energy performance private homes.  This funding would end on 31 March 2023.  There were two funding streams, Local Authority Delivery (LAD) for on gas properties and Home Up Grade (HUG) for off gas properties.  Through LAD, it was noted that 95 warmer homes measures had been completed on 72 properties through, for example, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and solar panels. Through the HUG fund, 37 measures had been completed to 19 homes.

SP5 - Create a fully integrated private sector housing service: A new IT management system had been developed to integrate housing options with the private sector housing service and more recently the housing landlord function.  The joint working with the housing service was outlined and it would help to achieve better outcomes for tenants and create efficiencies.

A member recognised that of the 72 properties which had been inspected a significant issue identified was damp and mould.  It was questioned whether this was as a result of the media reporting on the issue, worsening structural condition of the properties or whether it was due to the cost of living crisis with residents turning their heating down.  In response it was recognised all these were factors.  The media had increased awareness but also the cost of living crisis meant that some tenants could not afford to heat their homes adequately.  Heating and ventilation were factors in damp and mould in properties.

A member sought an explanation of the DFG process.  It was noted that the limit in legislation for a DFG was £30,000 and that the District Council had a discretionary policy to award up to £10,000.  All applicants were assessed by an Occupational Therapist at Hampshire County Council and any referral would then be passed to the District Council.  Adaptions were means tested, with the exception of children, which ensured that any grant was received by those most in need.

Following a member question, it explained how officers work with empty home owners.  An Officer would make contact with the property owner, via phone, email or letter.  A site visit might be arranged to discuss the vacant property and the importance of bringing it back into occupation.  It was recognised that site visits with the empty property owner usually had more successful outcomes.

The Panel received a short presentation setting out the Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code and requirements for landlords.  The District Council was required to carry out its own assessment for handling complaints.  The last assessment had been carried out in October 2022 and District Council was compliant. 

The Panel received a presentation on homelessness which has been attached to these minutes as an Appendix.

A further visit had been received from the DLUCH Rough Sleeper Advisor and the newly appointed Homelessness Advisor on 22 February. They visited the new rough sleeper accommodation at Davis Point in Totton.  The feedback received had been very positive, particularly in relation to the level of support being provided to the residents as well as the quality of accommodation.

Southern Health were to launch a research project into the effectiveness of the Mental Health Practitioner role within the District Council, a grant funded role until March 2025.  The research intended to demonstrate that the role, combined with the partnership working approach helped vulnerable residents, often at an earlier stage and had better outcomes for the residents as well as providing a saving on the public purse.  Through the research it was hoped that a case could be made regarding the value of the post in order to secure long term funding.  It would also provide a model which could be adopted by other authorities.

The Panel were presented with a case study from the Mental Health Practitioner.  The case study highlighted various stages of work, starting with a report of someone in a crisis situation in their accommodation.  The case study included how the needs of the client were safeguarded, the referral process, building relationships with the client and other agencies to ensure that the client had a suitable accommodation pathway.  The Panel noted that settled accommodation had been secured for the client.  The case study was just one example of the 50 cases the Mental Health Practitioner had been involved in.  Further information and statistics were provided within the presentation regarding for example, the fact that 9 hospital admissions had been prevented.  These demonstrated the impact the role had had with better outcomes for the clients, improved relationships with agencies, as well as the early intervention ensuring that the crisis situation did not escalate further, and therefore providing cost savings to the public purse. 

The Panel noted there were two additional fixed term posts in place and a permanent triage officer had recently been recruited.  One of the fixed term positions was still to be filled.

It was reported there was currently one rough sleeper, who continued to refuse any offer of accommodation.  This was the last of the complex cohort of rough sleepers.  However, officers had been successful in accommodating 7 of the 8 over the last 2-3 years.  Tourlands House had so far accommodated 14 residents since opening and 3 of these residents were due to move out soon.  Davis Point had also been occupied by the last few rough sleepers.

The Panel noted that last summer there had been 94 households in emergency accommodation.  The team had worked hard to reduce this and since January 2023 the numbers had reduced from 60 to 49 households.  This consisted of 25 families and 24 single people in emergency accommodation.  It was pleasing to note that 31 households had move on accommodation in place.

There had been a rise in the number of applicants on the housing register since January 2023.  33 applicants had been housed since the beginning of the year to date, of which 4 had been from housing band 1 and 23 band 2.

Members recognised the progress of the work being delivered by housing services, and how the hard work and additional support was enabling better outcomes for residents. 

The Panel asked a number of questions about the Mental Health Practitioner.  It was confirmed this member of staff was supported by Southern Health, with regular meetings with the Head of Nursing, as well as management within the District Council.

Members acknowledged the success of the Mental Health Practitioner but raised concern about resilience within the team when this person was absent.  It was noted that the Mental Health Practitioner had provided training to upskill existing staff, build resilience and to raise standards.  It was also recognised that the relationship with the Community Mental Health Team had improved and hopefully any referrals made by other NFDC staff, would be acted upon more quickly than they had historically.

In recognition of the success of the Mental Health Practitioner, a concern was raised regarding whether other agencies were fulfilling their statutory roles.  In response it was noted agencies do respond and officers of the Council remain insistent that they do so.  The Mental Health Practitioner also ensures that any clients referred to HCC Adult Health and Social Care were followed up.  It was also noted that through the Care Leavers protocol officers work with Hampshire County Council to ensure they follow up and deliver what is required.  DLUCH had been involved in ensuring that HCC has the support required in order to deliver the protocol.  All the work being carried out was to help the District Council deliver its own aims and objectives, which would help the vulnerable and reduce costs to the public purse. 

Members questioned whether housing services work closely with the police.  This was confirmed.  A duty to refer was in place and the District Council had been awarded £180,000 funding over two years to work with 28 ex-offenders, due for release over the next two years.  This was to ensure there was a seamless transition into private rented accommodation.  This grant also included a support worker.

The Panel received a presentation providing an update on HRA property development and acquisitions, which has been attached to the minutes as an Appendix.

The Panel noted the completion of the following schemes since the last meeting:

·        Faircross Close, Holbury: This provided five 2 bedroom flats and two 3 bed maisonettes.  A Homes England grant of £525,000 had been received to provide these properties for social rent.

·        Ladycross Road, Hythe: This scheme involved the demolition of 37 underutilised or empty garages and the construction of 6 houses.  All properties had air source heat pumps fitted, PVs and electric vehicle charging points, as well as an A rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).  A Homes England grant of £300,000 had been received.

The following two schemes were under construction:

·        Former Testwood Club site, Totton: Construction had commenced to provide 12 flats.  The scheme had been designed to meet the Future Homes Standard.  The performance of the build and the flats post construction would be monitored to ensure that this standard was met.  Completion was anticipated in Autumn 2023.

·        Burgate Acres, Fordingbridge: This was a Metis Homes development and the Council had purchased 14 Section 106 properties and 3 additional properties for Shared Ownership.  Homes England funding had been received and completion was expected between October 2023 and May 2024.

Further Updates:

·        Moore Close, New Milton:  This would provide 16 new dwellings.  The contract for the construction of the development was out to tender.

·        Hythe Medical Centre, Hythe: The land purchase had been completed and planning consent had been received to provide 22 new properties.  Surveys and detained design work was being carried out.

·        37/39 Salisbury Road, Totton: This scheme proposed 20 new dwellings.  A planning application had been submitted and was awaiting determination.

A new Government initiative, the Local Authority Housing Fund had been announced in December 2022.  This provided capital funding from central government to deliver additional affordable homes for Ukrainian and Afghan families.  The objective of the initiative was to reduce the pressures on local authority homeless resources and emergency temporary accommodation costs.  The homes could be retained by the local authority when the families were repatriated. 

The District Council had been offered £1.87 million capital subsidy under this scheme to provide 12 homes.  A Portfolio Holder decision had recently been taken.  Officers would look to extend the Buy Back scheme or alternatively consider the purchase of homes constructed for the private market to provide these homes for Ukrainian and Afghan families.

The current development programme was presented to members.  It was noted that 619 properties were in the pipeline to be delivered by 2025/26.  314 dwellings had either been completed or were certain of being completed, with a further 115 dwellings with a firm pipeline.  Officers would continue to identify further development and acquisition opportunities.

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Homelessness Services reported he had recently visited two housing schemes.  One was a NFDC affordable homes scheme at Ladycross Road in Hythe which provided 6 newly built homes.  These properties had already been allocated and tenants were looking forward to moving in.  The other scheme was a private development under construction at Burgate Acres in Fordingbridge.  The District Council had agreed to purchase a number of the dwellings for affordable housing from the developer, Metis Homes.

The Portfolio Holder also congratulated Richard Knott on his appointment as Assistant Director for Housing.  He reported it would be his last meeting as the Portfolio Holder and expressed his thanks to the housing team for their hard work.

A member sought an explanation in relation to the financial information cited in the Performance Dashboard regarding the £100k loss in dwelling rent and the £20k loss in dwelling rent voids.  The Portfolio Holder responded, recognising that voids were undesirable, both due to the loss in rent as well as a delay in providing housing to those in need.  However, he had met with officers to further understand the matter and it was very complex.  Some dwellings had structural defects which needed to be addressed and decisions need to be taken on how best to resource the work required in order to bring these properties bring them back into use.  He was confident that the issue was being managed as best and as practically possible by the housing team.

The Service Manager for Housing Options, Rents, Support and Private Sector Housing clarified the financial information with the Performance Dashboard.  It was noted that there had been a reduction in dwelling rent income, as a result of a number of factors, including a delay in new homes becoming available for occupation.  In terms of the dwelling rent income loss, it was recognised this was a complicated matter and there were a number of longer term voids which were being addressed. The figures highlighted had already been accounted for in the Autumn budget revisions.

A member of the Panel questioned whether there was confidence in the Council being able to deliver the target of 600 new affordable homes by 2026.  The Portfolio Holder reported that the target set had been ambitious.  The delivery of housing provided by others had been slower than expected, and factors such as covid and inflation had contributed to the delay.  The Portfolio Holder paid tribute to the housing delivery team in continuing to look for new opportunities for affordable housing provision in order to keep on track to deliver the target of 600 new affordable homes by 2026.

The Service Manager for Housing Strategy and Development further clarified the housing delivery numbers.  Whilst development opportunities had been identified, 190 dwellings had less certainty of being delivered.  It was also noted that a prudent approach needed to be taken, particularly when bidding for affordable Section 106 homes from developers, whereby social housing for those applicants on the Council’s Housing Register would still be delivered regardless of who the landlord was. 

RESOLVED:

That the Work Programme be noted.

The Chairman reported that Richard Knott had been appointed as Assistant Director of Housing and passed on her congratulations on behalf of the Panel.