Agenda and minutes

To confirm the minutes from the previous meeting

The minutes from 6 December 2022 were agreed as an accurate record and signed by the chair.

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe and Councillor Ransley. Councillor Peters is substituting for Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe and Councillor Stevens was substituting for Councillor Ransley.

To receive any declarations of interest

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered -

(i)            must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent

and, if the interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest, or a personal interest which is also prejudicial

(ii)           may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter (and must withdraw to the public seating area) unless they have been granted a dispensation.

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Members’ Register of Interests, or is not the subject of a pending notification, must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal and prejudicial interests are defined in Part 2 of the Code of Conduct For Members

[If a member is in any doubt as to whether they have an interest which should be declared they should seek the advice of the Monitoring Officer before the start of the meeting]

There were no declarations of interest.

Cllr Imarni wanted to highlight that the company she works with has contacts with Osborn but it is not a declaration or interest she just wanted to make members aware.

An opportunity for members of the public to make statements or ask questions in accordance with the rules as to public participation

There was no public participation.

None.

NBeresford presented the new Domestic Abuse Policy, noting that the papers and policy have been through a number of consultation and engagement sessions through the police committees, the member briefing sessions, in Cabinet and SLT. They have also been scrutinised externally with extensive feedback from partners across the country.

NBeresford advised that they are introducing two new policies, (1) a dedicated policy for employees and (2) a policy for residents, tenants and members. These policies are in line with the DAHA framework recommended good practice and they outline a number of clear expectations and the approach to tackling domestic abuse in Dacorum. The accompanying paper documents DBC's ongoing commitment to achieving overarching DAHA accreditation. NBeresford noted that the work has been led by JBartlett to ensure that services are exemplar.

Cllr Pringle commended the proactive steps being taken and noted how having immediate help will positively benefit outcomes for families.

Cllr Johnson asked for further clarification regarding the Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Order. JBartlett advised that these are the lead provisions with notices translating into an order and will provide immediate protection to families and victims in the aftermath of an incident with police intervention potentially translating into an order. The aim is this will be simplified legal protection for victims and will take into account other existing processes, such as injunctions. JBartlett advised that they have liaised with local police and put in an internal process to respond to them with the expectation that the police will notify DBC when there has been an issue to a Dacorum resident and steps will then be proactively taken. This is work in progress and this will be reviewed to monitor how well the process works.

Cllr Pringle asked if they would be consulting victims, their families and social services and how they will get feedback. JBartlett explained that they are looking to gather feedback from survivors as well as look at case closure processes. Feedback processes are built into the work and JBartlett confirmed that this would be done in a way that will not be too onerous on the victim.

Cllr Pringle queried if matters would automatically be referred to DBC. NBeresford advised that she will also be responsible for Community Safety as part of her new remit and that they do work through the responsibilities of officer groups to identify where serious case reviews are required, which will be identified and recommended by the Safeguarding Board at county level. This recommendation is then submitted to the Chief Executive.

Cllr Pringle requested that an automatic review take place of any serious incidents that take place in DBC properties. Cllr Pringle noted that whilst not all domestic cases are reported, incidents may come to light through property reports. NBeresford agreed, noting that this is part of the lessons learned process and how to identify cases earlier. NBeresford noted JBartlett's work that allows them to implement processes and procedures through contract management and attendance of repair  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

MPinnell took the paper as read and provided an overview of the report, noting that the paper deals with housing stock and not the private sector. The paper is written with an honest focus regarding damp and mould and that DBC relies on reports from residents regarding issues across stock. There is currently not a robust governance structure to ensure that properties are revisited and instead there is a reliance on residents to put measures in place. The recommendations and actions plans will ensure DBC is acting proactively rather than waiting for reports to come through. Damp and mould is a national issue and the ability of residents to put their heating on will be greatly reduced during the cost of living crisis, so the team will be working with residents.

Section 2 of the report provides an overview of metrics. In Q1 2021-22, DBC was aware of 88 cases, though cases have not historically been reported as damp and mould. A separate category has now been set up to ensure cases are reported accurately, and in Q1 2022-23, there are 166 live cases with 90-95 that specifically mention mould. When a report is made by a tenant, it goes through a triage system and is still reliant on residents instigating this, and the aim is that once a report is received, a physical visit will be made to the property. The Stock Provision Survey Programme has commenced, of which 3,078 have been completed to date, and this follows a clear process with a surveyor assessing both the inside and outside of the property. Cat 1 and Cat 2 ratings are combined internally as high-risk to ensure there is no separation. Of the 3,078 surveys completed, 84 cases showed visible damp or mould and 6 of these cases were identified as high risk. Some have undergone immediate repairs and others are having replacement windows.

Section 3 focuses on the options available to address damp and mould issues and how these issues are escalated. On the increased agile response, the intention is that this will be delivered by DBC staff to promote ownership and trust back to residents rather than dealing with a contractor. On section 3.3, condensation is likely to be the highest driver of black mould and monitors are being provided to residents to read the level of moisture in the air.

Section 4 lists out recommendations, including the creation of a specialist team with advanced knowledge and self-help. For properties with smaller patches of mould, a kit will be provided to residents to enable people to start to look after their properties better. Section 5 looks at the research project that DBC was involved in that looks at how the climate links back to improving thermal insulation in properties. Section 6 provides revised literature and section 7 provides financial information.

Cllr Oguchi commented on the reason regarding the doubling of reports and asked if this is due to recent news coverage regarding damp. Cllr Oguchi  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

The Chair noted the outstanding action points.

ACTION POINT:KJohnston to chase them

Work programme agreed

That, under s.100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded

during the item in Part II of the Agenda for this meeting, because it was likely, in view

of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the public were

present during the item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information

relating to the financial and business affairs of a particular company.

That, under s.100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded

during the item in Part II of the Agenda for this meeting, because it was likely, in view

of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the public were

present during the item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information

relating to the fiThat, under s.100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded

during the item in Part II of the Agenda for this meeting, because it was likely, in view

of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the public were

present during the item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information

relating to the financial and business affairs of a particular company.

nancial and business affairs of a particular company.