Agenda and minutes

To confirm the minutes from the previous meeting

The minutes from 15^th March 2023 were formally approved as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Barradell and Councillor Mottershead.

Apologies also received from Darren Welsh.

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.

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

It was noted that the action to produce a timescale on Herts Cultural Education Partnership is yet to be completed due to staffing capacity.

It was confirmed that all other actions had been completed.

NBeresford presented the update, noting that the report provides an overview of KPIs previously agreed by the Committee and noted that there are opportunities to review or provide more detail on any specific KPIs of interest to the Committee. Where there are key statutory areas, there are separate national data sets that are accessible to all residents and members. The report covers key highlights, performance challenges and specific interventions for the data sets identified in the report.

NBeresford took the report as read and welcomed questions from members.

Cllr Johnson commented on item 2.2, noting that £70 had been received in rent arrears and asked if this was the total sum of arrears owed or what had been received so far. NBeresford confirmed that this relates to former tenant arrears during the period and doesn't reflect arrears on the rent debit. There are currently arrangements regarding the £18k of additional debt owed.

Cllr Johnson referred to item 4.6 and the anti-social behaviour policy, asking if there were any timescales for the review and when it will come to the Committee. NBeresford advised that the management of anti-social behaviour is fragmented at the moment and this is an area they are seeking to address through the housing and transformation programme. The anti-social behaviour function is currently delivered by 2 separate teams with the Housing service delivering anti-social behaviour enforcement to landlords and the Community Safety function delivering anti-social behaviour activity to non-resident DBC properties. The transformation programme will seek to review the approach to delivering anti-social behaviour activity to ensure a sufficient process is being delivered to residents. The policy is currently in draft format and is being reviewed internally by the senior leadership team, which should then transition to the portfolio holder for review over summer, followed by the tenant and leaseholder scrutiny. This should then be presented to the Committee in autumn by the new Head of Safe Communities, who joins DBC in 2 weeks' time.

A councillor referred to item 3.6, noting that it says that the number of repairs completed first time remains a challenge due to the complexity of repairs and asked for this to be explained earlier. MPurnell advised that this relates to contractor performance and finding that issues are more complex than originally stated.

A councillor queried the timeframe between issues being reported and them being fixed. MPurnell explained that this varies depending on the type of repair, stating that an emergency repair will be completed within 4 hours and non-emergency repairs can take up to 4 weeks.

Referring to a question regarding who carries out repairs, MPurnell confirmed that most repairs are completed under Osborne, though Osborne also receive support from additional subcontractors. A councillor noted that Osborne have been awarded the contract with another year, though the report also states that the contract goes up to 2026. MPurnell clarified that the current contract was a 10-year contract awarded in 2014 and goes up to June 2024. The later paper in Part 2  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

NBeresford presented the Tenancy Management Policy on behalf of the Housing and Property Services portfolio holder. The policy is new for the service and was developed following feedback from residents, the Tenant and Leaseholder Committee and members. The policy has undergone extensive engagement internally with officers to ensure it reflects the work they do and will act as a useful tool for tenancy management officers to engage with residents and support queries that come in, and it will also be useful in informing members about the service. The policy has also undergone scrutiny through the Tenant and Leaseholder Committee and the leadership team. It is a legal requirement to undertake the functions in line with the Housing Act, as for all landlords, and the changes to any future policy will come about as a result of any legislative or procedural change.

Cllr Capozzi asked how tenants were previously managed without a policy. RGlanville explained that there were procedural documents that the Council has operated within and that the policy brings these together to signpost both tenants and officers to.

Cllr Capozzi referred to the community impact assessment templates and noted her surprise that not all categories for protected groups would benefit in the same way from having a policy in place. NBeresford explained that the community impact assessment is undertaken with a steering group as well as a staff engagement group with assistance from the legal department and HR officer. NBeresford agreed that this work could be reviewed further.

Cllr Dhyani noted that some areas will be covered for 12 or 18 months and asked what the criteria is for 18 months. RGlanville advised that new tenants get an introductory period of 12 months, though DBC reserves the right to extend this to 18 months if it is felt they are not managing the tenancy as expected, such as nuisance behaviour or non-payment of rent. Cllr Dhyani commented that it is not written as though it is an extension.

Cllr Dhyani noted that secure tenants have a right to buy, though the policy does not give an indication of how long this period is. RGlanville explained that the policy outlines what tenants have the right to do and that a right to buy policy will provide further detail.

Cllr Dhyani commented on the allowance of lodgers and queried if this will allow tenants to sub-let. Cllr Dhyani asked where the clarification is that tenants won't turn this into a business and sub-let further. RGlanville confirmed that tenants gain the right to take lodgers though DBC will perform checks as the landlord to ensure they are not overcrowding the property or sub-letting the entire property. NBeresford added that there is a stringent process in place and taking on a lodger will link to other policies in place at a county and national level, such as the Ukraine Settlement Scheme. Checks would ensure that any sub-letting complies with the obligations of the agreement and does not jeopardise the property.

Cllr Dhyani  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

It was noted that community items will be brought to the Committee and that this will first be discussed with the portfolio holder. Proposals for these items will be brought to the next meeting for agreement.

EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC

To consider passing a resolution in the following terms:

That, under s.100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 Schedule 12A Part 1 as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 the public be excluded during the item in Part II of the Agenda for this meeting, because it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the public were present during this item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information relating to:the financial and

business affairs of the Council and third party companies/organisations.

Local Government Act 1972, Schedule 12A, Part 1, paragraph 3.

That, under s.100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 Schedule 12A Part 1 as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 the public be excluded during the item in Part II of the Agenda for this meeting, because it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the public were present during this item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information relating to:the financial and

business affairs of the Council and third party companies/organisations.

Local Government Act 1972, Schedule 12A, Part 1, paragraph 3.

Full details can be found in the part 2 minutes