Agenda item

Resolved to recommend

1.    The approval of the updated Housing Revenue Account Business Plan

2.    The approval of the revised development programme budgets as set out in Section 8.3 of the Cabinet report

Decision

Resolved to recommend

1.    The approval of the updated Housing Revenue Account Business Plan

2.    The approval of the revised development programme budgets as set out in Section 8.3 of the Cabinet report

Corporate objectives

Delivering Affordable Housing

Monitoring Officer

The annual review provides a robust mechanism to monitor the business plan to ensure that it takes account of changes in government policy, law and the economy and therefore meets the Council’s statutory requirements.

Deputy S.151 Officer

There are a number of inflationary assumptions inherent within the Business Plan which are liable to change over the planning period, and which could therefore pose a risk to delivery.  These assumptions are kept under constant review, and this report is an update on the October Cabinet report, with all variances summarised in section 9.

The way in which the Council structures its borrowing will influence the amount of funding available in future years. Borrowing options, together with any implications for the future programme, will be presented to Members in advance.

There is the possibility of unanticipated government interventions that could impact on the HRA business plan in particular the current projections of annual rent increases which are set at is  CPI +1% for next 5 years

Advice

Councillor Griffiths stated that this was not a complete review of the whole Business Plan and was just an update and that a complete review would happen when this Business Plan expired.

Councillor Birnie said that he was trying to get his head around the report and referenced the table on page 88 of the agenda. He asked whether the properties had been completed for social rent.

Councillor Griffiths confirmed that they had been completed.

Councillor Birnie asked for what period the table referred to and whether this was part of the current plan or the original plan.

Councillor Griffiths said that this was the total since they started building.

F Williamson added that this was since 2014.

Councillor Birnie asked if there was a figure for the number of properties in the pipeline.

Councillor Williams said that there were 73 under construction.

F Williamson said that 188 had been delivered to date and that there were 444 in the future programme. She said that over the next five years, with borrowing, there was an increase of 280.

Councillor Birnie asked whether the 73 under construction were included in the 444 for the future programme.

F Williamson said that the 73 under construction was additional to the 444 in the future programme.

Councillor Birnie asked about Section 5 of the Appendix and said that it did not include Strategic Housing.

F Williamson said that Strategic Housing included affordable homes.

Councillor Tindall referenced 4.4.4 and Universal Credit. He asked if it was possible for tenants to request for Housing Benefit to be paid directly to their landlord.

F Williamson said that this facility did exist but that it was a voluntary arrangement.

Councillor Williams asked whether many people took this up.

F Williamson said that she did not have an exact figure but that she could get the information to Cabinet. She added that it was a small number.

Councillor Tindall asked whether residents were notified of this when beginning a tenancy.

F Williamson confirmed that they were.

The recommendations were agreed.