Issue - items at meetings - Letters from Councillors and Notices of Motion

A letter has been received from Councillor Christine Simpson:

“I am writing to ask that a request be put to the Adult Social Care and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee, or the Overview and Scrutiny Commission to examine, as a matter of urgency, the financial position of the Housing Revenue Account and the impact on responsive repairs, voids, emergency repairs and Decent Homes work.

It is alarming to hear that some budgets in these areas have been spent to a point where work for the rest of the financial year will be curtailed. I feel that the council needs to understand how this position has been reached half way through the financial year and why the situation has been concealed from councillors and our council tenants.

Councillors’ casework is beginning to show that promised repairs are being put off until after April 2010 and tenants have even been told that no more Health and Safety works will be carried out at this time.

 The Scrutiny Review or Panel should also look at what should be done to recover from this position.”

Yours sincerely

Christine Simpson

LabourCouncillor Hollingdean and Stanmer Ward

31.1    Councillor Christine Simpson presented her letter to the committee (see item in agenda). As well as the points made in her letter, Councillor Simpson raised an additional matter: whether changes to the way in which housing repairs are undertaken had been adequately communicated to the council’s tenants?

31.2    Nick Hibberd, Assistant Director of Housing Management, and David Gray, Head of Repairs, answered members’ queries. Mr Hibberd told members that, despite confusing reports in the local media, there had in fact been no change in policy. Contrary to media reports, there was also no crisis in terms of the repairs budget. Of the £31 million annual budget, some £11.4 million had been spent to date, with a further £5.7 million committed. This meant that approximately £13.9 million remained to be spent on in-year repair work., made up of £9 million capital and £4.9 million revenue.

31.3    Mr Hibberd stated that there had been some changes made to introduce improved budget management controls. These changes were made to improve the balance between responsive repairs and the capital programme, both to meet good practice recommended by the Audit Commission and to prepare the 3-year capital programme for the new Mears contract. In addition, the improved budget management controls will help to manage some budget pressures that have been identified in both the responsive repairs and voids budgets. This change has resulted in some non priority works being incorporated into the council’s Planned Maintenance programme rather than being dealt with as responsive repairs, in line with best practice. However, all Health & Safety repairs and all works covered by Right To Repair continue to be carried out in accordance with the timescales detailed in the Tenant’s Handbook.

31.4    Mr Gray told members that no Health & Safety repairs had been ‘put off’ until the next financial year, other than those non-priority repairs falling outside the council’s Right To Repair obligations which had been assigned to the Planned Maintenance programme.

31.5    The Chair expressed concern that ward Councillors had not been appraised of changes to the repairs regime. Mr Hibberd apologised if Councillors had not received all the information they required, but reiterated that there had been no significant change of policy to communicate, but rather an inaccurate media report which had created unnecessary anxiety. Mr Hibberd offered to write to all Councillors setting out the true position with regard to repairs.

31.6    The Chair thanked Mr Hibberd for his offer, and members agreed that this issue should be considered for inclusion in the committee’s work programme, but should not, at this time, be advanced via an ad hoc panel.