Issue - items at meetings - Update on Brighton & Hove Seaside Community Homes Batching and Refurbishments

32.1         The Chair and Mr Crowhurst left the room prior to the presentation of this item.

32.2         The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Executive Director – Environment, Development & Housing which provided an update on Brighton & Hove Seaside Community Homes batching and refurbishment. The report was presented by Mr Ben’Okagbue, Head of Property and Investment (Housing). The report set out the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) position with regards to the batching of dwellings for lease to Brighton & Hove Seaside Community Homes (BHSCH) in Batch 8, and provided an update on the progress of current refurbishment of BHSCH properties. The report set out the proposals for bringing forward one of the batches from May 2014 to March 2014.

32.3         Councillor Peltzer Dunn thanked officers for the report, and said that it made sense to transfer properties as soon as possible.

32.4    Councillor Mears asked for clarity that officers had delegated powers to approve the variation to the contract. Ms L Woodley, solicitor confirmed that they did. The solicitor said that the deal had originally been agreed by a Special Cabinet meeting on 16^th September 2011. The Special Cabinet authorised the Strategic Director of Place, the Chief Executive and the Director of Finance, after consulting the Deputy Leader (Executive) and Cabinet Members for Housing and Finance to:

(a) Settle any outstanding or new issues that may arise during negotiations,

(b) Settle the terms of the required suite of documents with Brighton & Hove Seaside Community Homes Limited and the Funders,

(c) Decide on the properties to be leased to the company; and

(d) Take all steps necessary or incidental to completion and/or implementation of the overall transaction.

The Head of Law was authorised to draft, finalise and execute all documents necessary to completion and/or implementation of the overall transaction. The deal as completed a week later recognised that batches could be brought forward with the agreement of the parties (BHCC, Seaside and Santander) and if Batch 8 was to come on stream earlier it would not trigger a Deed of Variation. Provided that the Strategic Director of Place, the Chief Executive and the Director of Finance were happy to exercise their delegated authority, there would be no need for a further committee report.

32.5    Councillor Peltzer Dunn asked whether a further report on this matter would come to the next Housing Committee meeting for a decision. The solicitor said that would not be necessary as there was no decision to be made as officers had delegated powers on this matter.

32.6    RESOLVED – That the report be noted.