Agenda item - Chairs Communications

3.1     The Chair stated the following:

          “As we move ahead into the summer, I have been very pleased with the progress we are making on our new homes programme. I was pleased to attend the official opening of Kite and Brook Mead, our excellent extra care scheme, and hear first-hand from the residents what a real difference it has made to their lives. I was also pleased to visit our new schemes at Stonehurst Court and Normanhurst, both schemes finished to a high standard. I was also pleased to hear about our proposals for new homes at Swallow Court, Evelyn Court and Woods House to make the best use of currently underused space through our hidden homes programme,

Although we have had a slow start, I am pleased that we have completed the purchase on our first buy back of council housing, are nearing completion on our second and have 5 further purchases in the pipeline. This will bring much needed accommodation back into council ownership.

This, in addition to another year of improved performance of bringing empty homes back into use means that we are increasing supply in many different ways.

I am also pleased to report the excellent work we are doing to enable people to live independently in their own home through our adaptations programme.  The team completed 228 major adaptations to council homes last year, increasing from 183 in the previous year and we have invested over £1 million helping people to live independently in their own home.

I am pleased to be working in cross party groups on the new arrangements for the delivery of council housing repairs and major works and the review of our allocations policy and I look forward to this work continuing and providing reports to this committee in the coming months.”