Agenda item - Housing Budget Report

Martin Reid (Assistant Director, Housing Management)

14:20 – 25 Minutes

              4    HOUSING BUDGET REPORT

4.1 Martin Reid (Assistant Director, Housing Management) briefed the panel and the attendees on the Housing Budget Report for F/Y 24/25 as per the agenda item. This was an overview of the income and expenditure of the housing budget, a ringfenced fund, including the additional spend due to the extra week in the year.

4.2 Barney Miller asked a question regarding passive lighting on buildings and enquired as to whether or not the funding of their electricity bills was included in tenants rent or came from the ringfenced fund.

4.3 Martin Reid confirmed that they were currently funded through a mixed formula of both funding streams although this was being looked at with consideration being given to changing the funding system for common area electricity usage in the future.

4.4 Sam Warren asked Martin Reid to confirm and advise on the nature of ‘disrepair costs’, the risks posed by them and how they were being mitigated. Martin Reid moved to Geof Gage for a more in-depth brief which was then provided in detail to the panel and attendees including the commercial context behind the disrepair cost claims.

4.5 Several residents raised concerns over the communicated £70 million deficit that was being ran by B&HCC and whether or not this would impact on the housing budget. Martin Reid clarified that the housing revenue account was ringfenced outside of the general fund budget and would not be affected by any financial or spending implications related to the deficit of the authority.

4.6 Residents additionally raised concerns regarding the differences in contributions towards the HRA from those in social housing and those who were leaseholders, as well as raising concerns regarding examples of private litigation following a disagreement (examples were given both in the authority and in other authorities).

4.7 Martin Reid reassured the residents that the allocation of maintenance contributions and other charges would be an open process including residents and also reassured them that the authority was bound by legislation to make this an impartial process. The director went on to reassure residents that the best option for them was to contact the authority directly with regards to any issues rather than pursue private litigation which could come at personal expense.

4.8 Martin Reid went on to brief the panel and those in attendance of the individual funding pipelines in the capital expenditure programme. A figure of around 300 properties that could be categorised as new supply was given, and the Chair asked in what period of time had these new properties been brought into the housing stock. Martin Reid informed the chair that the 300 new supply homes figure was over a four-year period.

4.9 Barney Miller asked the director if the information was commercially sensitive or if the interest rates on loans taken against future rental income to invest in new supply could be divulged. The director confirmed that it was not commercially sensitive, and that the information could be provided.

4.10 The Chair thanked the director for their contribution and moved to the next agenda item.