Issue - meetings

Housing and Property Compliance Update (Housing Revenue Account)

This report provides performance information setting out how the council meets its responsibilities in ensuring that all council housing within the Housing Revenue Account is managed in a way that meets compliance with current health and safety legislation, best practice and regulatory standards to ensure the health and safety of residents. It also sets out issues concerning compliance and demonstrates how these are being managed.

The report also provides details of the annual self-assessment carried out against the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.

Over the last 12 months significant progress has been made in aligning approach to compliance specifically around gas and electrical safety which is now all driven from a single system with the work undertaken by the councils in house team of engineers.

The Housing Quality Network, (HQN) will shortly be undertaking an independent inspection of our services in line with the Consumer Standards which will help to support areas of improvement and provide wider assurance in areas where enhancements to the service have been made.

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED that: -

(a) Cabinet noted the compliance information provided which details how the council is performing against statutory building compliance relating to its council housing;

(b) Cabinet agreed to continue to receive annual performance reporting on Compliance, Complaints Performance and Service Improvement; and

(c) Cabinet agreed that the recommendations into the review of the Housing Ombudsman Case are overseen by the BCP Homes Advisory Board and a further update provided to Cabinet.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Housing and Regulatory Services

Reason

The council, as a landlord, has many legal obligations it must satisfy to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its tenants and leaseholders. It must also adhere to the regulatory standards as set out by the Regulator of Social Housing, particularly the Safety and Quality Standard.

Councillors should also have oversight and assurance of compliance against the legal and regulatory requirements that are placed upon it through this annual report to Cabinet.

Minutes:

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Regulatory Services presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'C' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that the report provided performance information setting out how the council meets its responsibilities in ensuring that all council housing within the Housing Revenue Account is managed in a way that meets compliance with current health and safety legislation, best practice and regulatory standards to ensure the health and safety of residents. It also sets out issues concerning compliance and demonstrates how these are being managed.

Cabinet was informed that the report also provided details of the annual self-assessment carried out against the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code, and that over the last 12 months significant progress had been made in aligning approach to compliance specifically around gas and electrical safety which is now all driven from a single system with the work undertaken by the councils in house team of engineers.

Further to this Cabinet was advised that the Housing Quality Network, (HQN) will shortly be undertaking an independent inspection of our services in line with the Consumer Standards which will help to support areas of improvement and provide wider assurance in areas where enhancements to the service have been made.