Issue - meetings

This annual report provides information on 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 highlights any challenges there are in achieving compliance and what remedial action is being taken. This year, there have been some serious challenges in achieving compliance.

Social distancing measures introduced because of the Covid-19 pandemic have made it more difficult to carry out gas and electrical safety tests in tenants’ homes.

There are some risks identified in the detail of the report across both neighbourhoods along with details of how the teams are working to mitigate and address these.

Despite the challenges presented by Covid-19, compliance within both the Bournemouth and Poole neighbourhoods has been successfully maintained overall and continues to be a high priority.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)          the compliance information provided which details how the Council is performing against statutory building compliance relating to its Council Housing be noted; and

(b)          Future performance be reported annually to Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Homes

Reason

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

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

Cabinet was advised that this annual report provided information on 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. 

Further to this the report highlights any challenges there are in achieving compliance and what remedial action is being taken. This year, there have been some serious challenges in achieving compliance.

Cabinet was informed that social distancing measures introduced because of the Covid-19 pandemic had made it more difficult to carry out gas and electrical safety tests in tenants’ homes, and that there are some risks identified in the detail of the report across both neighbourhoods along with details of how the teams are working to mitigate and address these.

In addition Cabinet was advised that despite the challenges presented by Covid-19, compliance within both the Bournemouth and Poole neighbourhoods had been successfully maintained overall and continued to be a high priority.

Thanks were expressed to Officers for their hard work in what has been a difficult time for residents.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)          the compliance information provided which details how the Council is performing against statutory building compliance relating to its Council Housing be noted; and

(b)          Future performance be reported annually to Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Homes