Issue - meetings

Exempt recommendation from the meeting of the Cabinet Housing Panel on 16 April 2018 on procurement options for the future delivery of Disabled Facilities Grants.

The Cabinet agreed the option for delivering the service to include it in the current Gracelands Contract for Council stock adaptations.

Exempt recommendation from the meeting of the Cabinet Housing Panel on 16 April 2018 on procurement options for the future delivery of Disabled Facilities Grants.

(1)        The Decision Taken

RESOLVED:

That Option 3 in the exempt report of the Corporate Director (Housing and Communities) to the meeting of the Cabinet Housing Panel on 16 April 2018 to become part of the current contract for the Council’s own stock provided by Gracelands initially for a one year period be agreed to allow for this and the County project to be evaluated and a report bought back to Members.

(2)        Reasons for the Decision

The Council had a statutory obligation to provide disabled adaptations to occupiers of private sector housing, subject to a financial means test and following an assessment by an Occupational Therapist. The grants could fund adaptations such as level access showers, external access ramps and stairlifts. The provider would need to undertake the eligibility assessments and assist in making the application to the Council as well as the construction work.

The service was currently being undertaken by Mears Limited, against a contract which expired in September 2018, with no further extensions to the contract available.

The following different options for delivering the service had been considered:

(1)          Bring the service in house

(2)          Retender the service as currently delivered

(3)          Include the service in the current Gracelands Contract (for Council stock adaptations)

(4)          Join the Hertfordshire County Council consortium which was launched in October 2016.

Recommendation from the meeting of the Cabinet Housing Panel on 5 March 2018 on adoption of the policy and procedure for calculating the level of financial penalty as an alternative to prosecution for certain specified offences.

Recommendation from the meeting of the Cabinet Housing Panel on 5 March 2018 on adoption of the policy and procedure for calculating the level of financial penalty as an alternative to prosecution for certain specified offences (Minute 56 refers).

(1)        The Decision Taken

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet Housing Panel recommendation that the policy and procedure for calculating the level of financial penalty in respect of enforcement powers for private sector housing be adopted.

(2)        Reasons for the Decision

The Housing and Planning Act 2016 introduced the ability for the Council to issue civil penalties of up to a maximum of £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution for certain offences relating to rented homes.

The Private Landlords Forum was consulted on the proposed policy which set out how the Council intended to use the new powers and also a framework for calculating an appropriate penalty level. The response rate was very low – 8 responses from 400 consultees. Generally the landlords who did respond did not agree with the new power, but they did not have any objection to the Council’s policy approach.

The new power provided another tool that the Council would use, where appropriate, to tackle illegal practices by a minority of poor landlords.