Agenda for Cabinet Housing Panel on Monday 11th March 2019, 7.30 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Council Offices, The Campus, Welwyn Garden City, Herts, AL8 6AE

Contact: Marie Lowe 

Items
No. Item

67.

APOLOGY

Minutes:

An apology for absence was received from the Independent Representative, R.Paris.

68.

MINUTES

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 16 January 2019 (previously circulated).

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting held on 16 January 2019 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

69.

ACTIONS UPDATE pdf icon PDF 51 KB

Report of the Corporate Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) which lists the actions from previous meetings and their current status.

Minutes:

The status of actions agreed at the Panel meeting on 16 January 2019 in the report of the Corporate Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) was noted.

70.

NOTIFICATION OF URGENT BUSINESS TO BE CONSIDERED UNDER ITEM 15

Minutes:

The Chairman advised the Committee that item 8 on the agenda - Presentation on the Asset Appraisal Project and Update on Land Opportunities in the Borough would be considered under item 16 – Exclusion of the Press and Public.

 

The Committee noted that Part 4, of the Council’s Constitution – Access to Information Procedure Rules – paragraph 10 - Exempt Information – Discretion to Exclude Public.

 

‘The public may be excluded from meetings whenever it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that exempt information would be disclosed and the public interest is judged to be that the exemption from disclosure should be maintained.

 

The categories of exempt information which applies in this case are paragraphs 1 and 5 for the reasons set out below.

 

1.         Information relating to any individual.

 

5.         Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That item 8 on the agenda - Presentation on the Asset Appraisal Project and Update on Land Opportunities in the Borough would be considered under item 16 – Exclusion of the Press and Public be considered in private for the reasons set out above.

71.

PRESENTATION ON THE ASSET APPRAISAL PROJECT AND UPDATE ON LAND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE BOROUGH

Presentation from Colin Farrell of FFT on the recent Asset Appraisal project and an update from the Head of Property Services on land opportunities identified through the Spot the Plot initiative.

Minutes:

The presentation from Colin Farrell of Faithorn, Farrell and Timms (FFT) on the recent Asset Appraisal project and update from the Head of Property Services on land opportunities identified through the Spot the Plot initiative was taken at Item 16 - Exclusion of the Press and Public.

72.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING DELIVERY - REVIEW OF STRATEGIC APPROACH - UPDATE ON THE HOUSING COMPANY

Presentation from the Corporate Director (Housing And Communities) on the Council’s Affordable Housing Delivery, Review Of Strategic Approach and an update on the Housing Company.

Minutes:

The Committee received a presentation from the Corporate Director (Housing and Communities) on the Council’s Affordable Housing Delivery, Review of the Strategic Approach and an update on the Housing Company.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the presentation be noted.

73.

PERFORMANCE REPORT FOR HOUSING PERIOD QUARTER THREE - 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 147 KB

Report of the Corporate Director (Housing and Communities) provides a summary of the strategic key performance indicators (KPIs), and comments about performance by exception for Quarter Three.  The KPIs are monitored monthly by Heads of Service.

Minutes:

Report of the Corporate Director (Housing and Communities) provided a summary of the strategic Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and comments about performance by exception for Quarter Three.  The KPIs were monitored monthly by Heads of Service.

 

RESOLVED:

 

(1)     That the report be noted.

 

(2)     That Members of the Panel be advised of the number of families with children in temporary accommodation.

74.

UPDATE ON HOUSING AWARDS SHORTLISTING IN THE CATEGORY OF EXCELLENCE IN TENANT COMMUNICATION AT THE 2019 TENANT PARTICIPATION ADVISORY SERVICE (TPAS) AWARDS

Following the Neighbourhood and Enforcement Team’s nomination for a national award as finalists in the category of Excellence In Tenant Communication at the 2019 Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS ) awards an animated video, called ‘Everything And All That’ illustrating the impact of engagement work for tenants and residents will be shown.

Minutes:

Members viewed an animated video called ‘Everything And All That’ illustrating the impact of engagement work for tenants and residents.  The video was as a resulted from the Neighbourhood and Enforcement Team’s nomination for a national award as finalists in the category of Excellence In Tenant Communication at the 2019 Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS ) awards, will be shown.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the video be noted and the Neighbourhood and Enforcement Team be congratulated for its nomination to such a prestigious award.

75.

QUEENSWAY HOUSE UPDATE

The Head of Property Services will provide a brief verbal update on Queensway House.

Minutes:

The Head of Property Services provided Members with a brief verbal update on Queensway House.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the report be noted.

76.

ACCESSING THE PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR TO ALLEVIATE HOMELESSNESS pdf icon PDF 93 KB

Report of the Corporate Director (Housing and Communities) provides an update on the work being undertaken to access the private rented sector to alleviate homelessness in the Borough.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report of the Corporate Director (Housing and Communities) provided an update on the work being undertaken to access the private rented sector to alleviate homelessness in the Borough.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the report be noted.

77.

WORK PROGRAMME 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 61 KB

The pro-forma which sets out the Panel’s work programme has been updated since the last meeting to enable forward planning of items to be considered to take place.

Minutes:

The pro-forma setting out the Panel’s work programme had been updated since the last meeting to enable forward planning of items to be considered to take place.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the updated and amended work programme be noted.

78.

EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC

The Panel is asked to resolve:

 

That under Section 100(A)(2) and (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be now excluded from the meeting for item 17 (if any) on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of confidential or exempt information as defined in Section 100A(3) and Paragraph 4 (consultations or negotiations relating to labour relations) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the said Act (as amended).

 

In resolving to exclude the public in respect of the exempt information, it is considered that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Minutes:

RESOLVED:

 

That under Section 100(A)(2) and (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be now excluded from the meeting for item 16 (Minute 78 refers) on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of confidential or exempt information as defined in Section 100(A)(3) and Paragraphs 2 (Information likely to reveal the identity of an individual), and 5 (Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the said Act (as amended).

 

In resolving to exclude the public in respect of the exempt information, it is considered that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

79.

PRESENTATION ON THE ASSET APPRAISAL PROJECT AND UPDATE ON LAND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE BOROUGH

Minutes:

The Committee received a presentation from Colin Farrell of Faithorn Farrell Timms LLP (FFT) on the recent Asset Appraisal project and an update from the Head of Property Services on land opportunities identified through the Spot the Plot initiative.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the report be noted.