Agenda item

The Cabinet considered a recommendation from the meeting of the Cabinet Housing Panel on 22 January 2018 on approval of a revised policy and procedure.

This item was brought back to the Cabinet after the decision to approve the policy was deferred at the Special Council meeting on 21 February 2018 (Minute 59.2 refers). The decision was deferred pending clarification on whether any future changes to procedures in relation to this policy would need to be referred back to the Cabinet Housing Panel for approval.

The nature of the decision which the Cabinet was being asked to make in respect of this Policy, prior to the policy being re-presented to the Council for approval was clarified.

The Cabinet Housing Panel had considered an update of the Council’s Tenancy Policy which included the removal of references to the Housing Trust and also aligned the policy with the Tenancy Strategy which was published in 2013.

The previous tenancy policy had been approved in April 2012 by the Housing Trust’s Board.

The Council had been granting five year flexible term tenancies since November 2013 and the review process for these had been due to commence in November 2017.  Now that this process was about to commence on current tenancies, the functional details of the review process had been identified, including reporting, and had been updated in a new, separate, procedural document to provide better guidance for staff who would be carrying out the reviews.

There were no changes in the updated policy to the grounds for refusing to renew a flexible tenancy at the end of the five year term.  These were the same as already approved in April 2012.

The legally mandated procedural guidance for tenants who wished to seek a review of a decision not to renew a flexible tenancy was now also in a separate document that could be issued to tenants separately on request.

The changes made to the original Tenancy Policy, dated April 2012 were identified.

It was agreed that any future amendments to the flexible tenancy review procedure made in line with any future legal changes or changes in procedure should be brought back to the Cabinet Housing Panel. 

Following discussion the Panel had agreed that further information on financial assessment, including trigger points relating to income levels, savings, investments or equity be brought to a future meeting of the Panel.

It was moved by Councillor M.Perkins and seconded by Councillor J.Dean that the Cabinet recommendation be approved.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 93 five Members demanded, by standing up, that the vote on this item be recorded.

RESOLVED:

(23 voting FOR and 19 AGAINST)

That the revised Tenancy policy be adopted.

(Voting FOR: D.Bell, D.Bennett, J.Boulton, S.Boulton, H.Bower, H.Bromley, N.Chapman, J.Cragg, J.Dean, B.Fitzsimon, C.Gillett, S.Glick, K.Holman, T.Kingsbury, P.Mabbott, S.Markiewicz, G.Michaelides, T.Mitchinson, N.Pace, M.Perkins, B.Sarson, F.Thomson, R.Trigg

Voting AGAINST: H.Beckett, L.Brandon, J.Broach, A.Chesterman, L.Chesterman, M.Cook, M.Cowan, S.Elam, J.Fitzpatrick, G.Hayes, M.Holloway, M.Larkins, T.Lyons, H.Quenet, S.Roberts, P.Shah, K.Thorpe, J.Weston, P.Zukowskyj)