Issue - meetings

Minute 520 refers

RESOLVED – that (A) the comments of the Community Scrutiny Committee be received: and

(B)   the Tenancy Strategy as now submitted, be adopted.

The Executive Member for Health, Housing and Community Support submitted a report setting out a proposed Tenancy Strategy, as now required by the Localism Act.  She detailed the new duties placed on local authorities and advised that although registered housing providers would have their own tenancy strategies, they were required to “have regard” to the Council’s. 

The Executive Member also detailed the stakeholder consultation that had been undertaken and reported that no adverse comments had been received.  The Community Scrutiny Committee, at its meeting held on 20 November 2012, had supported the proposed Strategy.

The Executive supported the recommendations as now detailed.

RECOMMENDED – that (A) the comments of the Community Scrutiny Committee be received: and

(B)      the Tenancy Strategy as now submitted, be adopted.

The Executive Member for Health, Housing and Community Support submitted a report on the Council’s first draft Strategic Tenancy Strategy, the detail of which was set out in Essential Reference Paper “B” of the report now submitted.  The Manager for Housing Services explained the difficulty in co-ordinating with 10 – 12 other registered providers each developing their own Tenancy Policies to manage their tenancies to dovetail with the Council.

Councillor R Beeching queried the rent level of affordable rents.  The Manager for Housing Services stated that the new affordable rents being implemented by registered providers were set at 80% of local market rents and that registered providers of housing were obliged to “plough back” a percentage of the additional rent into new developments.  However, this did not need to be within this District.  This was managed by the Homes and Communities Agency who had contracts with the registered providers to build additional affordable homes.

Members reviewed the draft Tenancy Strategy and agreed that the document be circulated for consultation with stakeholders and that their comments be included within the Strategy, for approval by the Executive.

RESOLVED – that (A) the draft Tenancy Strategy be agreed and circulated for the purpose of consultation with stakeholders; and

(B)      comments from stakeholders be incorporated within the Draft Tenancy Strategy submitted for approval by the Executive.