North Lincolnshire Council - Housing and Neighbourhood Services Cabinet Member - Minutes

The following items were considered by the Community Scrutiny Panel at its meeting on 4 May 2004. The Cabinet Members received and considered the Panel's recommendations.

79 (78) NEIGHBOURHOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES - SERVICE PLAN 2004/2005 - The Head of Neighbourhood and Environmental Services submitted a report together with a Service Plan for 2004/2005 for Neighbourhood and Environmental Services.

The plan was one of 14 Service Plans that had been prepared to correspond to the new organisational structure following shaping of the council. These plans set out the main roles, developments and performance criteria for the relevant service. Each plan had been structured to reflect the council's commitment to a balanced scorecard for its performance management. The scorecard was already being used by the cabinet for its performance management. The scorecard consisted of 26 aims under the broad headings of customers, communities, governance, culture and value for money.

The plan demonstrated the important role Neighbourhood and Environmental Services played in supporting the council's strategic aims and priorities.

Resolved - That the Neighbourhood and Environmental Services service plan 2004/2005 be approved.

80 (79) HOUSING SERVICES SERVICE PLAN 2004/2005 - The Head of Public Sector Housing submitted a report together with a service plan for 2004/2005 for Housing Services.

The service plan was set within the framework of -

the council's Community Strategy
the council's priorities

The Community Strategy set out a 10 year vision and action plan for improving the economic, social and environmental well-being of the area.

The council's own priorities were designed to take forward several aspects of the Community Strategy, as well as setting the agenda for its own activities. The priorities provided the focus on areas where the council intended to make a difference, and where it intended to make additional investment.

The service plan identified how the programme for the coming year contributed to meeting the objectives of the Community Strategy and the council priorities.

Appendix 1 to the report detailed the activities to deliver the outcomes of the Recovery and Continuous Improvement Programme for the service over the coming year.

Resolved - That the Housing Services service plan 2004/2005 be approved.

81 (80) HOUSING RENEWAL GRANTS DETERMINATION 2004 - The Head of Neighbourhood and Environmental Services submitted a report regarding the Housing Grants Renewal Determination 2004, and seeking approval to take up the maximum amount of subsidy available to the council for disabled facilities grants.

The council had a legal duty to provide certain adaptations to enable disabled people to live in their own homes. Applications for such grants were means tested.

The government provided a subsidy of 60% towards disabled facilities grants (DFGs), up to a maximum amount set for each council.

When the council's budget was set on 23 February 2004 the level of subsidy available for DFGs was estimated to be £360,000. When the government issued the Housing Grants Determination 2004 the actual amount of subsidy available was £480,000, 33% higher than anticipated.

In order for the council to use all the subsidy £320,000 match funding had to be found. This required a further £80,000 of capital to be found for DFGs over and above that set in the council's capital and revenue estimates for 2004/2005. This could be provided by transferring £80,000 from the funds allocated for renovation grants. This would make the maximum use of the available government funding and allow a significant increase in the number of applicants who would receive assistance.

Resolved - (a) That approval be given to the transfer of £80,000 from renovation grants to disabled facilities grants to enable the maximum amount of government subsidy to be obtained, and (b) that the Corporate Services Cabinet Member be requested to approve the necessary virement.

82 (81) EASEMENT TO YORKSHIRE ELECTRICITY - The Head of Public Sector Housing and the Head of Property Services submitted a joint report seeking the granting of an easement across land between 15 and 17 Windsor Lane, Crowle to allow access to an electricity sub-station and create an agreement for existing underground cables.

Yorkshire Electricity had an existing electricity sub-station on private land to the rear of 17 Windsor Lane. They had underground electricity cables running through council land.

Yorkshire Electricity did not have a right of access to the sub-station over the council's land or any agreement with the council for the underground cables.

Further information was set out in the report together with a location plan.

Resolved - That approval be given for the easement on terms to be agreed by the Head of Property Services.

83 (82) RECOGNITION OF RESIDENTS ASSOCIATIONS - Warley Road, Scunthorpe Area Residents Association - The Head of Public Sector Housing submitted a report seeking recognition of the Warley Road, Scunthorpe Area Residents' Association, and for the Association to be invited to join the Residents' Forum.

Appended to the report was a copy of the Association's constitution which was in accordance with the council’s guidelines for associations.

The association had been successful in generating positive community interest in their estate regarding tenant participation opportunities.

Resolved – That the Warley Road, Scunthorpe Area Residents' Association be officially recognised by the council and be invited to join the Residents' Forum.

84 (83) Hillside, Scunthorpe Area Residents Association - The Head of Public Sector Housing submitted a report seeking recognition of the Hillside, Scunthorpe Area Residents' Association, and for the Association to be invited to join the Residents' Forum.

Appended to the report was a copy of the Association's constitution which was in accordance with the council’s guidelines for associations.

The association had been successful in generating positive community interest in their estate regarding tenant participation opportunities.

Resolved – That the Hillside, Scunthorpe Area Residents' Association be officially recognised by the council and be invited to join the Residents' Forum.

85 (84) Greenfields and Goxhill Area Residents Association - The Head of Public Sector Housing submitted a report seeking recognition of the Greenfields and Goxhill Area Residents' Association, and for the Association to be invited to join the Residents' Forum.

Appended to the report was a copy of the Association's constitution which was in accordance with the council’s guidelines for associations.

The association had been successful in generating positive community interest in their estate regarding tenant participation opportunities.

Resolved – That the Greenfields and Goxhill Area Residents' Association be officially recognised by the council and be invited to join the Residents' Forum.

86 (85) STOCK OPTIONS PROJECT PLAN - The Head of Public Sector Housing submitted a report informing the cabinet member of the timetable for the stock options evaluation, and outlining specific actions required to be taken.

The report gave details of work undertaken to date to inform the decision on the option that would deliver the investment required in the housing stock to create the accommodation that tenants of North Lincolnshire aspired to.

Work to date had seen the completion of a stock condition survey and the appointment of an Independent Tenant Adviser to raise tenants awareness of available options.

Work had also commenced on assessing the options that were available to the council to address the various investment needs. The following groups had also been established in accordance with government guidelines with distinct objectives -

Stock Options Working Group
Stock Options Key Stakeholder Group
Tenants Panel

To ensure all options were fully explored, the Stock Options Working Group had identified the need to assess whether the option of the Group Transfer to an existing social landlord was viable. This required engaging (with the assistance of Government Office and the Housing Corporation) with potential partners to assess whether there was interest in a group transfer, and assessing the benefits that such arrangements would create, for example lower set up costs and economies of scale.

Attached at appendix 2 was an outline of a process that could be applied to assess this option to ensure that it could be considered realistically against all other options.

Resolved - (a) That the project plan be noted, and (b) that the work outlined to ensure that all options can be fully considered be endorsed.

87 (86) TENANT EMPOWERMENT STRATEGY/COMMUNICATION STRATEGY AND WORK PLAN - The Head of Public Sector Housing submitted a report seeking endorsement of a Communications Strategy and Tenant Empowerment Strategy.

As part of the Stock Option Appraisal process councils were required to have clear plans and strategies for tenant empowerment and communication.

The Tenant Empowerment Strategy, appended to the report, had been developed for the tenants of North Lincolnshire. It outlined actions that were taken to ensure that tenants and leaseholders fully understood the issues around option appraisal and how they could be involved in the decision making process.

The Communications Strategy, also appended to the report, provided a broad framework for communication for the service to ensure that all stakeholders were involved and could contribute to the shared goals and objectives. It provided the broad framework for the Tenant Empowerment Strategy.

Both strategies would be assessed by the Community Housing Task Force (CHTF) which was overseeing the stock options process. The CHTF would also require to see and witness evidence that both strategies had been applied in their assessment of the option appraisal process.

Resolved - That the Communications Strategy and Tenant Empowerment Strategy be endorsed.

88 (87) HIBALDSTOW TYRES - PROGRESS REPORT - Further to minute 235 of Cabinet of 12 June 2003 the Head of Neighbourhood and Environmental Services submitted a report informing the cabinet member of progress regarding the intended removal of the waste tyre stockpile on Hibaldstow airfield, and discussing the future use of the reclaimed airfield.

Work on site to clear and recycle the tyres was expected to take up to 10 weeks.

The acquisition of the cleared site by the council created an opportunity to explore potential beneficial end uses. One suggestion, which was subject to further discussion, was the recovery of the aggregates that comprised the four acre runway and the creation, in its place, of a community woodland to be managed by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

Resolved - (a) That the successful outcome of the Hibaldstow tyre project be noted and welcomed; (b) that the ongoing negotiations to secure a controlling interest in the site, subject to the successful and prior removal of the accumulated tyres, proceed as planned; (c) that the relevant ward members, the affected town and parish councils and other stakeholders be advised of the forthcoming clearance operations, and (d) that consideration be given to the future use of the site for community benefit and that the proposal set out in paragraph 2.7 of the report be explored further.

The following items contain exempt information as defined in paragraphs 3 and 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

89 (88) VARIATION TO RIGHT OF WAY - REAR OF NORTHFIELD PLACE, CROWLE - The Head of Public Sector Housing and the Head of Property Services submitted a joint report seeking approval to allow a variation to an existing right of way, and to grant a right of way allowing access to a third residential development plot.