Agenda item

Report of Cabinet Member for Housing and Customer Services

The Leader introduced the report, on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Housing and Customer Services, and began by reminding Members of the pledge to place the voice of tenants and leaseholders at the heart of housing services, following the winding-up of CBH, both meeting the requirements of the regulator and giving them oversight of and influence over the services they receive.  The paper sets out proposals for effective and robust governance arrangements, to take effect from 01 July, allowing residents to play an essential part in shaping CBC’s housing service.

She said the structure seeks to ensure effective engagement with tenants, leaseholders and shared ownership owners, as well as providing Members with the required level of oversight.  The detail is set out in the report, but in summary includes the establishment of a new Housing Cabinet Committee, comprising five elected Members (including the Cabinet Member for Housing and Customer Services), two tenant representatives, one leaseholder representative and one shared ownership representative.   The Committee will monitor performance, delivery, and the impacts of investment, receive and consider complaints, have oversight of the risk register, and provide strong and effective connectivity between the council and the Tenant Panel.

To reflect the need of the council to hear tenants’ voices, through tenant involvement and engagement, a Tenant Panel and a separate Leaseholder/Shared Ownership Panel will be established, to create space where tenants and leaseholders can act as scrutineers and critical friends, working with the council as it develops its plans, priorities and principles. 

She said CBH currently operates a successful Tenant Scrutiny Panel (TSIP) which the council will build on and develop further to ensure strong links are forged between tenants and the Housing Cabinet Committee. She is pleased to note that the current TSIP members are keen to continue their work under the newly-named Tenant Panel, and the newly-created Leaseholder/Shared Ownership Panel will facilitate high-level engagement and enable the council to address some of the issues raised by leaseholders in the recent consultation.

She ended by saying that this is a major step forward in the transition journey which she hoped Members would support. 

The Cabinet Member for Major Development and Housing said that good governance is needed to protect and improve services for our residents.  Listening to tenants’ views via TSIP is essential; he is very pleased we have reached this point and thanked all involved for the hours of work involved in getting us here.

The Cabinet Member for Safety and Communities said that the consultation undertaken when she was Cabinet Member for Housing had a great response rate, and hoped that all those who took the trouble to respond will be pleased to note that the council has listened and is introducing a new governance formant to give them a greater voice.  She understands that the challenges are requirements of tenants are quite different from those of leaseholders and shared ownership residents, and it is good that they all have a platform.  This is a positive move and a great step forward.  

RESOLVED that:

1.    the governance arrangements, including tenant panel and leaseholder/shared ownership panel are approved;

2.    the Housing Cabinet Committee as set out in the terms of reference at Appendix 4 is established;

3.    arrangements for tenant representatives on the Housing Cabinet Committee as set out in Paragraph 5.4 of this report are agreed;

4.    the appointment of leaseholders and shared ownership owners to the Housing Cabinet Committee and Leaseholder/Shared Ownership Panel is delegated to Cabinet Member for Housing and Customer Services in consultation with the Leader;

5.    the appointments set out in Part 10 of the report are noted;

6.    Council is recommended to delegate the appointment of members to the Housing Cabinet Committee to Group Leaders

7.    Council is recommended to approve the consequential amendments to the constitution to reflect the new governance arrangements