Issue - meetings

Housing Investment Programme

Meeting: 23/01/2020 - Full Council (Item 57)

57 Housing Investment Programme pdf icon PDF 907 KB

Recommended - that an extension to the Nuplace Loan Facilities Agreement of £5.0m be approved, the rate and terms to be delegated for approval to the Councils s151 officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Council Finance & Service Delivery

Minutes:

Councillor D Wright, Cabinet Member: Housing, Transport and Infrastructure, presented the report of the Director: Finance & HR.

 

RESOLVED - that that an extension to the Nuplace Loan Facilities Agreement of £5.0m be approved, the rate and terms to be delegated for approval to the Councils s151 officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Council Finance & Service Delivery.

 

 


Meeting: 02/01/2020 - Cabinet (Item 34)

34 Housing Investment Programme Update pdf icon PDF 907 KB

Cllr D Wright

Cllr L D Carter

Minutes:

Key Decision identified as Housing Investment Programme in the Notice of Key Decisions published on 4 December 2019.

 

Recommendation for Full Council – Not Subject to Call-In

 

Councillor D Wright, Cabinet Member for Housing, Transport and Infrastructure presented the report of the Assistant Director: Finance & Human Resources, which focussed on Nuplace Limited, the Council’s wholly owned housing company, and provided an update on achievements over the last year, and committed developments. 

 

Nuplace’s growing housing portfolio provided a range of homes across the Borough with houses available within North and South of Telford, including affordable homes in Newport. Circa 800 people were now living in Nuplace properties across seven sites.  Lettings across the portfolio remaining strong, with voids for the financial year 2018/19 contained at 2.42%, below the Business Case assumption of 5%.  The tenant testimonials set out in the report reflected that the programme was achieving one of its strategic aims of raising the standard of rental provision in the Borough, both in terms of the quality of the rental homes and the quality of the landlord service. 

 

The programme had also resulted in over 23 acres of brownfield land being regenerated, delivered added value in terms of local employment, apprenticeships, supply chain development and the delivery of a range of community projects.  The Council also benefit from Council Tax and New Homes Bonus as appropriate on the housing stock delivered. This was estimated to have generated £526k since 2016/17, rising to £700k in 2019/20.

 

Members welcomed the report, and expressed pride in the programme and the provision for local people, particularly noting other authorities were seeking to replicate the scheme.

 

In response to questions regarding the levels of affordable housing, Councillor Wright noted ambitions to increase the level of affordable units in future. 

 

RESOLVED – that

 

(a)       progress made in the delivery of the Housing Investment Programme be noted;

 

(b)       the financial performance for the year 2018/19 and the impact of Nuplace’s operations on the Council’s budget position be noted; and

 

(c)       the approval of an extension to the Nuplace Loan Facilities Agreement of £5.0m, the rate and terms to be delegated for approval to the Councils s151 officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Council Finance & Service Delivery be RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL