Agenda and minutes

None.

RESOLVED - that the minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2022 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

The Leader commented on the shock felt in the community by the news that Shrewsbury & Telford NHS Trust pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches following the deaths of two residents. The Council’s heart went out to the families of the two men who had died. Urgent action was needed from government to improve the health system in Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire. The Leader called upon MPs in the region to work with the Council to ask the government for the support needed.

The Leader discussed the cost of living crisis, stating that 95% of Telford and Wrekin residents would be receiving some form of cash support. While the £150 support would be small compared to all the increasing costs, the Council had also frozen council tax to help residents. The scale of the challenge was so great that only the government could make a big impact.

The Council was applying to join UK100, a network of local authorities leading climate action. This was a reaffirmation of the Council’s 2030 net zero pledge. Additionally, the Climate Action Investment Fund, the first in the West Midlands, was being launched allowing people to invest directly into the Borough’s green future.

The Deputy Leader presented the report of the Director: Housing, Employment & Infrastructure.

To make best use of homes of all tenures in the area, the report outlined a boroughwide support package for tenants and landlords, updates to licensing standards and conditions, an increase to HMO licence fees, and an extension of the Council’s affordable warmth programme.

There would also be the introduction of a dedicated landlord and tenant coordinator and an inspection programme for supported living providers to support elderly tenants.

Cabinet members welcomed the report, noting the successes the scheme had had to date whilst acknowledging that more work was necessary to tackle persisting problems. Specific points were made in support of the affordable warmth programme and its alignment with the Council’s environmental agenda.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat group welcomed the report, noting the affordable warmth scheme in particular.

The Leader of the Conservative group stated his general backing for improving housing conditions and tackling rogue landlords and congratulated officers on securing government funding for the local housing sector. Greater consultation with landlords was called for.

Upon being put to a vote it was:

RESOLVED – that Cabinet

a)         Notes the continued progress of the Better Homes for All

            Programme.

b)        Approves the closure of the current landlord accreditation scheme, as detailed in section 5.3 of the report.

c)         Approves a new Borough wide package of support for private tenants and landlords, including the introduction of a dedicated landlord tenant coordinator as detailed in section 5.4 of this report. The full package details are contained within Appendix 1.

d)        Approves the Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy 2022 including a revised civil penalty charging matrix and adoption of a number of pieces of legislation to improve standards in the private rented sector, as detailed in section 5.7. The policy is appended to the report as Appendix 2.

e)         Approves a fixed fee structure, in order to ensure consistency, for certain enforcement action taken under Section 49 of the Housing Act 2004 as detailed in section 5.9.5 of the report.         

f)          Approves the revised amenity, space and management standards for HMOs in the Borough as detailed in section 5.12 of this report and Appendix 3

g)        Approves the revised HMO licence conditions to incorporate changes in legislation, including the introduction of minimum room sizes to tackle overcrowding in HMOs as detailed in section 5.13 of this report and Appendix 4

h)        Approves the revised fee structure for Mandatory Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licencing as detailed in section 5.14 of this report.

i)          Delegates authority to the Director for Housing, Employment & Infrastructure in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, Enforcement and Transport to approve any future amendments to any enforcement or HMO licensing fee structures; and the Conditions for Houses in Multiple Occupancy required to be licenced

j)          Notes the energy efficiency measures that will be delivered with £0.5m climate change funding as detailed in section 5.16.3 of this report. 

The Deputy Leader presented the report of the Director: Neighbourhood & Enforcement Services.

Robust enforcement was a key priority for the Council; the report contained an update on the actions of the public protection team in 2021. This included 29 multi-agency exercises, £75,000 of external funding that had been secured to combat fly tipping on private land, around 1,500 school patrols that had been conducted, and solar powered CCTV units that had been installed, amongst other actions.

While there had been a reduction in fly tipping across the Borough there was more work to be done. The CCTV network continued to grow and the Council was looking to expand with vehicles and a mobile enforcement hub.

Members noted the positive impact of effective enforcement activity in improving communities and people’s sense of safety and pride. The Council’s work with the Police and Crime Commissioner was also praised.

The Leader of the Conservative group sought further action to support nighttime safety initiatives such as the street pastors scheme to improve safety around the nighttime economy.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat group noted the important role CCTV cameras played in combatting anti-social behaviour but noted that more of a police presence was needed in communities.

RESOLVED – that Cabinet

a)         Notes enforcement activity undertaken by Public Protection, Neighbourhood Enforcement teams during 2021 to keep residents and businesses safe.

b)        Delegates approval to  the Director of Neighbourhood & Environmental Services in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Enforcement, Community Safety and Customer Services to progress procurement of a mobile enforcement hub and CCTV vehicle.

c)         Approves the priority areas of focus for the year ahead as outlined in the report.

The Deputy Leader presented the report of the Chief Executive.

One the Council’s main priorities was to ensure residents had a good place to live, the Housing Investment Programme was an initiative that aimed to ensure that tenants had good homes with security of tenure.

NuPlace continued to be a success with 96% of tenants saying they would recommend its homes to friends and family. NuPlace offered a secure home for life to residents and provided the Council with an income stream that was reinvested into services for residents.

The scheme had delivered 442 homes to date with a further 442 planned or in delivery. Additionally, it had led to the regeneration of 23 acres of brownfield.  

Members praised the scheme for its high quality offer, offering residents a home for life if they wanted it, as well as for it’s environmental innovation. The Leader of the Council noted in particular the positive responses of tenants to the homes and their support for the programme.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat group praised the positive impact NuPlace had on the Council’s revenue.

The Leader of the Conservative group noted his support for the preservation work that the NuPlace scheme had enabled.

RESOLVED – that Cabinet

a)        Notes progress made in the delivery of the Housing Investment Programme.

b)        Notes financial performance for the year 2021/22 and the impact of Nuplace’s operations on the Council’s budget position.

The Deputy Leader presented the report of the Director: Housing, Employment & Infrastructure.

The housing strategy had three objectives, the report set out how the Council delivered against those commitments.

A decent place to live was the foundation for a healthy life and housing was a key priority for the administration. A pipeline of new supported and specialist accommodation had been established to be delivered between 2022 and 2025, helping to drive change locally, but there was more work to be done. This scheme would add value to the Borough’s housing stock whilst also challenging failures in the market.

Initial proposals from the scheme included affordable accessible homes, the acquisition and delivery of sites to deliver for housing needs, and a Telford loan scheme to help people onto the property ladder.

The Council continued to lobby for government funding.

Cabinet Members expressed their support for the report; housing was an exceptionally important foundation for a healthy life.

The Leader of the Conservative group expressed support for the stalled sites programme in particular.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat group welcomed the work being undertaken to facilitate people staying in their own homes.

RESOLVED – that Cabinet

a)         Supports the priorities and initial proposals for the Housing Intervention Fund set out in the Report

b)        Delegates authority to the Director: Housing, Employment & Infrastructure and Director: Finance & HR in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member for Housing, Enforcement & Transport to approve investment of the Fund, subject to business case and enter into any documentation necessary to give effect to the recommendations in this report.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Green Spaces, Natural and Historic Environment and Cultural Services presented the report of the Director: Communities, Customer and Commercial Services.

The report provided an overview of future events funding, with funding doubling to £2 million.

Events and culture were important, especially after Covid-19, for bringing the community together and bringing visitors in. Most events were free, so all could enjoy, whilst drawing people to the Borough’s high streets.

The programme for 2022 was well underway with a number of events already held and more to come, such as the Balloon Fiesta. There would also be special events for the Commonwealth Games and Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Cabinet expressed its support for the report, noting the importance of bringing visitors to the Borough, and the promotional role of the events.

RESOLVED – that Cabinet

a)         Support the content of the events and festivals programme for Year 2022/23 and planned outline programme for 2023/24.

b)        Authorises the Director Communities, Customer and Commercial Services, after consultation with the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Green Spaces, Natural and Historic Environment and Cultural Services and The Leader (responsibility for Headline Events) to take all required action and utilise funding totalling £2m from the Investment in Council Priorities Fund to support implementation of the events and festivals programme.

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Governance and Customer Services presented the report of the Chief Financial Officer and Monitoring Officer.

The report set out adherence to Council’s governance arrangements. All Service Delivery Managers had been sent a questionnaire, which had then been reviewed by Directors and Executive Directors, before being reviewed by the Council’s audit team. An action plan had been developed and would be sent to Audit Committee.

RESOLVED – that Cabinet

a)         Notes and agrees the Annual Governance Statement 2021/22, attached at Appendix 1 to the report; and

b)        Recommends that the Audit Committee notes and approves the Annual Governance Statement 2021/22 attached at Appendix A to the report.