Issue - meetings

To inform Cabinet of the requirements and timeline of Awaab’s Law and how the Service is preparing for the change in legislation (report of the Assistant Director – Housing enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Housing which informed Cabinet of the requirements and timeline of Awaab’s Law and how the Service was preparing for the change in legislation.

The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing presented the report:

Awaab's Law would come into effect for social landlords in October 2025, Awaab's Law required social landlords to address health hazards including damp and mould within specified timeframes. The first phase focused on addressing damp and mould hazards that posed a significant risk of harm to tenants and all emergency hazards.

The report outlined steps being taken, including revising emergency repair procedures, consulting with the Out of Hours response provider, and updating internal protocols. Since publishing the report, MHCLG has issued further guidance. Officers were currently reviewing this guidance.  The steps proposed in the report remained appropriate.

A more detailed implementation plan, including long-term compliance measures and policy refinements, would be presented to the Cabinet in September 2025.

Consideration was given to the report and the following issues were raised:

·       Members asked under what circumstances could a damp, condensation and mould case become an emergency, particularly out of hours. Having a suitable warning system in place should identify issues earlier on and remove the incidence of emergencies in most cases.

o   The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing did not disagree with this statement and the Assistant Director – Housing also stated that emergencies should generally occur only in circumstances where a property was left empty for a period and the tenant returned to find damp and mould.

·       Was there sufficient capacity to manage the increased demand?

o   The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing advised that there was a dedicated resource to deal with damp and mould issues.  It was an area that was continually under review and if an increase in demand was seen, any capacity issues would be identified.

·       The report stated that with regard to response times, attendance would be within 4 hours out of office hours and within 8 hours during office hours.  Why was there a difference in response times?

o   The Assistant Director – Housing advised that during office hours, there were no repairs operatives on standby waiting for emergencies to occur whereas there was always an operative on standby out of hours.  She advised that timescales would be reviewed in due course as part of the Housing Transformation Programme.

DECISION:

That the Housing Landlord Service’s preparations to respond to emergency hazards, and their effectiveness be noted.

(Other options considered:

·       Do nothing – to not receive assurance on the Council’s preparedness to respond to emergency hazards.  This option was not recommended.

Reasons for decision:

·       To provide assurance and confidence to Members that tenants are living in safe homes and that arrangements for responding to emergency hazards are robust, with regular reviews and improvements implemented).