Agenda and minutes

To sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 30 April 2024 (copy enclosed). 

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 30 April 2024 were agreed and signed by the Leader.

(Where a Councillor has a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest the Councillor must declare the interest to the meeting and leave the room without participating in any discussion or making a statement on the item, except where a Councillor is permitted to remain as a result of a grant of dispensation.)

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To support the Growth and Prosperity Plan for the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership (report of the Assistant Director for Economic Growth, the Assistant Director for Strategic Planning and the Assistant Director for Strategic Growth and Development enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Economic Growth which requested support for the Growth and Prosperity Plan for the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership.

The Leader (Portfolio Holder – Partnerships) presented the report.

The Growth and Prosperity Plan reflected the vision and priorities of the sub-regional strategy for the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership.

It was the first partnership wide document that sought to capture in a single unifying document the partnership’s key priorities around economic growth, the themes of intended focus and the principles that would underpin the approach.

Shaped through regular briefings with members across the SELCP, it set out 5 strategic priorities:

·       Vibrant Town Centres and Regeneration

·       Supporting Priority sectors and businesses

·       Supporting skills, learning and employment opportunities

·       Enabling growth and housing

·       Attracting investment

A single Growth and Prosperity Plan for the Partnership would demonstrate to external partners the partnership’s alignment and collective focus on a prosperous, productive and creative economy. It would be useful when liaising with government and other stakeholders, as a means of helping communicate priorities as a partnership. The Partnership had a track record of delivery and this would help when seeking funding and attracting investment on a partnership basis.

It helped provide a basis for the partnership to consider how and where to apply resources going forward. The Plan did not propose a ‘one size fits all approach’; instead, it had an evidence-led foundation and was place-based – directly responding to the issues and challenges in each locality.

Member briefings had positively supported the Growth and Prosperity Plan.

DECISION:

1)    That the Growth and Prosperity Plan at Appendix A be approved and supported, and that the Plan be adopted subject to any final consultation feedback as agreed with the relevant portfolio holders; and

2)    That the Growth and Prosperity Plan becomes a line of inquiry in the Partnership’s Annual Scrutiny, complementing the sub-regional strategy process.

(Other options considered:

·       Do nothing.  It has already been agreed by Councillors, through the priorities of the sub-regional strategy, that a Growth and Prosperity Plan should be developed.  Therefore, this option was not recommended.

Reasons for decision:

·       The Growth and Prosperity Plan will reflect the vision and priorities of the 24/25 – 28/29 Sub-Regional Strategy and align strategic priorities across the Councils to further support the benefits of collaborative working. A single Growth and Prosperity Plan for the Partnership will demonstrate to external partners our alignment and collective focus on a prosperous, productive and creative economy. This will be particularly helpful when engaging with partners and businesses, Government and funders, and leveraging further investment into the sub-region.)

To seek approval from Cabinet to amend the 2024/25 Housing Revenue Account, revenue budget to fund stock condition surveys (report of the Assistant Director – Housing enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Housing which sought approval from Cabinet to amend the 2024/25 Housing Revenue Account, revenue budget to fund stock condition surveys.

The Portfolio Holder – Strategic and Operational Housing presented the report.

The Regulator of Social Housing had set out clear expectations to Registered Providers regarding stock condition data.  Providers needed to evidence up to date knowledge of the condition and decency of their homes, in short, proving that their homes were good quality, well maintained and safe.  Furthermore, compliance with the current decent homes’ standard should be underpinned by robust evidence, such as up to date in depth physical property surveys.

The effectiveness, efficiency and timeliness of the Council’s Housing Repairs Service, maintenance and planned improvement programmes could only be truly effective when underpinned by up to date and reliable data.  Therefore, undertaking comprehensive physical assessments to all the Council’s housing stock would enable the Authority to improve the outcomes it delivered to its tenants.  Building on the current data already held, refreshing and updating older data and closing data gaps would form the foundations of the recently commissioned strategic planning work to refresh the HRA Business Plan and Asset Management Strategy.

The comprehensive scope of the stock conditions work would ensure the Council had an accurate, up to date and evidenced understanding at an individual property level.  Alongside stock condition assessments, assessments of health and safety and energy audit work would ensure the Authority held quality data, providing it with a rounded view of all its homes.  As the Council continued to prepare for a future enhanced Decent Homes Standard, this data set would form a vital part of the Council’s assessment of the cost of meeting any future requirements. 

The following points were raised:

·       What was the current status of the stock condition surveys, in relation to the data that the Authority held?

o   Data was held on an individual level for all of the Authority’s properties.  Some of this data was up to 8 years old and there was also information from surveys that had been carried out in recent years.  Under the new requirements, the oldest data that could be held should be five years old meaning that around half of the data held by the Authority was approaching this limit.  Traditionally, data had included elements such as kitchens, bathrooms, roofs etc where there was an age element attached - the new standard set out by the regulators now included elements such as health and safety and the energy audit works.  Where properties had reported issues e.g. damp and mould, the Authority would have full information on them, but not on those that had not – these data gaps therefore required filling.

·       Visits to tenants’ homes would have to be undertaken – how would this be managed?

o   The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing stated that the same process for visits would be followed and that this was detailed within the scoping document.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Note:         (i)      No other business is permitted unless by reason of special circumstances, which shall be specified in the Minutes, the Leader is of the opinion that the item(s) should be considered as a matter of urgency. 

(ii)     Any urgent item of business that is a key decision must be dealt with in accordance with the Constitution’s Access to Information Procedure Rules.

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