Agenda and minutes

To sign as a correct record the minutes of the following meetings:

The minutes of the following meetings were agreed and signed by the Leader:

·         Cabinet - 10 June 2025

·         Special Cabinet – 26 June 2025

(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 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).

To adopt the ASB Framework 2025-2027 (Appendix A) (report of the Assistant Director – Housing enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director Housing which requested adoption of the ASB Framework 2025-2027 (Appendix A).

The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing presented the report, and clarified that the report related to the management of ASB cases by the Housing Landlord Service only.

As a social landlord, the Council had a duty to minimise and tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) and hate incidents.  The ASB Framework 2025–2027 laid out a clear strategy regarding improving management of ASB cases by the Housing Landlord Service through early intervention, support for victims, and appropriate enforcement.

The framework was built on four priorities:

1. Prevention and Early Intervention

2.  Working Together

3. Risk Management and Victim Support

4. Putting Tenants First

Consultation had taken place with the Policy Development Panel and tenants, with 91% of tenants reporting that they found the framework easy to understand.  The Framework would be supported by a comprehensive action plan delivered by a newly appointed ASB Officer and quarterly updates would be published with tenants and members. 

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

·       The report stated that 51% of incidents were not reported and there was therefore a lot of work to do to encourage people to come forward.  Ease of reporting was vital.

o   The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing agreed and commented that it was important to use tenant engagement to identify ways of reaching people.  The message that the Authority was open to complaints around ASB was being communicated and this had already made a difference.  It was important that one an issue was raised, that individuals were heard.

·       Education was the hardest element and the officers agreed that it was key.  ASB was a complicated area and it was important to use tenant engagement to speak with tenants and to understand their views.  It was important to educate communities, staff and tenants as tolerances were not always the same.

DECISION:

1)    That the ASB Framework 2025-2027 be adopted; and

2)    That minor operational amendments to the Anti-Social Behaviour Framework 2025-2027 be delegated to the Assistant Director – Housing in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing.

(Other options considered:

·       Do nothing.  The Council would be unable to demonstrate compliance with the Neighbourhood and Community Standard of the Consumer Standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing. Without an adopted ASB Framework, the Council would lack a clear, strategic approach to preventing and tackling anti-social behaviour and hate incidents.  This would limit its ability to work effectively with partners, support victims, and provide assurance to tenants and regulators.  This was not the recommended option.

Reasons for decision:

·       To be compliant with the requirements of the Regulator of Social Housing in clearly setting out the approach for how the Council tackles and deters ASB and hate incidents in neighbourhoods where they manage social housing.  In addition, Registered Providers must collect and provide information to support effective scrutiny by tenants of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

To provide Cabinet with an update of the 2024/2025 Tenant Satisfaction Measure outcomes (report of the Assistant Director – Housing enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Housing which provided an update of the 2024/2025 Tenant Satisfaction Measure outcomes.

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

The report laid out the tenant satisfaction survey results and management data for 24/25, which has been submitted to the Regulator of Social Housing.  

This was the second year that the Council has completed the Tenant Satisfaction Measures.   Members were informed that tenant satisfaction had either increased or remained the same over the last 12 months with 74% of tenants surveyed reporting satisfaction with the overall service received from the Council as their landlord.  It was pleasing to see satisfaction in the Council’s approach to managing anti-social behaviour increasing by 19% and repairs satisfaction increasing by 14%. 

Complaint handling continued to be a challenge for all social landlords; however, a marked improvement had been seen with 95% of complaints investigated within Housing Ombudsman timescales, compared with 48% last year. Reports of ASB remained below national benchmark, however the new ASB Framework and focus groups aimed to enhance tenant confidence in this area during 25/26.

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

·       Members wished to pass on their congratulations to all involved and highlighted the importance of communication.

DECISION:

1)    That the contents of the report, and the results attached at Appendix 2 to the report be noted; and

2)    That the feedback from Performance Monitoring Panel be noted.

 (Other options considered:

·       Do nothing - To not be informed of performance and tenant satisfaction.  This option is not considered to be appropriate as the Regulator of Social Housing expects that Councillors have oversight and scrutiny of the service provided;

Reasons for decision:

·       The Regulator of Social Housing is clear that Councillors are responsible for ensuring that the Council, in its role as a registered provider, is meeting the regulatory standards set.  Performance and satisfaction data assists Councillors in scrutinising the service).

To approve and delegate to the Director of Economic Development, the release and expenditure of allocated capacity funding provided by MHCLG to develop a new Regeneration Plan submission for Spalding (report of the Director of Economic Development enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Economic Development which requested the approval and delegation to the Director of Economic Development the release and expenditure of allocated capacity funding provided by MHCLG, and to develop a new Regeneration Plan submission for Spalding.

The Leader of the Council presented the report

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

·       Whilst the funding was welcomed as good news for Spalding, there were other areas in the district that also required support.  BA – Good for Spalding but other areas need it too.

o   The Leader did not disagree with this commented but stated that this was the reality of Government.

DECISION:

That the following be agreed:

1)    To accept and release all revenue capacity funding provided by Central Government, to support the development of a new ten year regeneration plan for Spalding;

2)    That authority be delegated to the Director of Economic Development to agree and expend all capacity funding provided by Central Government, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and in accordance with the steer from the Town Board;

3)    That authority be delegated to the Director of Economic Development to approve and enter all of the necessary contractual arrangements to progress the submission of a ten-year Regeneration Plan and four year investment plan for Spalding in consultation with the Leader of the Council and in accordance with the steer from the Town Board;

4)    That draw down of up to £140,000 from the Economic Growth Reserve in order to meet proposed spend for 25/26 outlined in section 3.3 be delegated to the interim Director of Finance in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Director of Economic Development

 (Other options considered:

·       To not accept or allocate the grant funding for the intended purpose;

·       To seek to identify and agree an alternative accountable body lead for the Plan for Neighbourhoods programme;

Reasons for decision:

·       To enable officers to progress the development of the Plan for Neighbourhoods submission for Spalding to meet the time constraints of the programme.)

To report on the Council’s Finances as at the 31 March 2025 (report of the Interim Director of Finance and S151 Officer).

Consideration was given to the report of the Interim Director of Finance (S151 Officer) which reported on the Council’s Finances as at 31 March 2025.

The Portfolio Holder – Finance presented the report.

Throughout the year quarterly monitoring reports were completed forecasting the expected year end outturn compared to the approved budget. The report provided information on the draft outturn full year financial performance as at 31 March 2025.

General Fund Revenue

The provisional revenue outturn reported a surplus position of £317,000 at the year-end.

• The General Fund 2024/25 net budget for investment income was £1.033m.  The draft outturn for investment income was £1.604m, which would be an overachievement of £571,000.
• For transparency, table 1b provided details of additions to the revenue budget as the year progressed through decision notices and delegated decisions.
• The 2024/25 budget included a savings efficiency target of £831,000, savings which were being tracked and could be found in table 1c. 62% of the target had been identified as at 31 March and the remaining £316,000 was still to be found

General Fund Capital

For General Fund Capital, Table 4a provided details of all capital schemes. The total General Fund Capital Programme for 2024/25 was £6.116m, actual capital expenditure for Q4 2024/25 was £4.829m an underspend of £1.287m. Capital Programme carry forwards to future years, amounting to £0.277m were noted including scheme details and their financing in Table 4c of Appendix A. Despite the delay in project delivery during 24/25, funding was being secured to fully deliver those schemes.

General Fund Reserves

Table 3 of Appendix A provided detail of the balances held in reserves at 31 March 2025 being £7.408m.  The overall movement in reserve balances during the 2024/25 financial period was an increase £616,000 taking account of year end adjustments alongside those budgeted or previously approved by way of Proforma B that sought approval from either the S151 Officer or Executive Board.

HRA Revenue

Section 2.3 detailed the HRA revenue outturn which was a surplus of £13,000. This was due mainly to an underspend in Supervision and Management, and Repairs and Maintenance driven by cost efficiencies, delayed pressures and staff savings.

HRA Capital

For HRA Capital, Table 5a provided details of all capital schemes with the programme totalling £21.851m for 2024/25. HRA capital spend at the end of Quarter 4 was £14.816m against a full year budget post slippage of £16.111m. Various project schemes were to continue into 2025/26 when the expenditure would be incurred at project completion. 

Treasury

Section 2.6 of Appendix A detailed the Council’s treasury investments. The Council’s cash continued to perform well with £571,000 achieved in excess of budget.

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

·       With regard to the General Fund and the disappointing capital underspend of circa 21% and the fact that the HRA compared to the original budget was down by a third – would budgeting have been made easier if there had been more honesty of what could be achieved in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

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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