Issue - meetings

Portfolio Holder – Councillor Alasdair Ross

This report recommends the approval and adoption of the new Housing Estate Management Policy, which consolidates existing practices, and will help identify further improvements. It aims to provide clarity for tenants and residents on the service standards they can expect and also clarity on their roles and responsibilities.

88.1.     Councillor Ross introduced the report, noting that it was identified during previous reviews of policies that an Estate Management Policy would be useful for tenants and residents. The policy included a commitment to Estate Walkabouts which were important and valued by residents.

88.2.     Councillor Fisher said that the policy was useful for tenants but commented that it was vague about what outcomes might be in some areas where enforcement type action was needed. Councillor Ross noted that the outcomes would vary depending on the circumstances of the case and the individual and that it was not possible to cover this in the policy; eviction was however the ultimate sanction available.

88.3.     Councillor M Cook noted that Gloucester City Council had done work on supporting residents with hoarding and asked how the Council was learning from elsewhere. Councillor Ross explained that the key lesson was that Councils needed to know their tenants and that everyone involved in housing, from Councillors to contractors, now had a role to try to spot emerging issues so that Officers could put support in place. The Council used the local charity Lofty Heights to provide support in helping with hoarding. A tenant had recently thanked the Council for the support provided after a contractor had raised concerns about hoarding. The Assistant Director – Housing, Gavin Fisk, reported that there was a Suffolk-wide Self-Neglect and Hoarding Policy with referrals to Suffolk County Council as necessary.

It was RESOLVED:

a)             that Executive approves and adopts the Housing Estate Management Policy in relation to Council properties and the areas they serve.

Reason: The introduction of this key operational policy provides a more consistent and proportionate response to delivering a Housing Management service.

b)             that Executive authorises that the Assistant Director for Housing, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing, to make minor amendments and updates to the Policy to reflect changes in legislation, regulations or best practice.

Reason: To enable the Housing Estate Management Policy to be kept up to date.