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Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Town Hall, Ingrave Road, Brentwood, Essex CM15 8AY

Contact: Zoey Foakes (01277 312 733) 

Items
No. Item

Live broadcast

307.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

There were no apologies for absence received.

308.

Minutes of the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 477 KB

Minutes:

Members RESOLVED that the minutes of the Environment, Enforcement and

Housing Committee held on 13th December 2021 were a true record.

309.

Year in Review

A presentation will be shown on the night.

Minutes:

A presentation from officers Greg Campbell and Tracey Lilley was given to the committee to highlight all that has been achieved from this committee during the last municipal year. Mr Campbell advised members of the committee that the presentation would be circulated via email.

 

The Chair, echoed by committee members, thanked the work of officers for all that was achieved in an exceptional year. 

 

Members were able to ask Officers questions based on the presentation.

 

310.

Chairs Update pdf icon PDF 307 KB

Minutes:

The report began on page 11 which highlighted the work the committee have done throughout the year.

311.

Environment Strategy pdf icon PDF 224 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Brentwood Borough Council has been undertaking positive action in moving forward its carbon reduction agenda including the implementation and procurement of electric vehicle chargers, creation of a car club, fleet change over to electric or alternative fuels, the launch of Brentwood Environmental Business Alliance (BEBA) and the planting of woodlands. However, the Council want to further their carbon reduction agenda and create a direction of travel towards carbon neutrality that ties in with the Council’s aspirations and government targets.

 

The report therefore discusses the creation of an Environment strategy for

consultation that will align the actions taken so far, focus on the needs of the borough and assist residents, businesses and other interested groups to be able to take active part in delivering the borough targets. During the debate it was identified that the target date did not reflect a previous decision of the Council. This date will be amended to reflect the date agreed at previous committee moving forward and the strategy amended.

 

 

A motion was MOVED by Cllr Mrs Pearson and SECONDED by Cllr Mrs

Hones to agree the recommendations in the report.

 

Following a discussion a vote was taken and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY that:

 

Members are requested to:

 

1.     Approve the strategy for consultation.

 

2. Consider feedback response of consultation to the next Environment, Enforcement & Housing Committee.

 

3. Review the strategy annually.

312.

Tree Management Strategy pdf icon PDF 217 KB

To follow

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Brentwood Borough Council has a substantial stock of trees within its ownership, and it is essential for a strategy to be adopted by the authority to promote environmental sustainability and have a clear direction for tree maintenance for the future. This strategy must be made available to the wider public to give a greater understanding of the benefits of trees and the impact they will have on our future generations and climate.

 

A motion was MOVED by Cllr Mrs Pearson and SECONDED by Cllr Mrs

Hones to agree the recommendations in the report.

 

Following a discussion a vote was taken and it was RESOLVED

UNANIMOUSLY that:

 

Members are requested to:

 

1. Agree the draft Tree Strategy for consultation.

 

2. Report back to the Environment, Enforcement & Housing Committee following consultation on the Draft Tree Management Strategy.

 

(Cllr Kendall declared a non-pecuniary interest by virtue of a member of the Climate Action Group)

313.

NES Report pdf icon PDF 212 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The issue of littering across the borough has been raised by members of the public and the Council have worked with National Enforcement Solutions (NES) for the past 12 months to tackle the growing issue effectively without a financial burden to the Council.

 

It is hoped that through the partnership with NES the Council would extend the 12-month pilot to enhance our provision around environmental enforcement particularly in relation to littering offences and fly tipping.

 

NES will continue to provide an ‘end to end’ environmental crime service at no cost to the Council.

 

A motion was MOVED by Cllr Mrs Pearson and SECONDED by Cllr Mrs

Hones to agree the recommendations in the report.

 

Following a discussion a vote was taken and it was RESOLVED

UNANIMOUSLY that:

 

Members are requested to:

 

To approve NES to work with delegated authority for a further 12 months.

 

Reasons for Recommendation

 

To ensure that the Council fulfil its Corporate objective around environmental

issues and improve our enforcement activity.

314.

Proposal to enhance Housing Key Performance Indicator Reporting pdf icon PDF 354 KB

Minutes:

The Council, in its ‘Brentwood 2025’ Corporate Strategy, has stated ‘Improving Housing as a central plank of its ambition and has committed to “drive continuous improvement in housing services”. The report looks to the future of the housing service and as a firststep aims to improving performance reporting to this committee to inform future decision

making on changes brought forward. This reporting will offer a 2022 baseline and ongoing assessment on the success or otherwise of future recommendations implemented.

 

A motion was MOVED by Cllr Mrs Pearson and SECONDED by Cllr Mrs

Hones to agree the recommendations in the report.

 

Following a discussion a vote was taken and it was RESOLVED

UNANIMOUSLY that:

 

Members are requested to:

 

Approve a suite of 10 Housing Key Performance Indicators for quarterly

reporting as a standing item at this committee.

 

 

315.

Outcomes of the Tenants Leaseholder Survey pdf icon PDF 249 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cllr Pearson addressed Item 12 (Outcomes of the Tenants Leaseholder Survey) before addressing the remaining items.

 

A STAR (Survey of Tenants and Leaseholders) Perception Survey for Brentwood Council was carried out from September 2021 to October 2021. The survey was carried out by M.E.L. Research.

 

The survey’s results identified the areas for the Council to consider. In addition, the Council received a number of verbatim remarks from those who responded.

 

The Housing Team have developed an action plan to that responds to the issues raised. Some of the actions identified are covered by existing delivery plans by the Council based on previous feedback, and a specific plan is in place for the new areas of action needed.

 

The Council will be updating residents in the forthcoming Annual Report on the feedback received and the action being taken, in a “you said, we did style.

 

A motion was MOVED by Cllr Mrs Pearson and SECONDED by Cllr Mrs

Hones to agree the recommendations in the report.

 

Following a discussion a vote was taken and it was RESOLVED

UNANIMOUSLY that:

 

Members are requested to:

 

To note the results of the STAR survey and approve the Action Plan

for 2022/23.

 

Reasons for Recommendation

 

In terms of improving overall perceptions, understanding service priorities and

where to put focus into is important 80% of tenants say that the repairs and

maintenance is a priority to them. This area was the hardest service to operate through the pandemic so it is understandable that this will have impacted overall satisfaction. The core repair service performance is good compared to other organisations and a key focus going forward will be the communication with residents and how non-standard repairs or properties are responded to.

 

Strengthening the tenant’s voice is important because of the wider policy

context for social landlords and with the implementation of the Social Housing

White Paper expected later this year. Ensuring tenants feel that the Council is

easy to deal with, and keeping tenants informed and giving ample opportunity

to making views known will go a long way to improving perceptions of how

valued they feel as a tenant. This will be a key challenge and is being

addressed through an updated Resident Engagement Strategy.

 

At 9.00pm in accordance with Rule 10.1 of the Council’s procedural rules, Members resolved to continue the meeting for a further 30 minutes. The meeting was adjourned at 21:00  for 5mins for a comfort break

 

316.

Strategic Housing Delivery Programme pdf icon PDF 288 KB

Minutes:

The report summarises progress since the last report to Committee on 13th December 2021 on the development of a pipeline of new affordable homes through the development and regeneration of various Housing Revenue Account (HRA) owned sites. As a reminder, this Strategic Housing Delivery Programme (SHDP) is made up of two distinct elements, 1) the regeneration of Brookfield Close and Courage Court, Hutton to develop 62 zero carbon homes and 2) the development of a range of smaller HRA sites to deliver a further 80 Zero Carbon homes on a further 8 council owned sites. All of these new homes will contribute to, and be managed within, the Council’s HRA.

In addition, the report also updates Members on progress with the conversion of 17, Crescent Road, Brentwood, into two new apartments and a newly emerging regeneration project at Harewood Road, Pilgrims Hatch, the ‘Harewood Regeneration’ and the completion of 3 new homes at Whittington Mews,The Council’s Corporate Strategy ‘Brentwood 2025’ commits to Introducing “innovative Carbon reduction and absorption schemes”, “identify opportunities for low emission andgreen developments” and using brownfield sites efficiently, such as council owned garage sites, to provide affordable homes…”.

 

A motion was MOVED by Cllr Mrs Pearson and SECONDED by Cllr Mrs

Hones to agree the recommendations in the report.

 

Following a discussion a vote was taken and it was RESOLVED

UNANIMOUSLY that:

 

Members are requested to:

 

To note continuing progress in the delivery of new Council homes through the SHDP.

 

 

 

317.

Resident Engagement Strategy 2022-2027 pdf icon PDF 231 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Social Housing White Paper has brought a renewed focus on the importance of empowering and listening to social housing residents. Meaningful engagement with residents drives better services and ensures residents are involved in decisions that affect their housing.

 

The regulatory framework governing social housing is made up of regulatory

requirements, codes of guidance and regulatory guidance. The regulatory

requirements concerning resident engagement include the Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard 2017. This states that social housing providers should ensure that tenants are given a wide range of opportunities to influence and be involved in the formation of their landlord’s housing-related strategic priorities, decision making about how services are delivered, performance scrutiny and the management of their homes.

 

The Resident Engagement Strategy and Resident Engagement Structure are included as appendix A and sets out how this activity will be delivered, monitored and delivered.

 

Appendix A for this item was not included in the agenda. Committee members were emailed a copy prior to the meeting and a paper copy was also available for them upon arrival.

 

A motion was MOVED by Cllr Mrs Pearson and SECONDED by Cllr Mrs

Hones to agree the recommendations in the report.

 

Following a discussion a vote was taken and it was RESOLVED

UNANIMOUSLY that:

 

Members are requested to:

 

To approve the Resident Engagement Strategy 2022 to 2027.

 

Reasons for Recommendation

 

This strategy adapts our resident engagement practice to provide more choice on how residents engage with the Council, to enable residents with a wide variety of backgrounds to influence service delivery.

 

The Social Housing White Paper will bring a change to the level and type of

regulation for Local Authorities with an emphasis on proactive engagement with residents.

318.

Update on Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy & Delivery Plan 2020-2025 pdf icon PDF 227 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

In 2020 the Council launched its Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for the period 2020 to 2025. The document was approved subject to consultation with local stakeholders. The consultation was however delayed to the impact of the pandemic and the issue of consultation was not concluded until recently.

 

The Council continued to implement the strategy and work with partners on the response to the pandemic. In October 2021, the Council re-visited the issue of consultation and circulated a delivery plan with the strategy seeking feedback on their content.

 

There were no proposed changes to the strategy, as the issues remain valid. The delivery plan has evolved and takes into account the local impact of the pandemic on homelessness and rough sleepers. The delivery plan is presented to members for approval.

 

A motion was MOVED by Cllr Mrs Pearson and SECONDED by Cllr Mrs

Hones to agree the recommendations in the report.

 

Following a discussion a vote was taken and it was RESOLVED

UNANIMOUSLY that:

 

Members are requested to:

 

To approve the delivery plan for the Council’s Homelessness and Rough

Sleeping Strategy 2020-2025.

 

Reasons for Recommendation

 

To ensure that the Housing Department has documentation to support the work

on homelessness and rough sleepers and engage stakeholders on the local

strategy and plans in place.

 

In accordance with Rule 28 of the Council’s Procedure Rules, the business of

the meeting not having been concluded by two hours after its start, the

Committee voted to continue with the meeting for 30 minutes. Since the

business of the meeting had not been concluded by 9.30pm the Committee

voted to continue with the meeting for an additional 30 minutes.

 

319.

Leasehold Payment Options Policy pdf icon PDF 266 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

To assist leaseholders with making payments on the major repair works that the Council undertakes in its role as a freeholder and landlord, the Council needs to formally set out what the options are. The policy at Appendix One sets out the options for how the Council will implement these.

 

A motion was MOVED by Cllr Mrs Pearson and SECONDED by Cllr Mrs

Hones to agree the recommendations in the report.

 

Following a discussion a vote was taken and it was RESOLVED

UNANIMOUSLY that:

 

Members are requested to:

 

To approve the Leasehold Payment Options Policy in Appendix A.

 

Reasons for Recommendation

 

To ensure that the Housing Department has documentation to support the

approach to seeking payment for major repairs, including offering options for

those resident leaseholders that are not able to make payment upon receiving

the invoice.

320.

Mobility Scooter Policy pdf icon PDF 240 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The proposed Mobility Scooter policy is presented for approval by members. This is a new policy to provide clarity on the Council’s approach to the use of mobility scooters in Housing Revenue Account (HRA) properties and communal areas, as well as any temporary or emergency housing provided by the Council.

 

Once approved the Council will work with residents to implement the policy in

a pragmatic way, based on the resources available and the demand to store mobility scooters where the Council provides accommodation.

 

A motion was MOVED by Cllr Mrs Pearson and SECONDED by Cllr Mrs

Hones to agree the recommendations in the report.

 

Following a discussion a vote was taken and it was RESOLVED

UNANIMOUSLY that:

 

Members are requested to:

 

To approve the Mobility Scooter policy.

 

 

Reasons for Recommendation

 

To ensure that the Housing Department has documentation to support the

implementation of managing requests for mobility scooter storage and how to

manage their presence on sites.

321.

Urgent Business

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business to discuss.