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Apologies had been received from Cllr Mrs Davies and Cllr Naylor was substituting.

Due to the absence of Cllr Mrs Davies a vice chair was required.  Cllr Dr Barrett MOVED and Cllr Mayo SECONDED that Cllr Sankey act as vice chair for the duration of the meeting.  This was RESOLVED by Members.

The Minutes of the previous meeting held on 15^th January 2024 were agreed as a true record.

This report provided an update to Members in relation to the areas covered under the Terms of Reference of the Housing, Health and Community Committee.

Members asked when they would receive the report on the competed Grounds Maintenance work.  Officers advised this would be ready for June committee.

Concerns were raised regarding the lettable garage sites not being up to standard and encouraging anti-social behaviour.  Officers advised that only certain sites are for relet, where there is demand.  The remainder are appraisal sites.  Cost, and the amount of work involved, is an issue and there are limited options for most sites, mainly parking. A committee decision regarding the sites will be made at a later date.

With regard to the Allocations and Housing Register, the Chair advised that residents need to be living in the borough for at least 5 years prior to joining the housing list.

Members also raised concerns regarding the Brentwood and Basildon Health Alliance, and lack of investment of the health provision in the borough.  GP surgeries and National Health Dentists do not meet the demand from the new homes being built.  The Chair advised that a meeting had taken place with the NHS and a model was being revised with available resources to reduce the load on GP services and redirect residents to alternative services such as general practice assistants and pharmacies. It was agreed that the Borough News could help to inform residents of the changes to the service.

With regard to the Eco funded Energy Efficiency Project, Cllr Naylor requested information on what properties were included in Brentwood West.  Officers will respond outside of the meeting.

Cllr Russell thanked the Chair, Cllr Dr Barrett and Vice-Chair, Cllr Mrs Davies for chairing a great committee over the last year.

The Localism Act 2011 requires local authorities to keep a list of assets (meaning buildings or other land) which are of community value. Once an asset is placed on the list it will usually remain there for five years. The effect of listing is that generally speaking an owner intending to dispose of the asset must give notice to the local authority. A community interest group then has six weeks in which to ask to be treated as a potential bidder. If it does so, the disposal cannot take place for six months. The theory is that this period known as the “moratorium” will allow the community group to come up with an alternative proposal although, at the end of the moratorium, it is entirely up to the owner whether a disposal goes through, to whom and for how much. There are arrangements for the local authority to pay compensation to an owner who loses money in consequence of the asset being listed.

A valid nomination has been received by Mountnessing Village Council on 26 January 2024 in relation to the land as indicated on the attached site plan.

The report was before Members to list or not to list the land as an Asset of Community Value.

Mrs Anderson summarised the report.

The Committee then heard from Mountnessing Village Councillor Jon Cloke supporting the recommendations.

Cllr Sankey, Ward Councillor, also supported the nomination.

Members raised questions concerning policies and procedures about compensation and consequences.  Mrs Anderson advised Government funding was available to cover legal costs for challenges.  Policies are set out in the Localism Act.

Following a full discussion, Cllr Dr Barrett MOVED and Cllr Sankey SECONDED the recommendations in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY:

To list the land known as Prince of Wales, as indicated on the site map in Appendix B of the report, as an Asset of Community Value.

Reason for Recommendation

The nomination meets both the statutory tests as set out in 3.7 and therefore it is recommended to list Prince of Wales and land as an Asset of Community Value and add it to the Council’s Register of Assets of Community Value.

The Localism Act 2011 requires local authorities to keep a list of assets (meaning buildings or other land) which are of community value. Once an asset is placed on the list it will usually remain there for five years. The effect of listing is that generally speaking an owner intending to dispose of the asset must give notice to the local authority. A community interest group then has six weeks in which to ask to be treated as a potential bidder. If it does so, the disposal cannot take place for six months. The theory is that this period known as the “moratorium” will allow the community group to come up with an alternative proposal although, at the end of the moratorium, it is entirely up to the owner whether a disposal goes through, to whom and for how much. There are arrangements for the local authority to pay compensation to an owner who loses money in consequence of the asset being listed.

A valid nomination has been received by Shenfield and Hutton Morning WI on 1 February 2024 in relation to the land as indicated on the attached site plan.

The report was before Members to list or not to list the land as an Asset of Community Value.

Mrs Anderson summarised the report reiterating this was a re-listing and the the nomination was for the ground floor only and did not include the residential properties above.

Cllr Rigby declared an interest as Ward Member and member of Friends of Shenfield Library, explained events held at the library and was keen to endorse the nomination as a highly valuable resource in the area.

Cllr Worsfold, Shenfield Ward Cllr, also endorsed the nomination and welcomed a proposal to list the whole of the ground floor.  Ward Cllr Mrs Cuthbert also spoke in support of the application.

Members welcomed the recommendation and thanked the Friends of Shenfield Library and other community groups for their commitment and concern for the long-term future of the library as a community asset.

Following a full discussion, Cllr Dr Barrett MOVED and Cllr Sankey SECONDED the recommendations in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY to:

List the land known as Shenfield Library, as indicated on the site map in Appendix B of the report, as an Asset of Community Value.

Reason for Recommendation

The nomination meets both the statutory tests as set out in 3.7 and therefore it is recommended to list Shenfield Library and land as an Asset of Community Value and add it to the Council’s Register of Assets of Community Value.

Currently the Council organises Strawberry Fair, Family Fun Days, Lighting Up Brentwood and Shenfield Christmas Fayre. There are also a number of community engagement events with partners that utilise the Community Connect Trailer through the year. The proposed planned Community Event and Engagement Programme for 2024-2025 was before Members. This is subject to Members’ agreement and to the annual budget setting process. 

Mrs Anderson summarised the report.

Following a full discussion, Cllr Dr Barrett MOVED and Cllr Sankey SECONDED the recommendations in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY to:

To agree the proposed Community Event and Engagement Programme for 2024-2025 as set out in Appendix A.

Reason for Recommendation

The Council’s Community events and engagement programme currently supports a number of strands in the Corporate Plan, especially Developing Communities, signposting and promoting awareness of other Council services and partner organisations that support our residents and businesses.

At the 15 December Housing Health and Community Committee the draft Brentwood Health and Wellbeing Strategy was presented to Members of the Committee for any comments. The final strategy sets out the five-year plan to improve the health and wellbeing of residents in Brentwood and reduce the health inequalities at every stage of residents’ lives.

The Strategy sets out the partnership approach to influence the wider determinants of health to make the biggest difference in our communities. The Strategy has been co-produced by board members, those with lived experience and informed by what the relevant data is telling us.

In developing the Strategy, the Health and Wellbeing Board considered the health and wellbeing outcomes it would want to see in Brentwood, how it links to other local strategies and plans, data and insight from partners and feedback from residents and those with lived experience. It is also important to recognise the needs that emerged from the COVID 19 pandemic.    

Mrs Anderson summarised the report.

Following discussion, Cllr Dr Barrett MOVED and Cllr Sankey SECONDED the recommendations in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY:

To note the final Health and Wellbeing Strategy (Appendix A).

Reason for Recommendation

The Brentwood Health and Wellbeing Strategy has been developed in partnership with the Health and Wellbeing board members who include statutory partners such Essex County Council, Brentwood and Basildon Alliance together with Voluntary and Community Sector partners. The Strategy is also aligned to the Essex Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, Fit for Future Physical activity and Sports Strategy for Essex Southend and Thurrock the Essex Children and Young People’s Plan as well Brentwood Borough Council’s Corporate Plan 2020-25.

The Strategy sets out some key priorities that need to be tackled holistically with a partnership approach. In order to deliver on these priorities, subgroups have been set up on the Health and Wellbeing Board. These are Start Well, Find Your Active Brentwood, Ageing well and Dementia Friendly Communities. There are also some overarching themes that cut across the whole population, and these are community resilience, the cost-of-living crisis, mental health support and active environments.  

The Strategy also set out how we will measure the success and impact of the work that is undertaken to our residents across the three subgroups by regular reporting to the Health and Wellbeing Board and to the Housing Health and Committee.  

To follow

The Council allocates discretionary core funding to key Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations that provide support to our local residents. This enables the Council to ensure that we have a strong and resilient VCS which supports the Council’s priorities. The Council needs to ensure with the limited amount of funding available that the processes and principles of funding are applied fairly and transparently, and they are effective in providing targeted support to those most in need.

Mrs Anderson summarised the report, explaining the rationale for one year funding is because Brentwood were waiting on Essex County Council’s voluntary sector funding which is still in progress. 

Members raised concerns regarding Brentwood Community Transport and the difficulty in getting to appointments outside of Brentwood in Orsett and Basildon.  Mrs Anderson advised discussions were ongoing with Brentwood and Basildon Alliance and Essex, who fund community transport, for a solution via a Transport Summit to include all transport organisations.  A further report will be brought back to this Committee.

Members wished to record their thanks to Brentwood Communtity Transport and to Citizens Advice Bureau in Brentwood.

Following a full discussion, Cllr Dr Barrett MOVED and Cllr Sankey SECONDED the recommendations in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY:

That Brentwood Council for Voluntary Services is funded for 2024-25 and that a further report come back to the relevant Committee once the outcome of the Essex County Council VCS infrastructure model has been determined.

That Brentwood Community Transport is funded for 2024-25 and that a further report come back to the relevant committee once the outcome of the joint work with Essex County Council, Basildon Borough Council, Brentwood Borough Council, Brentwood and Basildon Alliance and Brentwood Community Transport has been concluded with the recommendation and next steps agreed.

That Citizens Advice Brentwood is funded for 2024- 25 to enable alignment with the other core funding arrangements at Brentwood Borough Council and bring back a further report to the relevant committee to look at longer term funding models.

Reason for Recommendation

The VCS organisations provide key support to the residents of Brentwood, but the Council is not the sole funder for these organisations. The Council is keen to work in partnership with Essex County Council, Brentwood and Basildon Alliance and other local authorities to ensure that we are allocating this core funding in an effective way that provides services that our residents require.

This funding is discretionary, so the Council needs to demonstrate that it is delivering value for money to its residents.

The 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 alongside Harewood Regeneration which consists of 40 new zero carbon homes, and 2) the development of a range of smaller HRA sites to deliver further affordable homes on further council owned sites.

The Council’s Corporate Strategy ‘Brentwood 2025’ commits to Introducing “innovative Carbon reduction and absorption schemes”, “identify opportunities for low emission and green developments” and using ‘brownfield sites efficiently, such as council owned garage sites, to provide affordable homes…”.

Ms McAllister summarised the report.  Members thanked officers for their comprehensive briefing ahead of this report.

Following discussion, Cllr Dr Barrett MOVED and Cllr Sankey SECONDED the recommendations in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY:

To progress the Brookfield Regeneration Main Contract through a selected Framework to Direct Award (two stage tender) in accordance with the agreed budget.

To progress the Harewood Regeneration Main Contract through a selected Framework to Direct Award (two stage tender) in accordance with the agreed budget.

Authorise delegated Authority to the Strategic Director and Director of Assets and Investments in consultation with the Chair of HHC Committee and Section 151 officer to enter into PCSA (Pre-Contract Service Agreements) on both Harewood and Brookfield Regeneration sites in accordance with the agreed budget.

To seek resolution of recommendations 1 and 2 at Ordinary Council on March 13^th 2024.

Reason for Recommendation

To continue the implementation of the adopted Strategic Housing Delivery Strategy and scheme programmes for Brookfield and Harewood Regeneration.

The Affordable Homes Strategy 2021-2028 was approved by EE&H committee in July 2021, it lays out the vision, principles, governance, delivery mechanisms, and viability assumptions that support the delivery of new homes both on sites

already in the pipeline but also future phases.

The Delivery Programme (SHDP) which is borne out of the ‘Strategy’ is currently made up of two distinct elements, 1) the regeneration of Brookfield Close and Courage Court, Hutton to develop 62 zero carbon homes alongside Harewood Regeneration which consists of 40 new zero carbon homes, and 2) the development of a range of smaller HRA sites to deliver further affordable homes on further council owned sites.

The Council’s Corporate Strategy ‘Brentwood 2025’ also commits to Introducing “innovative Carbon reduction and absorption schemes”, “identify opportunities for low emission and green developments” and using ‘brownfield sites efficiently, such as council owned garage sites, to provide affordable homes…”.

Ms McAllister summarised the report.

Following discussion, Cllr Dr Barrett MOVED and Cllr Sankey SECONDED the recommendations in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY to:

Update the adopted Affordable Homes Development Strategy 2021/28.

Reason for Recommendation

The Affordable Homes Strategy 2021-2028 is in line with the HRA Business Plan., This annual review is carried out to ensure the strategy continues to stay aligned with the HRA Business Plan in order to continue the implementation of the adopted Strategy which pertains to “use the resources of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) land and business plan to deliver new affordable housing, as well as using General Fund land to support the provision of market housing and affordable housing.”.

A presentation to be given. 

A compliance and Repairs Service Updated was presented to Members by officers Ms Burton and Mr Houlihan.

The presentation is appended to the Minutes.

This was noted by Members.

In 2022 Housing conducted a soft launch for the new Tenant Talkback resident engagement options. As we moved through 2023, we conducted several events with stakeholders to find which types of events worked best and where.

As we approach April 2024, with the introduction of the new Housing Consumer Regulations, we are entering a phase of more frequent and varied resident engagement which is in line with the Resident Engagement Strategy 2022 – 2027.

The Resident engagement action plan 24/25 provides further detail on what has already been done, what is planned for this year and the longer-term vision for resident engagement beyond 2024/25.

Ms Stretch summarised the report explaining the Council was looking to widen its engagement and rebuild relationships through a variety of different options in line with the new consumer regulations.

Members welcomed the report and thanked officers.

Following discussion, Cllr Dr Barrett MOVED and Cllr Sankey SECONDED the recommendation in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY to:

Note the report.

Reason for Recommendation

The report was to note only.

There was no urgent business.

The Chair thanked everyone for their input over the last year.

                                                  The meeting concluded at 20.30.