Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Thursday, 30th March, 2023 7.00 pm - Agenda and minutes

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 9^th February, 2023 (copy attached).

The minutes of the meeting held on 9th February, 2023 were agreed as a correct record.

The Chairman reported on the absence of Cllr Prabesh KC from three consecutive meetings of the Committee held on 20th October, 1st December 2022 and 9th February 2023.  Under the Council’s Constitution, Standing Order 4 (5) stated that ‘if any Member shall be absent from three consecutive meetings of a committee, he or she shall cease to be a Member thereof, unless he or she shall in the opinion of the Committee show reasonable grounds for their absence.’

It was noted that the Chairman had been in contact with Cllr KC and had accepted the reasons for his absence at these meetings, and it was agreed that Cllr KC should be allowed to participate in the meeting.

To receive a presentation on the management of damp and mould in the local housing sector, to cover; a background to legislation and guidance; local processes for dealing with disrepair; local data on the current situation; and, recent Government consultation and the Council’s response.

Cllr Maurice Sheehan, (Deputy Leader and Operational Services Portfolio Holder), James Duggin, (Executive Head of Operations), Suzannah Hellicar (Service Manager – Housing) and Hilary Smith (Private Sector Housing Manager) will be present at the meeting.

The Committee welcomed James Duggin, (Executive Head of Operations), Suzannah Hellicar (Service Manager – Housing) and Hilary Smith (Private Sector Housing Manager) who were in attendance to provide a presentation on the management of damp and mould in the local housing sector. Cllr Maurice Sheehan, Operational Services Portfolio Holder, was also in attendance.

The presentation covered the following:

·         Legislation – the Council followed the Housing Act 2004 Part 1 Legislation, which incorporated the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). The HHSRS provided operating guidance and enforcement guidance.

·         Managing disrepair in Rushmoor – It was noted that complaints were received by email, phone or via the website from both social and private tenants. Each case was allocated to an officer with the expectation of a response to the claimant in three working days. Urgent cases were expedited. The process recommended that tenants contacted landlords directly, prior to contacting the Council. The Council offered advice, information and inspection, assessment and action where appropriate. It was advised that damp and mould could be caused by a number of factors, examples of which were shared with the Committee. These included:

o   Penetrating/rising damp

o   Lack of ventilation

o   Lack of heating

o   Overcrowding

o   Poor energy efficiency

o   Tenant behaviour

·         The Rochdale case and the Government response – the Committee was apprised of the case in Rochdale where a two year old had passed away. His death had been attributed to living in a flat that had damp and mould present. The Government had responded by issuing a directive under Section 3 (3) Housing Act 2004, followed by a request for and overview of, how local authorities dealt with damp and mould complaints in the Private Sector.

·         Rushmoor’s response – It was noted that all complaints of damp and mould were now inspected and assessed under the HHSRS. It was noted that there had been an increase in complaints since the Rochdale case, although the numbers of complaints had now evened out. The Committee noted that larger Housing Associations were establishing damp and mould teams within their organisations to deal with complaints.

·         Data – the Committee reviewed Council data on disrepair issues and it was noted that numbers had increased in the first quarter of 2023. It was also noted that the number of complaints from both the private and social housing sectors had evened out, whereas in the previous year, complaints had mainly come from the social housing sector.

·         HHSRS – Government Consultation – it was noted that questions within the consultation had centred around the condition of housing stock (as far as the authority was aware). The Committee noted that the team had concerns that the existing legislation, which was complex and time consuming,  was not fit for purpose. This had been raised as a concern in the Council’s response. It was also noted that damp and mould scored low in the HHSRS outcomes, making formal enforcement challenging, this had also been raised in the response.

The Committee noted a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

To receive reports from the three Cabinet Champions on their work during the 2022/23 Municipal Year (copy attached). The Champions are as follows:

·         Climate Change  – Cllr Steve Masterson

·         Armed Forces – Cllr Nem Thapa

·         Equality and Diversity - Cllr Mara Makunura

Cllr Sue Carter, (Democracy, Strategy and Partnerships Portfolio Holder), Rachel Barker, (Assistant Chief Executive) and Jill Shuttleworth (Corporate Manager – Democracy) will join the meeting either online or in person.

The Committee welcomed the three Cabinet Champions, Cllr Steve Masterson (Climate Change), Cllr Nem Thapa (Armed Forces) and Cllr Mara Makunura (Equality and Diversity) who were in attendance to provide a review of the work undertaken during the 2022/23 Municipal Year. Rachel Barker, Assistant Chief Executive was also in attendance with Cllr Sue Carter, Democracy, Strategy and Partnerships Portfolio Holder and Jill Shuttleworth, Corporate Manager – Democracy joining the meeting remotely.

(1)  Climate Change

The Committee noted the report from the Climate Change Cabinet Champion and in particular the work undertaken by the Climate Change Working Group (CCWG). The Group had heard from a number of external speakers, this had allowed the Council to align its plans with those of key stakeholders who also had a significant role to play in reducing emissions across Rushmoor. Progress monitoring on the Council’s Carbon Footprint had also been a key piece of work for the Champion and it was noted that this was due to conclude shortly with a report being made to the CCWG at its next meeting.

It was noted that during the year, the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan had undergone a review process against the agreed actions. Strong progress had been made against a number of actions, including the rollout of food waste collections, the launch of the Repair Café and work with local schools to raise awareness. The Strategy and Action Plan was currently undergoing a refresh, taking into account the new carbon footprint data. It was felt that the Strategy and Action Plan should be more focussed with a smaller number of key projects to be delivered.

Communication and engagement had also been a key area during the year, activities included an article in Arena, increased frequency of updates to Members via the Chief Executive’s bulletin and continued engagement with key stakeholders. A number of events were also being planned for later in the year, these included Big Green Week and an Eco Fair.

The Committee discussed the Report and made a number of comments, in particular, taking account of the proposed reduction in the number of Cabinet Champions from three to two. Following the Outcomes Based Budgeting processed, it was proposed that the Climate Change Champion be retained. It was also felt important that the Cabinet Champions reported into the Cabinet on a regular basis throughout the Municipal Year.

Concern was raised over the slow progress of the response to the Climate Change emergency and some Members expressed the view that more progress would be made going forward.

The Chairman thanked Cllr Masterson for his presentation.

(2)  Armed Forces

The Committee noted the Report from the Armed Forces Cabinet Champion and the work undertaken during the year. It was noted that the Champion had participated in the Covenant Partnership Conference in November 2022, which had brought together a range of military and civilian partners working together for the effective delivery of the provisions of the Armed Forces Covenant and Armed Forces Act 2021. Cllr Thapa  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

To consider the Work Plan for the 2022/23 Municipal Year (copy attached).

The Committee noted the current work plan and was advised that a meeting of the Progress Group was scheduled for the following week to address any outstanding issues and plan for the forthcoming Municipal Year.