Agenda and draft minutes

Economy, Residents and Communities Scrutiny Committee - Monday, 18th March, 2024 9.30 am

Venue: By Zoom. View directions

Contact: Rachel Pugh Email: rachel.pugh1@powys.gov.uk

Media

Items

No.

Item

Apologies

To receive apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from County councillors K Lewis,

LRijnenberg.

Disclosures of Interest

To receive any disclosures of interests by Members relating to items to be considered at the meeting.

Minutes:

There were no disclosures of interest by Members relating to items to be considered at the meeting

Declaration of Party Whips

To receive disclosures of prohibited party whips which a Member has been given in relation to the meeting in accordance with Section 78(3) of the Local Government Measure 2011.

(NB: Members are reminded that under Section 78 Members having been given a prohibited party whip cannot vote on a matter before the Committee.)

Minutes:

The Committee did not receive any disclosures of prohibited party whips which a Member has been given in relation to the meeting in accordance with Section 78(3) of the Local Government Measure 2011.

Minutes PDF 104 KB

To authorise the Chair to sign the minutes of the previous meeting held as follows as a correct record: 11.01.2024 and 30.01.2024

Additional documents:

Minutes 11/01/2024 , item 4. PDF 109 KB

Minutes:

The Chair was authorised to sign the Minutes of the previous meetings 11.01.2024 and 30.01.2024 as a correct record.

Housing PDF 677 KB

To receive the report:

Housing Mainenance, Garage Maintenance and Management

Minutes:

Background:

· The report set out a summary of Council properties and maintenance requirements. It also covered an overview on garages which included future plans and proposals.

· It highlighted a number of significant issues that the Service were experiencing and how barriers were overcome including the age of the housing stock.

· An all-Wales Star Survey and internal surveys provided evidence of improving performance and how further improvements would be introduced.

· Compliance was a priority to ensure that all Council properties were kept safe for residents.

· The Housing Revenue Account Business Plan would be presented to Cabinet on 19 March 20204 and subject to approval would be shared with the Committee.

Points raised by the Committee:

Responses received from Officers or Cabinet Members:

Page 21 -Table 3.1.6 clarification of the performance table was requested around the aids and adaption delivery times.

The different states of work needed was explained:

180 days was a major works

90 days was a medium works

28 days is minor works.

Page 21 -Table 3.1.6 how do voids correlate with the number of days to relet a property.

The period was calculated from the keys received from the previous tenant to being provided to the new tenant.

The table included a number of properties which had received major refurbishment work along with properties set for demolition and one property marked for disposal.

Pre-allocations had been introduced to speed up the process and a backlog of voids were being concluded.

Page 17 – Table 2.1.4 were those properties of a greater age (60+) in the poorest state of repair.

It was noted how few Council houses were built after the 1980s.

Welsh Housing Quality Standards (WHQS) have been met, however larger issues such as roof coverings and retaining walls had begun to fail which was a large cost factor for the service.

A full house condition survey would begin in the Autumn to determine usage and to determine the most effective opportunity.

Concerns were raised around the monitoring of garages and the content held.

Garages were no longer kept for their intended use; resources were limited, and the service were unable to conduct detailed checks. It was proposed that the Council may seek future opportunities for the garages.

What options were available for residents when work takes place on a property, could they be rehomed temporarily.

Major works can impact tenants in many ways including health. Alternative accommodation would be sourced. It was noted that the tenant would pay the same rent and costs were covered by the Council in order to provide an incentive for the tenant to temporarily move out.

Were grants available to help with maintenance and to improve homes (renewables).

WHQS 2023 would begin in April which focuses on decarbonisation, which would be a high cost to every social landlord.

The council received a grant of £103k for 5500 properties in 2023/2024 from the Welsh Government.

Page 23 – 24 Concerns were raised around the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment (LOLER) and fire suppression ... view the full minutes text for item 5.

Working Groups PDF 111 KB

To consider the papers from the Working Groups

1. Economy, Residents and Communities Scrutiny Working Group – Heart of Wales Transistion to Powys County Council.

2. Joint Scrutiny – Leisure Review.

Additional documents:

10.1 ERC - HoWPS , item 6. PDF 87 KB

Minutes:

Joint Scrutiny – Leisure Review

· It was important to note that the Working Group reviewed the processes undertaken and not the next steps or the outcomes of the Leisure Review.

· The Working Group ran from May 2023 until January 2024.

· The report was very concise, and officers commended for the provision of very comprehensive data with a deep dive focus on the Ystradgynlais Centre.

· Different models were presented to the Working Group which provided further understanding.

· A recommendation for more financial detail to be provided due to many parents not being aware that schools were paying for the cost of transport for swimming lessons.

· It was confirmed that £82m would be needed to carry out the work to achieve net zero for leisure centres.

· The report and work conducted as part the Leisure Review and would form part of Sustainable Powys to support decision making in the near future

· Concerns were raised around the tight time periods for the report to be received by all three scrutiny committees and Cabinet on 19.03.24.

· The public consultation proved to be well responded.

· It was important that the next phase as well as the next steps were considered on behalf communities.

· It was felt that further scrutiny could take place around the funding provided to Freedom Leisure for schools usage of centres and to deliver the school curriculum

Economy, Residents and Communities Scrutiny Working Group – Heart of Wales Property Services transition to Powys County Council

· It was explained to the Committee that the Heart of Wales Property Services joint venture with Powys County Council had concluded and the Working Group focused on the integration of services back to Council function.

· The Working Group were pleased with the quality and quantity of information provided and recognised the challenges and barriersovercome to determine a successful transition.

· Lessons learned had been carried through into further projects for the Council.

· Members of the Working Group took part in site visits to speak with staff directly to gain first hand experiences and would be conducted on an annual basis

· It was identified that procurement could be more efficient, and stock could be made availableto staff, issues would be followed up and suggestions made to the work programme.

· Cross working with the Governance and Audit Working Group took place and both groups found the process helpful and supportive.

Resolved: The Working Group Reports be noted.

Scrutiny Work Programme

To note that future meetings of the Committee will be held as follows:

Please note agenda items are subject to change

15.05.24	Pre-Meeting
20.05.24	Committee – Public 1. Election of Vice Chair (after AGM in May) 2. Leisure Review 3. Car Park Review 4. Public protection overview 5. Enhanced Homelessness 6. Llanigon Site Transfer
07.06.24	Work Programme Planning
12.07.24	Pre-Meeting
17.07.24	Committee – Public 1.Routes into Work with the Council 2. People Strategy 3. Complaints 2023-24 4. Artificial Intelligence framework 5. Customer Services Review 6. Mobile broadband connectivity
10.08.24	Work Programme Planning
04.09.24	Pre-Meeting
09.09.24	Committee – Public 1. ROWIP 2. bin collection 3. School Costs Recovery
27.09.24	Work Programme Planning
24.10.24-	Pre-Meeting
28.10.24-	Committee – Public

Minutes:

It was noted that agenda items may change, and any suggestions were welcomed.

·Potholes and road conditions was suggested for a scrutiny item.

·Procurement was a continued workstream branch from the Heart of Wales Property Services transition to Powys County Council and an update could be considered.