Agenda item

RESOLVED:

·         that the report and presentation be noted; and

·         that the committee receives further detail on the status of the 1,000 homes in the council’s Building for Lewisham programme.

Cllr Sophie Davis, Cabinet Member for Housing Management and Homelessness, introduced the item noting that:

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6.1  The development of the HRA Business Plan is crucial to delivering the housing that Lewisham needs and improving the quality of existing council housing stock.

6.2  This includes improving the energy efficiency of our homes in line with the council’s ambitious climate target.

6.3  Once developed the HRA Business Plan will be presented to Mayor & Cabinet as part of council’s budget in February 2023.

Fenella Beckman, Director of Housing Services, also noted that:

6.4  One of the main reasons the HRA business plan is being developed and brought to scrutiny at an early stage is because the council is nearly at the limit of what it can afford to borrow and will need to prioritise if additional commitments are made from the HRA.

6.5  The HRA business plan will help to prioritise and ensure that the council efficiently manages its business as a landlord, meets its statutory responsibilities, and demonstrates that it can borrow and manage risks.

Margaret Dodwell, Chief Executive of Lewisham Homes, also noted that:

6.6  The 47% compliance figure for the decent homes standard was in large part due to fire doors being retrospectively deemed as defective and needing to be replaced.

6.7  Decent homes compliance currently stands at 85% and is on target to achieve 100% by the autumn, subject to residents granting access.

6.8  Lewisham Homes will provide a more comprehensive update to the committee in September.

The committee asked a number of questions about the HRA business plan and the following key points were noted:

6.9  Each scheme in the Building for Lewisham programme will need to satisfy a number of financial criteria to be recommended for approval by Mayor & Cabinet. Where a scheme isn’t able to satisfy the relevant criteria the council will assess the options in consultation with lead members.

6.10      The council does currently have a balanced HRA. Having a business plan helps to increase the HRA’s resilience by making provision for issues such as bad debt and non-collection of rent etc. but will be kept under review given the growing cost of living crisis.

6.11      In response to questions about repairs and energy efficiency of homes, it was noted that Lewisham Homes is looking closely at this issue as a number of their street properties have very high maintenance and heating costs and may not be suitable or affordable for some households.

6.12      It was also noted that some residents can be reluctant to provide access for repairs and maintenance for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is the time it can take, particularly for electricity checks, for example. It was also noted, however, that 100% of Lewisham Homes properties have been gas safety certified.

6.13      Lewisham Homes’ 19/20 stock condition survey was primarily focused on the decent homes standard. There has been separate work on issues such as lifts and large-panel systems and Lewisham Homes is working with the council to assess the costs and develop a strategic approach to address this.

6.14      In response to queries about the status of the 1,000 council homes in the Building for Lewisham programme, officers agreed to provide the committee with detailed figures on this.