Issue - meetings

To enable Cabinet to give consideration to recommendations made by the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee following that Committee’s consideration of the Financial Performance Report.

RESOLVED that Cabinet notes the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations and endorses the responses of the Housing Portfolio Holder thereto.

Cabinet was aware that the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting held on 18 March 2019 (Minute 67 referred), had considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive which had presented an overview of the Council’s actual financial position against the budget as at the end of December 2018 and which also presented an updated forecast on an on-going basis as part of developing the budget for 2019/20 and beyond.

Having considered and discussed the information provided the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee had:-

“RESOLVED that this Committee recommends to Cabinet that –

(1)       the uncommitted grant income of £98,000 received from the Government as New Burdens funding be allocated to meet the rising costs of the homelessness service;

(2)       the Housing Portfolio Holder be urged to direct his Officers to demolish the former Honeycroft sheltered housing scheme building as a matter of urgency in view of the ongoing costs to this Council such as Council Tax on empty properties;

(3)       the previously carried feasibility studies be revisited in order to investigate the potential of the former Spendells sheltered housing scheme building being used for the homeless as a temporary alternative housing provision to bed and breakfast accommodation.”

Cabinet had before it the responses of the Housing Portfolio Holder to the recommendations of the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee as follows:-

“I would like to thank the Committee for its recommendation [number (1)] which I am happy to accept;

I would like to thank the Committee for its recommendation [number (2)] and I can advise the Committee that officers are in the process of recruiting a surveyor to organise the demolition of this building in conjunction with the demolition of another large building in order to maximise value for money.  Due to the complexity of the demolition it has not been possible to organise this within existing resources and the initial recruitment process was not successful.  The new post holder will also be responsible for some new build projects following the recent retirement of the Building and Structures Manager; and

I would like to thank the Committee for its recommendation [number (3)] and I can confirm that this is one of the options being considered alongside a parallel proposal from a partner agency which would like to lease the building for housing purposes.”

Having considered the responses of the Housing Portfolio Holder to the recommendations submitted by the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee:-

It was moved by Councillor G V Guglielmi, seconded by Councillor P B Honeywood and:-

RESOLVED that Cabinet notes the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations and endorses the responses of the Housing Portfolio Holder thereto.