To present to Cabinet the following Housing Policies for approval and adoption:

·      Housing Under Occupation Transfer Incentive Policy; and

·      Housing Compensation Policy.

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a)     approves and formally adopts the revised Under Occupation Transfer Incentive Policy and the new Housing Compensation Policy;

(b)     approves that the Under Occupation Incentive Policy be funded by refocusing the existing cash incentive scheme budget of £0.060m held within the Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme along with the corresponding change in the revenue contribution to the capital programme in 2025/26; and

(c)     authorises the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery), in consultation with the Portfolio Holder responsible for Housing, to make future updates or amendments to these policies and that this will include an annual review of the Housing Under Occupation Transfer Incentive to assess its effectiveness.

Cabinet considered a report of the Housing and Planning Portfolio Holder (A.6) whichpresented to Cabinet the following Housing Policies for approval and adoption:

·      Housing Under Occupation Transfer Incentive Policy; and

·      Housing Compensation Policy.

It was reported that this Portfolio Holder report presented two housing policies for approval. Those policies amended and formalised the work that was already undertaken in the Housing and Environmental Health service.

The Council recognised that there was an existing demand for family size properties, as demonstrated by the number of applicants on its housing register. It was essential that the Council did all that it could to support tenants seeking to downsize from family size accommodation and to maximise the use of its housing stock.

Cabinet was informed that the Housing Under Occupation Transfer Incentive Policy set out how the Council would encourage and assist tenant’s under-occupying family and adapted accommodation to downsize into other accommodation thereby releasing family or adapted accommodation for others in housing need.

Members were advised that the Housing Compensation Policy set out the approach that the Council would take in response to requests for compensation to ensure it acted in a fair, consistent and transparent matter. Whilst committed to providing excellent housing services for its customers, the Council accepted that there would be occasions when Council services might not meet those high standards and customers were inconvenienced or left out of pocket as a result.

Where a complaint was justified, an acknowledgement and apology might be sufficient. However, where a complainant had suffered some disadvantage, inconvenience or loss because of the service failure experienced, other remedial action might need to be considered including financial compensation.

Cabinet was made aware that these policies complied with the Regulator of Social Housing’s revised Consumer Standards that had come into effect from 1 April 2024 as well as the Housing Ombudsman’s guidance in relation to compensation.

To ensure that the policies were appropriately adopted, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and to evidence compliance with regulatory standards:-

It was moved by Councillor Baker, seconded by Councillor Scottand:-

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a)     approves and formally adopts the revised Under Occupation Transfer Incentive Policy and the new Housing Compensation Policy;

(b)     approves that the Under Occupation Incentive Policy be funded by refocusing the existing cash incentive scheme budget of £0.060m held within the Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme along with the corresponding change in the revenue contribution to the capital programme in 2025/26; and

(c)     authorises the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery), in consultation with the Portfolio Holder responsible for Housing, to make future updates or amendments to these policies and that this will include an annual review of the Housing Under Occupation Transfer Incentive to assess its effectiveness.