Items Of Business
Apologies
Apologies from members.
Declarations of Interest
Members are asked to declare an interest in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest.
There were no declarations of interest intimated prior to the commencement of the meeting.
Joint report by Directors of Finance & Resources and Development & Housing Services
1
There was submitted a joint revenue budget monitoring report by the Directors of Finance & Resources and Development & Housing Services for the period 1 April to 26 June, 2015.
DECIDED:
(a) That the budget position be noted: and
(b) That it be noted that since the last report there had been no budget realignments.
Report by the Director of Finance & Resources
2
There was submitted a capital budget monitoring report by the Director of Finance & Resources in respect of the Housing Division of Development & Housing Services for the period 1 April to 26 June, 2015.
DECIDED: That the report be noted.
Report by M Gordon, Local Senior Officer
3
There was submitted a report by the Local Senior Officer, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) relative to service performance and activities in the Renfrewshire area for the period April – May 2015.
The report highlighted improvements across a range of performance indicators and identified areas where further interventions were required. Over the period there had been no change in the number of all non-fatal fire casualties; there had been a slight increase in the number of incidences of deliberate fire-raising; the number of accidental primary fires and accidental dwelling fires had reduced; there was a slight increase in the number of non-domestic fires; the number of false alarms had increased; and the number of road traffic collisions had reduced by 50%. The appendix to the report provided an analysis of performance and activities on a ward basis.
DECIDED: That the report be noted.
Report by Chief Superintendent J Downie
4
There was submitted a report by the Chief Superintendent, K Division Police Scotland, relative to service performance in the Renfrewshire area during the period 1 April to 30 June, 2015. The report provided an analysis of key performance indicators for both recorded and detected crime and covered all local police plan priority areas as detailed in the local police plan.
DECIDED: That the report be noted.
Report by Director of Community Resources
5
There was submitted an update report by the Director of Community Resources relative to the current HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland’s (HMICS) annual scrutiny plan 2015/16 which covered the second year of the workplan 2014 – 2017 and which was attached as an appendix to the report.
The report intimated that the scrutiny plan had an appropriate focus on the issues highlighted in the Council’s initial response to the consultation and included partnership work related to Children’s Services and multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA).
DECIDED: That the publication of the HMICS Annual Scrutiny Plan for 2015/16 be noted.
Report by Director of Community Resources
6
There was submitted an update report by the Director of Community Resources relative to the recent activities of the Renfrewshire Community Safety Partnership. The report included information about environmental enforcement and improvement activities; protecting vulnerable residents; building safer communities; diversionary activities; and the development of the integrated control room and CCTV.
DECIDED: That the report be noted.
Report by Director of Development & Housing Services
7
There was submitted a report by the Director of Development & Housing Services relative to the annual Customer Engagement report 2014/15.
The Annual Report reviewed progress made in relation to the Customer Engagement Strategy, set out the aims for 2015/16, outlined the financial and other resources made available by the Council to promote tenant involvement and highlighted the work undertaken in this connection during 2014/15. A copy of the Customer Engagement Annual Report 2014/15 was appended to the report.
The report made reference to the requirements for landlords in terms of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2011 to implement, monitor and review a tenant participation strategy; establish and maintain a register of tenants’ and residents’ organisation; and notify individual tenants and tenants’ organisations on proposals relating to housing management, service standards and the Tenant Participation Strategy and take account of their views.
DECIDED: That the Customer Engagement Annual Report 2014/15 be noted.
Report by Director of Development & Housing Services
8
There was submitted a report by the Director of Development & Housing Services relative to the final outturn position for the Council in relation to meeting the requirements of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) by 1 April, 2015.
The report confirmed that after taking allowable exemptions and abeyances into consideration all of the Council’s housing stock met the required standard by the due date. The report also summarised the extent of the work carried out since commencement of the programme in May 2010, the final financial position, issues that had arisen during the programme, the community benefits that had accrued over the course of the programme and the strategy for maintaining the stock at the levels required by the SHQS and the new Energy Efficiency standard for Social Housing (EESSH).
DECIDED:
(a) That it be noted that all of the Council’s housing stock met the requirements of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard by the 2015 deadline and taking into account allowable exemptions and abeyances net compliance with SHQS was 84.56%;
(b) That it be noted that the total HRA capital expenditure over the period of the programme, from 2011 to 2015, was approximately £138 million as set out in section 5 of the report;
(c) That it be noted that allowances for work required to address allowed abeyances would be incorporated within future HRA capital programmes, taking account of expected demand and the availability of funding;
(d) That the community benefits delivered over the course of the programme as set out within section 7 of the report be noted; and
(e) That it be noted that future HRA capital programmes would take account of the requirement to maintain the Council housing stock at the level required by the SHQS.
Report by Director of Development & Housing Services
9
There was submitted a report by the Director of Development & Housing Services relative to the Annual Health and Safety Report for Development & Housing Services.
The report outlined the arrangements for the management of health and safety within the Service and summarised achievements during 2014/15. A copy of the Annual Health and Safety Report 2014/15 for Development & Housing Services was attached as an appendix to the report and the report intimated that the Health and Safety Action Plan for 2015/16 would be reported separately to a future meeting of this Policy Board.
DECIDED: That the report be noted and that it also be noted that the report would be submitted to the meeting of the Planning & Property Policy Board in respect of Planning and Economic Development related activities.
Report by Director of Development & Housing Services
10
There was submitted a report by the Director of Development & Housing Services relative to the Council’s response to Shelter Scotland‘s request for support for their ‘Make Renting Right’ campaign which aimed to promote reform and improvement within the private rented sector. A copy of the letter from Shelter Scotland requesting the Council’s support was appended to the report.
The report intimated that Shelter Scotland’s campaign sought stability for people wanting to make rented housing their home; flexibility for people to stay in their home as long as they needed to; a modern tenancy that gave security and flexibility for tenants and landlords; a fair system for sorting out renting problems when they occurred; and predictable rents for tenants and landlords.
The report suggested that these aims were in line with the Council’s own aspirations and were reflected in the responses from the Council to the two consultations on a New Tenancy for the Private Rented Sector recently submitted to the Scottish Government, with the recommendations included within Renfrewshire’s Tackling Poverty Commission report and the recent agreement by the Council to invest £6 million in a scheme to tackle child poverty.
DECIDED: That Renfrewshire Council support Shelter Scotland’s campaign as requested in their letter appended to the report.
Report by Director of Development & Housing Services
Report by Director of Development & Housing Services
12
There was submitted a report by the Director of Development & Housing Services relative to the position for Council tenants at end of financial year 2014/15 in relation to Housing Benefit reduction and the ongoing action being taken within Housing Services to support tenants through Welfare Reform changes. The report also provided an update on the latest position in relation to Universal Credit roll out in Renfrewshire as it affected Council tenants.
DECIDED:
(a) That the position for Council tenants at end of financial year 2014/15 and the ongoing action being taken within Housing Services be noted; and
(b) That the latest position in relation to Universal Credit roll out in Renfrewshire as it affected Council tenants be noted.
Report by Director of Development & Housing Services
13
There was submitted a report by the Director of Development & Housing Services relative to the Scottish Social Housing Charter annual return for 2014/15, a copy of which was appended to the report.
The annual return provided a summary of Renfrewshire Council’s performance against the Charter indicators, highlighting both improved performance and also areas which required further improvement and gave details of some core contextual data which the Council also submitted as part of the Charter return.
DECIDED: That the outturn report on the Scottish Social Housing Charter 2014/15, as detailed in the appendix to the report, be noted.
Report by Director of Development & Housing Services
14
There was submitted a report by the Director of Development & Housing Services relative to housing equalities monitoring information for 2014/15.
The report intimated that the Council was committed to promoting equal opportunities and outlined recent activity within Development & Housing Services to ensure equality in service delivery. The report also provided information on the work within the Service to embrace diversity, promote equal opportunities and eliminate discrimination. The Housing Equalities Monitoring Report 2014/15, a copy of which was appended to the report, identified further action to promote equal opportunities and to inform future planning.
DECIDED: That the Housing Equalities Monitoring Report 2014/15, as appended to the report, and the action taken by Housing Services to ensure equality in service delivery, as detailed within the report, be noted.
Intimation by the Director of Development & Housing Services in terms of Housing Rule 10.7, which requires all housing allocations which involve either (i) Council members or their immediate families or (ii) members of staff of the Housing Division or their immediate families to be notified to the relevant Policy Board.
Address - 49 Spey Avenue, Foxbar
Size - 1 bedroom
Allocated to - Sister of employee
Address - 12 Beith Road, Howwood
Size - 2 bedroom
Allocated to - Employee
15
There was submitted intimation by the Director of Development & Housing Services in terms of Housing Rule 10.7, which required all housing allocations which involved either (i) Council members or their immediate families or (ii) members of staff of the Housing Division or their immediate families to be notified to the relevant Policy Board.
Address – 49 Spey Avenue, Foxbar
Size – 1 bedroom
Allocated to – sister of employee
Address – 12 Beith Road, Howwood
Size – 2 bedroom
Allocated to – employee
DECIDED: That the intimation be noted.
EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC
The Board may by resolution exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business as it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the press and public are present, there could be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 8 and 9 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1973.
The Board resolved to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business as it was likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the press and public were present, there could be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 8 and 9 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1973.
16
Building Services Trading Budget Monitoring Report
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Item 16 - Building Services Trading Monitoring Report
- Private