Agenda item

Councillor RM Hannaford (Portfolio Holder for Housing Revenue Account), Councillor Morris (Portfolio Holder for Customer Access) and Councillor Owen (Portfolio Holder for Health and Place) will present half year reports and take questions.

Councillors Owen and Hannaford presented the progress reports on priorities within the Health and Place and Housing Revenue Account Portfolios respectively. Apologies had been received from Councillor Morris, the Portfolio Holder for Customer Access. Responses to Members’ queries are set out below:-

Health and Place

The Portfolio Holder reported that the period for the public consultation on the proposed Public Spaces Protection Order had been extended from 22 January to 29 February. Because of the purdah period, the reporting through the Committee cycle would therefore take place after the May Elections. The report was therefore scheduled for consideration during the June/July cycle which would be at the same timescale proposed for the consideration and adoption of the Homelessness Strategy. He emphasised that no decision had been taken in respect of the Order and that consideration would be given to suggestions and remedies to identified problems for inclusion in any Order.

With regard to the cleansing of the City Centre and implementing ways of Keeping the City Looking Good, he referred to the public consultation undertaken on the prioritisation of resources when the public had expressed a preference for ensuring high standards of cleanliness for the City Centre. He was seeking to discuss this aspect with the Business Improvement District Chief Executive.

Customer Access

In the absence of the Portfolio Holder for Customer Access, the Deputy Chief Executive undertook to respond to queries relating to the timescale for the tendering process relating to working in conjunction with a Credit Union and on personnel issues relating to the new Assertive Homeless Outreach Service.

Housing Revenue Account

The Portfolio Holder spoke on all five points within his update.

The Assistant Director Housing responded to a Member who expressed concern over incidents of anti-social behaviour on Council housing estates. With regard to the Housing Strategy, which was scheduled for submission to the next Scrutiny Committee in March, he advised that it was a high level policy document and would not detail operational matters such as responses to anti-social behaviour. However, the anti-social behaviour policy, as well as policies relating to tenancy agreements, were being reviewed, with reports to be brought to this Committee later in the year. They incorporated proposals to tighten procedures relating to reported problems of anti-social behaviour. He also referred to protocols followed by Environmental Health Officers, with Police presence if necessary, when visiting families affected by this behaviour, including those households with disabled individuals.

As the Committee would have the opportunity to review the above policies, a suggestion of establishing a Task and Finish Group in respect of anti-social behaviour was not supported.

The Chair invited the Portfolio Holder for City Development to the table to respond to a query from a Member on working with the University on student accommodation issues. The Portfolio Holder advised that both the Planning Member Working Group and the University Task and Finish Working Group were to consider a commissioned report on these issues, the report providing background information relevant to current and expected planning applications and the evolution of Council planning policies. There were concerns that recent purpose built student developments were increasingly focussed on “high end, luxury” accommodation which might not attract students from privately rented houses which otherwise could help ease the wider housing need.

Scrutiny Committee - Community noted the reports.