Agenda item

To consider a report of the Deputy Chief Executive summarising the quarter 4 performance data relevant to the Scrutiny Board.

The report of the Deputy Chief Executive provided a summary of performance against the strategic priorities for the Council and city related to the Scrutiny Board (Housing and Regeneration).

The following officers were in attendance:

-  Paul Maney, Head of Strategic Planning Policy and Performance

-  Maggie Gjessing, Housing Investment Manager, City Development

-  Debra Scott, Head of Performance and Service Review

-  John Statham, Head of Housing Partnership, Environment and Neighbourhoods.

In consideration of this report, a number of issues were discussed which included:

·  Empty private and Council properties.

·  Council tax payments on empty properties.

·  Delivery of affordable housing where in respect of the Housing Association programmes the Council anticipates that delivery will be back loaded towards the end of the spending review period i.e. up to 2015 but still expect the properties to be delivered.

·  Housing supply and the range of activities that the City Development and Environment and Neighbourhoods Directorates were undertaking to maximise and accelerate housing growth.

·  Easel and the developer bringing forward a planning application at Spofforth Hill.  Reference was made to the discussions taking place around the possibility of taking the affordable homes contribution as a commuted sum in another part of the city and concern that ward Members had not been consulted on the proposals.

·  Confirmation that review of the membership and process of the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) had been completed and that Councillors J Procter and C Campbell had been appointed to this body.  The Chair reported that developers had been given notice that they would now be required to submit detailed viability assessments for all brown field sites to the SHLAA which they considered to be economically unviable.

·  Clarification as to responsibility for the collection of housing data including house completions and its importance.  Reference was made to the fact that persistent under delivery of homes could result inmore land being zoned for housing  as the 5% buffer as detailed in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) guidance could be increased to 20% in certain circumstances.

·  Reference to the review being undertaken to ensure performance reports continue to be fit-for-purpose and the consequent suspension of the next quarter 1 performance report.  Members reiterated the fact that they wanted more meaningful data and which was not purely based on relevant priorities in the Council Business Plan and City Priority Plan.

RESOLVED – 

(a)  That the report be noted

(b)  That details of empty Council properties going through repairs prior to letting broken down by ALMO and those which are for sale or disposal be circulated to Members of the Board for information. 

(c)  That a joint report of the Director of City Development and Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods be submitted to the Board on the Council’s policies and approach to determining when an affordable homes contribution from a development is taken as a commuted sum in another part of the city and who is consulted on the proposal.

(d)  That the Director of City Development submit a progress report to a future meeting of this Board updating Members on the review and what data was to be included in future performance reports.

(Councillor B Atha attended the meeting at 10.25am during consideration of this item.)

(In relation to this item and reference made above to a planning application for Spofforth Hill, Councillor G Wilkinson drew the Board’s attention to the fact that his son-in-law owns some of this land.)