Agenda item
Cabinet Member Update
The Cabinet Member(s) will update the Panel on any relevant issues. Panel members may ask questions.
Minutes:
The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member for Economic Development for his written submissions that had been circulated to the Panel and asked if there were any questions for him.
Councillor Cherry Beath asked if it was planned to make the current Enterprise Area bigger.
The Cabinet Member for Economic Development replied that the Council is proposing a multi-site urban and rural enterprise zone that re-designates the Bath City Riverside Enterprise Area into an Enterprise Zone and will include an additional portfolio of employment locations along the A367 Somer Valley Corridor district (the smaller towns of Midsomer Norton and Radstock and the rural areas which lie along the A367).
The Divisional Director for Community Regeneration added that if successful the Council would receive additional Government benefits and that the funding would be spread across B&NES.
Councillor Cherry Beath asked if other areas are bidding to become an Enterprise Zone.
The Divisional Director for Community Regeneration replied that four expressions of interest within the West of England have been lodged and that only one will go forward to the Government for them to decide upon the proposal.
Councillor Barry Macrae commented that he welcomed the work on this matter and said that if successful it would benefit the whole of B&NES.
Councillor Liz Richardson asked what the timeline of the bid process was and if the Council could bid again should it be unsuccessful on this occasion.
The Divisional Director for Community Regeneration replied that the deadline for submissions to the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) was August 28th and that he expected a meeting of the LEP Executive to take place within the next 7 – 10 days ahead of a submission to Government by September 18th.
With regard to the Housing Services update report Councillor Liz Richardson asked for clarification on the status of Right to Buy of affordable houses in villages with a population of under 3,000.
The Head of Housing replied that at present villages were excluded, however, the Government’s proposal would include homes within a village of a population of under 3,000. He added that no details had yet been released, but that Government statements stated that all properties lost on a right to buy basis must be replaced on a 1:1 basis by the Council. He said that this would be a challenge, particularly given the scale forecast.
Councillor Liz Richardson asked if Affordable Warmth grants were available for older properties.
The Head of Housing replied that solid wall insulation is part of the scheme of grants available.
Councillor Liz Richardson asked what measures the Council takes regarding the enforcement of additional HMO Licensing.
The Head of Housing replied that the Council will enforce the minimum standards without exception.
Councillor Barry Macrae said that he supported a strong line of this issue.
The Chairman asked what the budget was for the Affordable Warmth scheme.
The Head of Housing replied that the figure was around £120,000 and was made up of contributions from the Government, energy companies and the Council.
The Chairman asked how many homes took part in the scheme.
The Head of Housing replied that around 50 were in the pipeline to take part.
The Chairman asked what the Council does to identify HMO’s and are its
costs covered through the fee charged.
The Head of Housing replied that the administration of the scheme is covered
by the fee but that any enforcement action has to covered by the Council. He
added that a recent case in London has argued that enforcement should be
included within the fee. He said that a judgement on the case was pending.
He said that the department had just cleared the incoming applications and
was about to start work on further identification.
Councillor Colin Blackburn said that an anonymous reporting system would be
welcomed in terms of reporting suspicious properties with regard to HMO’s.
The Head of Housing replied that he would look into arranging an anonymous
reporting form.
Councillor Colin Blackburn asked if officers had considered doing a cross
reference check with those claiming Council Tax relief to identify further
properties.
The Head of Housing replied that they had done this type of work previously
and would be willing to look into a similar exercise in the future.
The Chairman asked for an update on the two empty properties that had been
purchased under a Compulsory Purchase Order.
He said that the Council were now evaluating the options on how best to get
them back into use, ideally as family accommodation.
The Chairman asked how changes to the Homesearch system would affect
vulnerable people who are not proficient in using the internet.
The Head of Housing replied that it operates a number of alternative options
for vulnerable clients including allowing friends & family to bid and in some
cases contacting them by telephone each week.
Councillor Liz Richardson said that she was concerned for elderly users of the
system and asked if Age UK could be contacted to help.
The Head of Housing replied that he was open to offers and suggestions of
help. He added that you normally find that somebody, a friend or relative,
has been allocated to help an older person.
The Chairman asked what the significance of the statistic‘100% was of
homelessness decisions were made within 33 days’ was.
The Head of Housing replied that this was a Government guidance figure that the Council was measured against. He added that the goal of the service is homelessness prevention and that the key figure is the number of households in temporary accommodation.
The Chairman acknowledged that the Panel recognises the work of officers in this area.