Agenda item

This report sets out the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) forecast outturn for 2017-18 and the proposed HRA budget for 2018/19 as required by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. This report also sets out, for information, rent-setting proposals for stock managed by Hillside (Hyde Group) and for the Residential Pitches portfolio. The report also summarises the key expenditure priorities and expectations for service delivery through the HRA budget and key policy developments likely to have an impact during the year, highlighting the principal risks.

It was RESOLVED:

8.1    HRA Business Plan Budget 2017-18 and 2018-19:

8.1.1               That the HRA forecast outturn for 2017/18 as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be noted;

8.1.2               That the proposals be approved and that the savings and budget reductions for the HRA budget for 2018/19 as set out in Appendix 2 to the report be agreed, and these be agreed for inclusion  within the overall Budget for 2018/19 recommended for approval by Full Council on 26February 2018;

8.1.3               That the HRA budget growth for 2018/19 of £1.29m with the use of £2.5m of one-off available resources, be approved; and

8.1.4               That the HRA budget savings for 2018/19 of £1.32m, be approved.

8.2   HRA Rent Setting 2018/19:

8.2.1               That an average overall rent decrease (excluding service charges) from April 2018 of £1.15 per dwelling per week for HRA council dwellings, representing an average overall decrease of 1% as set out in section 3.4.2 and Table 1 of the report, be approved;

8.2.2               That an average overall rent decrease from April 2018 of £1.27 per dwelling per week for Hillside Dwellings, representing an average overall rent decrease of 1% as set out in section 3.5.1 and Table 2 of the report, be approved;

8.2.3               That a decrease (excluding service charges) from April 2018 of £96.05 per pitch, per week, for residential pitches on the council’s Traveller site at Lynton Close, which is an average overall licence decrease of 40% as set out in section 3.6 and Table 5 of the report, be approved.

8.3      HRA Service Charges 2017-18:

8.3.1               That an increase to the service charges for HRA dwellings from April 2018 byan average of £0.27 per dwelling per week, as set out in Appendix 3 of the report, be agreed;

8.3.2               That an increase in Garage Rents for Council renters of an average £0.55 and for Private Renters of £0.68, as set out in section 3.8 and Table 6 of the report, be agreed;

8.3.3               That it be noted that service charge levels for Hillside dwellings from April 2018 were under review as set out in section 3.5 and that details would be reported to Cabinet as soon as they were available;  

8.4      HRA Stock Investment Programmes 2018/19:

8.4.1               That an overall HRA stock investment programme of £27.65mfor 2018/19, as set out in Table 7, be approved;

8.5     HRA Development Programmes 2017-19:

8.5.1               That the continued delivery of Council New Build Development Programme with HRA budget of £24m for 2018/19 and £10.5 for 2019/20 to complete 117 new homes, be agreed; and

8.5.2               That a feasibility budget (Revenue Budget) of £0.125m for 2018/19 to work on the delivery of the additional Council New Build Development Sites, be agreed.

Councillor Farah (Lead Member for Housing and Welfare Reform) introduced the report which set out the Council’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA) forecast outturn and proposed budget for 2017-2018. He highlighted that the budget had taken into account the one percent rent reduction as required by the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2015. He noted that the report was also set within the context of housing management services being brought back ‘in-house’. He ran through the recommendations proposed and the rationale for these, the detail of which was contained within the report.

Cabinet Members Miller and Butt spoke respectively in support of the proposals.  

It was RESOLVED:

9.1    HRA Business Plan Budget 2017-18 and 2018-19:

9.1.1               That the HRA forecast outturn for 2017/18 as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be noted;

9.1.2               That the proposals be approved and that the savings and budget reductions for the HRA budget for 2018/19 as set out in Appendix 2 to the report be agreed, and these be agreed for inclusion  within the overall Budget for 2018/19 recommended for approval by Full Council on 26February 2018;

9.1.3               That the HRA budget growth for 2018/19 of £1.29m with the use of £2.5m of one-off available resources, be approved; and

9.1.4               That the HRA budget savings for 2018/19 of £1.32m, be approved.

9.2   HRA Rent Setting 2018/19:

9.2.1               That an average overall rent decrease (excluding service charges) from April 2018 of £1.15 per dwelling per week for HRA council dwellings, representing an average overall decrease of 1% as set out in section 3.4.2 and Table 1 of the report, be approved;

9.2.2               That an average overall rent decrease from April 2018 of £1.27 per dwelling per week for Hillside Dwellings, representing an average overall rent decrease of 1% as set out in section 3.5.1 and Table 2 of the report, be approved;

9.2.3               That a decrease (excluding service charges) from April 2018 of £96.05 per pitch, per week, for residential pitches on the council’s Traveller site at Lynton Close, which is an average overall licence decrease of 40% as set out in section 3.6 and Table 5 of the report, be approved;

9.3      HRA Service Charges 2017-18:

9.3.1               That an increase to the service charges for HRA dwellings from April 2018 byan average of £0.27 per dwelling per week, as set out in Appendix 3 of the report, be agreed;

9.3.2               That an increase in Garage Rents for Council renters of an average £0.55 and for Private Renters of £0.68, as set out in section 3.8 and Table 6 of the report, be agreed;

9.3.3               That it be noted that service charge levels for Hillside dwellings from April 2018 were under review as set out in section 3.5 and that details would be reported to Cabinet as soon as they were available;  

9.4      HRA Stock Investment Programmes 2018/19:

9.4.1               That an overall HRA stock investment programme of £27.65mfor 2018/19, as set out in Table 7, be approved;

9.5     HRA Development Programmes 2017-19:

9.5.1               That the continued delivery of Council New Build Development Programme with HRA budget of £24m for 2018/19 and £10.5 for 2019/20 to complete 117 new homes, be agreed; and

9.5.2               That a feasibility budget (Revenue Budget) of £0.125m for 2018/19 to work on the delivery of the additional Council New Build Development Sites, be agreed.