The report set out the proposed 30-Year Business Plan for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and considered both the Revenue and Capital position.

The following points were raised:

·       Identified the need to increase rents, but the Council must continue to offer a good service, keeping the staff costs down at all times.

·       Increase the number of homes that the Council inspected.

·       Be prepared for dealing with damp and mould legislation.

·       Confident that housing would continue to perform the day-to-day delivery to a very good standard.

·       The report made no mention of the 500 new homes.

·       This would affect every person on the housing list waiting to move from a flat to a house.

·       Since the report had been published the use of right to buy receipts to purchase additional homes would not be used to support a temporary accommodation offer.

·       The Council needed to find a way to bring new, affordable homes to Thurrock potentially working with housing associations and developments.

·       Appealed to commissioners to allow the Council to borrow to enable the council to purchase properties from the market to use as temporary accommodation, which would save money as most would be paid out of housing benefit which would avoid a significant number of cuts to the Council.

·       Questioned what the limits were that the commissioners and Government could offer to Thurrock.

·       The business plan offered a lack of ambition, omitted details and made no refences to the fundamental part of the Council’s future.

·       Questioned whether any attempt to consider new partnerships such as housing associations.

·       Questioned whether this was a 30-year-old business plan or a snapshot in time.

·       Concerns raised in the HRA was where presumptions were being made on the procurement of items such as the repairs contract.

·       Concern that scrutiny was unable to keep pace with the procurement exercise.

·       Concerns also raised on the delivery of new council homes.

·       Referred to the social housing scheme recently presented at Planning Committee that could now be in jeopardy and urged commissioners to take another look at that.

·       Referred to Blackshots and how this project was progressing well and should not be lost and urged commissioners to look further into that.

·       Praised the work of housing officers on the Blackshots project.

·       Referred to the delivery of social and affordable housing and questioned whether those land assets owned by the Council could be sold to lease developers.

Members voted to approve recommendations 1.1 and 1.2 with 46 votes in favour, 0 votes against and 2 abstained votes.

Members voted to note recommendations 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7 with 48 votes in favour, 0 votes against and 0 abstained votes.

RESOLVED

Council approved:

1.1      The HRA revenue budget for 2024/25 (Table 1 & Appendix A)

1.2      The HRA 5-year capital programme for a total of £175.069m (Table 3 & Appendix C).

Council noted:

1.3      The HRA 5-year revenue budgets for 2024-25 to 2028-29 (Table 1 & Appendix A);

1.4      The HRA 30-year revenue budget for 2024-25 to 2053-54 (Appendix B);

1.5      The 30-year capital programme for 2024-25 to 2053-54 (Appendix D);

1.6      The draft HRA reserves and balances for the 5-year business plan (Appendix E)

1.7      The submission of the two requests to the Secretary of State. The outcome of it would be reported to Cabinet / Council.