Agenda

Housing Scrutiny Commission - Tuesday, 18 March 2025 5:30 pm

Venue: Meeting Room G.01, Ground Floor, City Hall, 115 Charles Street, Leicester, LE1 1FZ

Contact: Kirsty Wootton, Senior Governance Services Officer, email:  kirsty.wootton@leicester.gov.uk  Lucia Audu, Governance Services Officers, email:  lucia.audu@leicester.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Welcome and Apologies for Absence

To issue a welcome to those present, and to confirm if there are any apologies for absence.

 

 

2.

Declarations of Interests

Members will be asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed.

 

3.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 137 KB

The minutes of the meeting of the Housing Scrutiny Commission held on 7th January 2025 have been circulated, and Members will be asked to confirm them as a correct record.

 

4.

Chairs Announcements

The Chair is invited to make any announcements as they see fit.

5.

Questions, Representations and Statements of Case

The following representation has been submitted by Mr S. Raja:

 

 

 

  1. Fire Risk Assessments (FRA) & Compliance
  • The recent FOI response (Ref: FOIA 33570) confirmed that while all council-owned residential properties have an FRA, 700 properties have not had an assessment in the past three years.
  • Can the council confirm its timeline for conducting up-to-date FRAs on these properties?
  • Will residents be given access to FRA schedules for their buildings?
  • If the council was so confident in the FRA from 2017, how has January 2025 on one of seven hundred properties found concerns? Were the internal reviews flawed?

 

  1. Fire Safety Concerns & Transparency
  • The council claims that no inquiries from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) have gone unanswered.
  • However, can the council provide a record of past concerns raised by LFRS, action taken, and deadlines met to ensure full transparency?

 

  1. Right to Buy (RTB) Delays & Complaints
  • The council has refused to provide data on financial losses or complaints related to RTB delays, citing retrieval costs.
  • Given the significant increase in RTB applications, does the council have sufficient staffing and resources to process applications without unnecessary delays?
  • Can the council commit to publishing RTB complaint statistics quarterly to improve transparency? I understand there is no measure at present and so the leadership demonstrates they have no control over potential improvements. 
  • I request a measurement of the RTB (Right to Buy) team's case response rates. How long do they currently take per case? Will the council commit to an improvement plan? Currently, there are no publicly available statistics, meaning no transparency or accountability on this matter.

 

  1. RTB Lease Pack Charges & Accountability
  • The council charges £125 per lease pack but does not track total revenue from these charges.
  • Shouldn’t this be a recorded financial transaction, given that it involves resident payments? How does the department ensure the finances are allocated correctly back to RTB or Housing?
  • Can the council provide a breakdown of what this charge covers and how it is justified? If no account is kept, then how have they made up this figure and justify it?

 

  1. Impact of RTB Sales on Affordable Housing Supply
  • Given the budget strain expected from the spike in RTB applications, what specific measures is the council taking to offset housing stock depletion?
  • Can the council outline its strategy to replenish lost social housing in the coming years?

 

  1. Estate Management & Housing Services
  • The last Scrutiny Commission meeting highlighted concerns about fly-tipping and estate maintenance in council-owned housing. I would think the estate maintenance would include commitment to fire safety. 
  • What enforcement strategy is in place to tackle fly-tipping, particularly in council housing areas?
  • Given the confusion around the roles of City Wardens vs. Estate Wardens, can a clear responsibility guide be provided to tenants?

 

6.

Petitions

Any petitions received in accordance with Council procedures will be reported.

 

7.

Succession Policy pdf icon PDF 618 KB

This briefing provides an update to the Commission on Leicester City Council’s succession, change of name and sole to joint and joint to sole policies and gives an overview of the legislation which needs to be followed.

8.

Tenant Involvement Proposals pdf icon PDF 533 KB

This report provides an update to the Housing Scrutiny Commission on the formation of a Divisional Engagement and Communication Strategy for the Tenants and Leaseholders who live in properties owned and managed by Leicester City Council.

 

9.

Housing Crisis Delivery Update pdf icon PDF 286 KB

This report provides an update to the Housing Scrutiny commission setting out the progress on the delivery of the Housing Crisis actions, following the declaration of a Housing crisis on 24th November 2022.

 

10.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 102 KB

Members of the Commission will be asked to consider the work programme and make suggestions for additional items as it considers necessary.

11.

Any Other Urgent Business