Agenda and minutes

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

The Chair welcomed those present to the meeting.

There were no apologies for absence.

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

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

No interests were declared.

The minutes of the meeting held on 9^th July 2026 have been circulated, and Members will be asked to confirm them as a correct record.

AGREED:

The minutes of the previous meeting held 9 July 2026 were agreed as a correct record.

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

The Chair noted that due to time constraints, some reports would be taken as read.

Any questions, representations and statements of case submitted in accordance with the Council’s procedures will be reported.

It was noted that none were received.

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

It was noted that none were received.

The Director of Housing submits a report to the Commission which sets out the progress on delivery of the Housing Crisis actions.

The Chair suggested an agenda variance.  The Update on the Housing Crisis Declaration and Refresh would be taken before the report on Increasing the Supply of Affordable Housing; Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF).

The Director of Housing submitted a report to the Commission which set out the progress on delivery of the Housing Crisis actions.

Key points included:

·       In 2022, the Council declared a housing crisis. As part of this work Officers were keen to learn how the crisis manifested in Leicester and what issues the Council needed to lobby the government on. At the time, there was a recognition amongst Officers and the Executive member that no actions available to Council would solve the deep routed and underlying issues of the Housing Crisis.

·       The aim of the refresh was to provide an update on the progress made by the Council, the current national situation and refresh the priorities for the Council and Central Government. The Director of Housing emphasised that the Council met 15 of the 16 actions raised in 2022, while Central Government had completed 10 out of the 16 actions.

·       On affordable homes delivery the Council had delivered a pipeline for the creation of 1500 homes between 2023 and 2027, invested £400 Million into affordable homes across the city and delivered 1,100 affordable homes with partners between 2019 and 2023. The Council took major action on temporary accommodation with the approval and creation of 225 units and the lease of 125 properties at the cost of £45 Million, and a further £50 Million was later allocated for the creation of another 250 units. The Director of Housing highlighted that this work had saved the Council £29 Million this year and would save the Council £36 Million in the following year.

·       A large amount of work was carried out in the private rented sector. A live Private Rental Sector Strategy (PRSS) was implemented along with selective licensing in designated parts of the city and an improved offer for private landlords to encourage access to private rented properties. Along side this the Council had developed stronger working links and offers to PRS landlords This had led to progress, with a noted increase from 100 private lets in 2023 to 750 in 2026.

·       Despite the hard work of the service, homelessness remained a key challenge for the Council. Between April 2025 and March 2026 over 1000 individuals were counted as rough sleeping and Leicester consistently recorded higher levels of long tern rough sleeping compared to the regional and national averages.

·       It was highlighted that there were currently 700 families and 400 individuals in temporary accommodation. The annual revenue cost of which had risen from £5 Million to £24 Million. There were 6,300 households on the housing register waiting list, 82% of those households were either homelessness or in overcrowded conditions and the supply and demand gap was stark. It was highlighted that last year over 2000 households were waiting for 2 bedroom properties and only 320 Council properties were let  ...  view the full minutes text for item 114.

The Director of Housing submits a report to the Commission on the fourth round of Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) funding.  For Information & Questions Only

The Director of Housing submitted a report to the Commission on the fourth round of Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) funding.  The report was taken as read. At the request of the chair, some of the key points of the report were detailed to the Commission by the Head of Housing:

·       It was detailed that this was the fourth round LAHF which the Council had received to help support the delivery of temporary accommodation and resettlement in the city.

·       This report was seeking approval to add extra money to the HRA capital programme in addition to the money received from the LAHF, to purchase an additional 56 homes over the next 4 years. The break down for these acquisitions was 15 in year 1, 10 in year 2, 23 in year 3 and then 8 in the final year. These were to form a part of the larger HRA acquisitions.

·       The previous LAHF were detailed in the report, and it was noted that the report was due to go to the next Full Council.

In response to member questions and discussion, the following was noted:

·       The Chair asked for clarification on the property acquisitions for this scheme and whether they were purchases rather than building projects.  It was confirmed that the acquisitions were purchases of predominantly former council houses.

·       Members commented on the cost of acquisitions and how the Housing Department planned to handle changes in market values. The Head of Housing advised that they had made some assessments of potential changes in the costs and that they were satisfied that they could make these purchases.

·       Members further asked if any money had been set aside to refurbish or address any issues in the newly bought properties. The Head of Housing explained that these properties were being bought off the open market and that refurbishment would be minimal for most of them. However, a sum of £21,000 was set aside for each property to address any works that were required. 

AGREED:

1)    That members note the report.

2)    That comments made by members of this commission to be taken into account.

The Director of Housing submits a report to the Commission which sets out the Council's strategic plans for undertaking work to improve the private rented sector (PRS) across the City of Leicester.

The Director of Housing submitted a report to the Commission which set out the Council's strategic plans for undertaking work to improve the private rented

sector (PRS) across the City of Leicester.

The Head of Regulatory Services presented the report.

Key points included:

·       The report detailed the Council’s Private Rental Sector Strategy (PRSS) for the year 2026-2031 and responded to the growing importance of the private rental sector in the city. It was estimated that there were 40,000 privately rented properties in the city, who catered to the needs of residents who could not gain access to social housing or home ownership.

·       The Council faced increasing pressure from the rising homelessness demand, affordability challenges and poor housing conditions in the city.  Nationally the Renters Rights Act was bringing in some of the biggest changes to the sector in a generation, which provided tenants with increased protection and introduced new duties and enforcement powers for Councils.

·       There was a clear objective for the strategy, which was to improve housing standards in Leicester for the private rental sector for the benefit of tenants, landlords and the wider community. The strategy set out six high-level objectives listed on page 6 of the report (Appendix A) to help achieve the central objective. It was highlighted that each objective was supported by workstreams detailed in the report.

·       The strategy aimed to take a balanced approach and not alienate landlords. It was acknowledged that most landlords wanted to provide quality accommodation and comply with legal responsibilities. Therefore, the scheme provided guidance and support to compliant landlords while taking robust action against rogue, criminal and non-compliant landlords. Delivery of the strategy was overseen by Private Rental Sector Strategy Board, and progress was monitored through performance measures and regular reports to scrutiny. 

In discussions with Members, the following was noted:

·       Members were interested to learn of the impacts of the removal of Section 21 eviction notices. Officers commented that the prominent impact so far was a surge in Section 21 notices from landlords before the act came into effect. It was noted that there was a backlog of Section 21 cases going through the courts at the time. It was noted that nationally there was a 16% increase in Section 21 notices in the final year the Renter’s Rights Act came into effect. 

·       Members were keen to learn how the Council was handling the new duties it had received as part of the Renter’s Rights Act. The Head of Regulatory Services commented that the Council already had the Housing Standards Team and Selective Licensing team who dealt with problems in the private rental sector. So the new duties fitted well into the established work streams.   

·       Members were concerned about the possible impacts on landlords and whether the Council was concerned about landlords selling up their properties. It was explained that while the aim of the work was to improve standards of properties, they were keen to keep landlords on side and involved in the process. The work was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 116.

The Director of Housing Submits a report to the Commission which provides an update on the previous report provided in March 2026 regarding the Renters’ Rights Act phase 1, which has now been implemented.

The Director of Housing Submitted a report to the Commission which provided an update on the previous report provided in March 2026 regarding the Renters’ Rights Act phase 1.

The Head of Regulatory Services and the Head of Service (Housing) presented the report.

Key points included:

• The reforms were implemented on 1 May and the report focussed on the experience so far and how the Council was managing its duties and responsibilities.
• The Act was being introduced in phases and there was a significant amount of preparation needed.
• A major aspect of the Act was the abolition of the Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions.  This had been replaced with Section 8, under which Landlords must have valid grounds for possession (set out in the report).
• There had been a move away from short-term tenancies towards periodic tenancies.
• Rent could only be increased once a year, and this could be challenged by the tenant.
• There were new rights for pets (set out in the report).
• There was a ban on rental ‘bidding wars’ i.e. accepting offers above the advertised price.
• The act impacted many services, but the main two were Housing and Regulatory Services.
• The main implications for Housing services were on Homelessness Prevention work and on management of private sector landlords.
• Phase 2 would come from late 2026.  This would focus on new infrastructure and enforcement mechanisms and would be rolled out regionally.
• Landlords would need to register details and compliance info, for example on gas safety and electricity safety.
• The Landlord Ombudsman would address PRS Tenants’ disputes form 2028
• Phase 3 would include the Decent Homes Standard with implementation expected to come in 2035 in for the PRS. 
• There would be legally enforceable timeframes for addressing issues such as damp and mould in the private sector.
• Housing services had seen a significant increase in Section 21 applications up until the implementation of the act.
• There had been a number of new Section 8 notices, the service worked to ensure that they had been drafted accurately and legally, which most had.  It was expected that Section 8 notices would build up as people became more confident and landlords used the new system more.
• The position was carefully monitored, and data was collected to better understand the system and provide government returns.
• It was aimed to understand and establish a clear picture of the demands on the services as implementation progressed.
• Throughout the run-up, operational and strategic boards had been in place to share intelligence between regulatory and housing services to ensure that enforcement action could be taken quickly.
• There had been an extensive communications and engagement programme, including a website update, landlord forums, and work with tenant representative organisations and letting agents.
• In terms of resources, there was new funding from the government to fund resources such as training and staff.
• Implementation had progressed largely as expected, and there were robust governance arrangements in place.

In discussions with Members, the following was noted:

• It was clarified that in terms of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 117.

The Director of Housing submits a report to the Commission that provides an updated overview of the Repairs and Maintenance (R&M) Team’s performance for 2025-26.  For Information & Questions Only.

The Director of Housing submitted a report to the Commission on the Repairs & Maintenance Service performance. 

The report was taken as read.

In discussions with Members, the following was noted:

• In response to a query on staffing, it was note that there was currently a national challenge on resources around work and experience.  The Council worked with agencies on construction and there was an apprenticeship programme in place.  Additionally, the recruitment team in the Council were worked with on a targeted approach, and five electricians had been taken on as a result.
• In terms of contractor use, contract management meetings were held monthly, and included a quality assurance process for issues such as safety standards.  Contracts had exit strategies in place.  The intention was to undertake procurement of a large contractor to consolidate our position to allow our staff to be more focused on responsive repairs.
• Resources were moved from existing priorities to see where they fit best.  Emergency hazards were being met.  Emergency hazards were attended to within 24 hours.

AGREED:

1)    That members note the report.

2)    That comments made by members of this commission to be taken into account.

The Director of Housing submits a report to the Commission which provides an annual update on the Council’s Corporate Complaints service.

The Director of Housing submitted a report to the Commission which provided an annual update on the Council’s Corporate & Housing Complaints service.  

The Head of Service in Housing presented the report.

Key points included:

• A complaint was defined as an expression of dissatisfaction, made about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the Council, Council staff, or those acting on behalf of the Council, affecting one or more residents.
• Issues brought to the attention of the service were initially treated as a service request.
• In 2025/26 787 Stage 1 Housing complaints were made, of which 63% were responded to within the timescale.  Many challenges were encountered, often these were challenges that were seen nationally.  Some of these challenges were due to the complexity of complaints and complaints written by AI, often involving multiple issues that were not always easy and clear to understand.
• If a tenant was not satisfied, they could escalate to Stage 2.  118 complaints were escalated to Stage 2 in the last year, and 67% of these were responded to within the timescale.
• Tenants not satisfied after Stage 2 could escalate to the Housing Ombudsman.  57 complaints were determined by the Housing Ombudsman. Of these, 17 were seen to be minor service failures, 22 were cases of maladministration and one case of severe maladministration.  This meant that 5% resulted in the Ombudsman determining maladministration.  This was a low rate.
• The most commonly upheld issues by the Ombudsman were related to communication, repairs, ASB and Estate management.
• The Ombudsman made orders to pay compensation in 37 cases that totalled £8,227 with the highest individual compensation payment being £1,252.
• To put the numbers into context, the Housing Division provided over 100,000 services each year and employed over 1000 people, so the fact that the Ombudsman only found fault in 40 cases was evidence of quality service provision. However, the complaints received would be learned from.
• Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) complaints related to all other non-social housing services provided by the Council. 648 complaints came from this area 68% of which were responded to within the timescale.  Of these, only 15 cases of the 648 were upheld in favour of the complainant.
• Since April 2025, Repairs had been the area where most complaints had been received, largely in terms of time taken to complete repairs.  More funding and resource had been given, and the process had been streamlined.  Additionally, materials had been made more readily available and demand had been managed.
• IT processes had been introduced to schedule repairs more effectively and quality control checks had been improved.  Additionally, a complaints workshop had been run to identify learning and patterns.  Information for tenants online had been improved and tenant pop-up sessions had been introduced.
• In terms of vulnerable tenants, processes were in place, but the proper adjustments were not always made.  This had led to the creation of the vulnerable person policy. 
• Complaints staff had been given training to ensure high standards across the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 119.

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

The work programme was noted. 

There being no further items of urgent business, the meeting finished at 19:18.