Agenda item

To consider the attached report of the Housing Shared Services Project Group.

              The Head of Housing, Culture and Community Safety for Dover presented the report on the East Kent Shared Housing Landlord Services Project to the Committee for its consideration.

              In response to requests for clarification from Members it was stated that the recommendations set out in the report would create an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) as a company limited by guarantee.  The resultant company would be responsible for the management arrangements of the housing stock but the individual Councils would still retain ownership and be the legal landlords of their housing stock.

              Mr C Dallison informed the Committee that most of the three star housing authorities were ALMO's and that his experience had been that the switch to an ALMO led to improvements in the level of service received by tenants.

              The Chairman stated that the previous recommendation of the East Kent (Joint Scrutiny) Committee for a ballot of all tenants was in addition to the cocktail of consultation measures being proposed and not instead of it as the report seemed to suggest.  Councillor A Perkins emphasised the need to ensure that tenants were provided with a balanced set of the views in respect of the proposals for the HSSV and not just the view of the four District Councils.

              The Head of Housing, Culture and Community Safety advised the Committee that  TPAS (Tenant Participation Advisory Service) had been appointed to provide the tenant representatives with independent advice and would be providing a challenge to the view of the four District Councils at consultation events.  It was agreed that details of the plans for consultation would be circulated to members of the East Kent (Joint Scrutiny) Committee.

              RESOLVED:           That it be recommended to the East Kent (Joint Arrangements) Committee:

                                     (a)      That the recommendations of the East Kent (Joint Scrutiny) Committee made at its meeting held on 4 November 2009 be reaffirmed.

                                     (b)      That the East Kent District Councils of Canterbury City Council, Dover District Council, The District Council of Shepway and Thanet District Council ("the East Kent Authorities") are recommended to merge the delivery of housing management landlord service between two or more of them through agreement of the following:

                                                1.      That the arms length housing shared service option be confirmed as the preferred method for sharing landlord services in East Kent, subject to final agreement by each individual Council after a ballot of all the tenants.

                                                2.      That any staff vacancies related to the housing management activities to be undertaken by the Housing Shared Service Vehicle be managed to minimise potential severance costs.

                                                3.      That the housing management functions set out in Appendix A, Annex 2 are approved activities to be undertaken by the Housing Shared service Vehicle.

                                                4.      That the housing shared service vehicle is set up as a company limited by guarantee.

                                                5.      That the board of the company will comprise twelve people – four elected members nominated by the local authority, four independents and four tenant/leaseholder representatives.

                                                6.      That Area Boards be set up in each participating Council area.

                                                7.      That the draft Memorandum and Articles for the SSV company reflect the governance and legal issues set out in Appendix A, Annex 3, subject to the addition of provisions for internal audit.

                                                8.      That each Council's Chief Executive be authorised to make any minorchanges necessary to these proposals to pursue the project up to final council approval to join the Housing Shared Service Vehicle.

              The Committee adjourned for ten minutes at 11.30 am.