Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Jeff Anderson and Rosemary Dartnall (Substitute: Alan Mosely)

Members are reminded that they must declare their disclosable pecuniary interests and other registrable or non-registrable interests in any matter being considered at the meeting as set out in Appendix B of the Members’ Code of Conduct and consider if they should leave the room prior to the item being considered. Further advice can be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

  None were declared.

To confirm the minutes of the Housing Supervisory Board meeting held on 6^th June 2024.

Contact: Shelley Davies on 01743 257718

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 6^th June 2024 be approved as a true record.

To receive any questions from members of the public, notice of which has been given in accordance with Procedure Rule 14. Deadline for notification is not later than 12 noon on Friday 13th September 2024.

There were no public questions.

To receive any questions from Members of the Council. Deadline for notification is not later than 12 noon on Friday 13th September 2024.

There were no member questions.

To receive the Report of the Assistant Director, Homes and Communities.  [Report attached]

Contact Jane Trethewey

Members received the report of the Assistant Director Homes and Communities which gave an update from Cornovii Developments Limited (CDL) on the company’s progress against the approved 10-year Business Plan. 

The Assistant Director Homes and Communities introduced the report and referred to Appendix A which provided detail of the company’s activity to the end of June 2024.

The Managing Director of CDL clarified that 114 new homes had been completed across 4 sites, delivering 39 affordable homes and reported that work had started on the London Road site with the show home due to be launched at the end of October. He added that there had been a steady interest in the site and work at present was focussed on resolving issues in relation to services.

In response to questions the Managing Director of CDL confirmed that:

·       CDL has a conservative sales rate which assumed that properties would not be sold for at least a period of six months.

·       The key issues affecting viability in relation to standing stock included charges such as council tax and interest payments related to loan facilities. He added that when properties were not sold it meant the capital cannot be recycled to build more homes which potentially affects future projects.

·       The split between affordable rent and shared ownership was approximately 80/20. He added that a breakdown of the figures would be circulated following the meeting and a regular update would be provided at future meetings.

·       Moving forward, CDL were focussing more on social rented homes to provide more affordable housing options to cater to a broader range of affordability needs within the community.

·       CDL were committed to the delivery of affordable homes, with a focus on achieving and exceeding local policy requirements and had currently delivered 34% across the first four sites.

·       The challenges in delivering affordable housing, including securing grant funding and finding partners to take on the affordable units and added that CDL were exploring new funding opportunities and models to increase the provision of affordable housing.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

To receive the Report of the Assistant Director, Homes and Communities.  [Report attached]

Contact Jane Trethewey

Members received the report of the Assistant Director Homes and Communities which requested approval from the Housing Supervisory Board on the Cornovii Developments Limited (CDL) private rent sector, lettings policy, debt management and recovery policy, planned maintenance policy, rent setting policy and day to day repairs policy.

The Assistant Director Homes and Communities introduced the report which set out the policies in regard to the retention of new homes for private rent and added that CDL had identified 33 homes for PRS across five schemes.

In response to concerns raised by a member, the Assistant Director Homes and Communities explained that the company was not set up to solely to deliver affordable housing but to meet unmet housing needs in Shropshire.

The Managing Director of CDL, in response to further questions confirmed that:

·       The lettings for PRS properties will be managed through an estate agent under a development management agreement to ensure professional handling of the rental process.

·       The policies included a focus on providing rental options for key workers, highlighting an effort to support essential service providers in accessing quality housing.

·       Exploring the possibility of a local lettings policy would be considered, and updates will be provided accordingly.

·       The policies were drafted on a risk-based approach, which was considered appropriate to manage the tenancy risks effectively and he acknowledged the need for flexibility to accommodate different circumstances to ensure that the policy remained inclusive and responsive to the changing legal and social contexts.

RESOLVED:

1.     That the CDL PRS Policy Consultation report be noted.

2.     That the draft CDL PRS Rent Setting Policy, as at appendix B of the report be approved.

3.     That the draft CDL PRS Lettings Policy, as at appendix C of the report be approved.

4.     That the draft CDL PRS Debt Management & Recovery Policy, as at appendix D of the report be approved.

5.     That the draft CDL PRS Planned Maintenance Policy, as at appendix E of the report be approved.

6.     That the draft CDL PRS Day to Day Repairs Policy, as at appendix F of the report be approved.

7.     That the request for CDL to charge the maximum deposit allowed of five weeks (as referred to in appendix G of the report) be approved.

8.     That the implementation of the Tenancy Deposit (custodial) Scheme for managing tenant deposits (as referred to in appendix G of the report) be approved.

To resolve in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and Paragraph 10.4[3] of the Council’s Access to Information Procedure Rules, the press and public be excluded during consideration of the following item.

RESOLVED:

That in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and paragraph 10.4(3) of the Council’s Access to Information Procedure Rules, the press and public be excluded during consideration of the following items.

To confirm the exempt minutes of the Housing Supervisory Board meeting held on 6^th June 2024.

RESOLVED:  

That the exempt minutes of the meeting held on 6th June 2024 be approved as a true record.

To receive the Report of the Assistant Director, Homes and Communities.  [Exempt report attached]

Contact: Jane Trethewey

Members received an exempt report from the Assistant Director Homes and Communities.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

To receive the Report of the Assistant Director, Homes and Communities.  [Exempt report attached]

Contact: Jane Trethewey

Members received an exempt report from the Assistant Director Homes and Communities.

RESOLVED:

That the recommendations contained within the exempt report be approved.

To receive a verbal update from the Managing Director, Cornovii Developments Limited.

Members received a verbal update from the Managing Director of Cornovii Developments Limited.

RESOLVED:

That the update be noted.

To note that the next meeting of the Housing Supervisory Board will be held at 2.00 p.m. on Thursday 28^th November 2024.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Housing Supervisory Board would be held at

2.00 p.m. on Thursday 28^th November 2024.