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*RESOLVED
–
 

1.  
That the establishment of a new Housing Advisory
Board comprising Members, tenants and
senior officers, be approved in order to fulfil the requirements of
the Social Housing Regulator and the Housing Ombudsman, and to
ensure detailed and effective oversight and scrutiny of all social
landlord activities.
 

2.  
That it be noted that the Board will have no
decision-making responsibilities, and that any reports requiring a
formal decision would continue to be presented to
Cabinet.
 

3.  
That authority be delegated to the Service Director
– Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for
Housing and the Monitoring Officer, to establish Terms of Reference
for the Housing Advisory Board, and to subsequently amend such
Terms of Reference if requirements change over time.
 

4.  
That it be agreed a progress report is received,
outlining the activity of and outcomes achieved by the Housing
Advisory Board, one year after its establishment.
 
REASONS FOR DECISIONS
 

1.  
The Regulator of Social Housing takes a
co-regulatory approach to monitoring against its consumer standards
and has encouraged local authorities to prepare for the shift to a
more proactive regulatory approach, following new powers being
introduced from April 2024.
 

2.  
Housing associations and arms-length management
organisations (ALMOs) typically have a Board of Directors
(including tenants), with reporting mechanisms and strategic
oversight of their organisation’s performance.  A clear reporting / strategic governance model is
now needed for the Council’s Housing Service, to ensure that
the service receives effective scrutiny and oversight by tenants
and Members.
 

3.  
In addition to the Housing Regulator, the Housing
Ombudsman’s new Complaint Handling Code becomes mandatory
from April 2024 and demands involvement and oversight at director
and elected member level, with a councillor taking the lead on
complaints.  The Code includes
expectations that the Council will have arrangements in place for
regular detailed discussions about complaints performance, and for
a formal response from the responsible Member / governing body to
be published, following comprehensive scrutiny and
challenge.