Decision

RESOLVED to:

I.                    Adopt the Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation Policy (Appendix 1) as the Council’s policy for improving the energy performance of its housing stock, tackling fuel poverty and meeting the confirmed EPC Band C standard by 1 April 2030;

II.                  Adopt the Compliance Works Policy (Appendix 2) as the Council’s policy for meeting its statutory building-safety and compliance obligations across the housing stock;

III.                Endorse the Health and Safety Management System — Direct Labour Organisation (Appendix 3) as the operational health and safety framework for the in-house Direct Labour Organisation, sitting within the Council’s corporate health and safety policy framework;

IV.               Delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Housing, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing, to make minor and consequential amendments to the documents, to finalise the supporting appendices and operational procedures, and to keep the documents under review in line with their stated review cycles;

V.                  Note that these documents form part of the Property Services Policy Framework and sit beneath the adopted Asset Management, Development and Growth (AMDG) Policy, Strategy and Delivery Plan;

VI.               and note that the financial implications of the policies are contained within the approved Housing Revenue Account budget and the 30-Year HRA Business Plan, and that the Section 151 Officer will sign off the affordability of each phase of decarbonisation investment before it is committed. 

Reasons for the decision

The report presented three Housing Property Services documents to Cabinet: the Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation Policy, the Compliance Works Policy, and the Health and Safety Management System for the in-house Direct Labour Organisation (DLO). The three documents formed part of the supporting policy framework that sits beneath the Council’s adopted Asset Management, Development and Growth (AMDG) Policy, Strategy and 30-Year Delivery Plan. Each carried the operational detail for its own domain: the Compliance Works Policy set the standard the Council will meet in keeping residents safe in their homes; the Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation Policy set the standard for the warmth, running costs and carbon performance of those homes; and the Health and Safety Management System established how the DLO will deliver that work safely. Together they close identified gaps in the published policy suite. 

Alternative options considered

None.