The Overview and Scrutiny Commission met to discuss housing issues in the Breckland area. Councillors heard updates from Councillor Sarah Suggitt, Deputy Leader & Executive Member for Housing & Planning, and representatives from local housing providers, and discussed the council's asset management and work programme.

Housing Provider Updates

The commission received updates from local housing providers on the status and condition of their properties, the challenges they face in keeping properties available, and any issues and achievements.

Flagship Group

Flagship Group reported that 77% of their properties in the Breckland area have been surveyed within the last 5 years, and they aim to exceed 95% coverage by 2027, using in-house surveyors to gather data on stock condition, Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), and energy performance. They also reported that 98.8% of their Breckland properties meet the Decent Homes Standard¹. The main reasons for 'failures' to meet the standard were Category A 'HHSRS' issues and Category D 'Thermal comfort' issues, but all HHSRS issues from the year-end reporting period have now been resolved, and all Category D issues will be resolved this financial year.

Flagship reported on their capital works, and planned versus reactive component replacement projections for 2025/26:

• Kitchens - 16% reactive
• Bathrooms - 24% reactive
• Doors - 52% reactive
• Windows - 35% reactive
• Roofs - 32% reactive
• Heating systems - 80% reactive

Flagship also outlined their actions to address condensation, damp and mould, including training call handlers to triage cases, employing 12 surveyors to assess and diagnose solutions, dedicating operatives to deal with mould issues, and using specialist subcontractors. They are also implementing a new CRM system to fully monitor cases, including non-property-based issues such as hoarding and overcrowding.

Broadland Housing Association

Broadland Housing Association reported that they manage 598 homes in Breckland. They provided data on the proportion of homes that do not meet the Decent Homes Standard, the percentage of properties with a stock condition survey completed in the last 5 years, and their planned versus responsive maintenance expenditure.

They also outlined their approach to damp and mould, including employing a dedicated surveyor and two specialist trade operatives, using an internal rating system, providing continued training for all operational staff, implementing a damp and mould policy and procedure, conducting external audits, and providing resident information on managing damp and mould.

Broadland Housing also provided data on adaptations, average days vacant, income collection, evictions, tenancy support team outcomes and complaints.

Executive Member Portfolio Brief - Councillor Sarah Suggitt

Councillor Sarah Suggitt, Deputy Leader & Executive Member for Housing & Planning, provided a verbal update on the housing element of her portfolio. No further details are available.

Work Programme

The commission discussed its work programme and invited members to suggest items for future review. Councillor Lynda Turner suggested electrical charging points, and Councillor Robert Kybird suggested bottle banks and the potential loss of income from new glass recycling schemes. The work programme was updated to reflect these suggestions.

Outside Body Feedback

Councillor Peter Wilkinson, Board of Trustees, Governor Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings Lynn, provided an update on the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), which has been awarded a gold award in recognition of the support it offers to the armed forces community. The award recognises organisations who advocate for servicemen and women, reservists, veterans and their families. NSFT was awarded the gold after demonstrating the significant steps it has taken to support the armed forces community, including training staff as armed forces champions, developing an Armed Forces Network, introducing a buddy system for ex-servicemen and women, offering extra paid days of annual leave for reservists, having a policy in place to support reservist mobilisation, hosting veteran charity events, providing information on services and support for veterans, and arranging for veterans to attend the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day.