The Tandridge Council Housing Committee convened to address key issues, including the Housing Improvement Plan, budget monitoring, and land appropriation for the Council House Building Programme. The committee approved a revenue budget virement of £425,000 for the Housing Improvement Plan, land appropriation for planning purposes at Dormers, and recommendations regarding the proposed disposal of a Housing Revenue Account (HRA) asset.

Regulator for Social Housing Inspection and Housing Improvement Plan

The committee addressed the initial response to the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) inspection that took place in early July 2025. The RSH regulates social housing providers, setting standards and conducting inspections to ensure quality homes and services for tenants¹. The inspection assesses providers against four consumer standards:

• Safety and Quality Standard
• Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard
• Neighbourhood and Community Standard
• Tenancy Standard

The report presented to the committee set out key areas, such as compliance issues and system improvements, that officers were keen to address proactively ahead of the release of the RSH report.

To facilitate the Housing Improvement Plan, the committee approved a revenue budget virement of £425,000. According to the Public Reports Pack, £420,000 of this would be met by the HRA budgeted surplus, with the remainder coming from service costs.

Officers confirmed that Homes England funding for the Council House Building Programme may be at risk, depending on the rating received in the report from the Regulator for Social Housing.

Quarter 1 Budget Monitoring

The committee reviewed the financial position of the Revenue and Capital budgets, including the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), for Quarter 1 of 2025/26.

A £14,000 overspend was reported in the Housing General Fund revenue budget, mainly because of agency fees and higher salary costs. Risks for the Housing General Fund were identified as the increased demand for temporary accommodation and pressures on Housing Benefits.

For the HRA Revenue Budget, there was a £97,000 overspend due to repairs and maintenance and service costs. Risks related to the management of damp and mould and the potential breach of Consumer Standards from the Regulator and its impact on Homes England Funding were being monitored.

The Capital Budget Housing General Fund at Quarter 1 was on target with no variance. For the Capital Programme HRA, a total budget of £30,370,000 was available, including £3,804,000 brought forward from the previous year. A variance of £6,224,000 was forecast due to underspends on the Council House Building Programme offsetting overspends on improvements to the housing stock and IT infrastructure.

The committee approved the revenue budget virement of £425,000 to create a budget for new revenue expenditure for the Housing Improvement Plan and the rephasing of the HRA capital programme.

Council House Building Programme: Dormers Land Appropriation

The committee approved the appropriation of land for planning purposes at Dormers, 67 Foxon Lane, Caterham, to facilitate the Council House Building Programme.

During the public consultation, 44 responses were received: 21 positive, 21 negative, and 2 neutral. Concerns raised included parking, traffic, noise and disruption caused by construction, and the potential for antisocial behaviour.

The committee delegated authority to the Head of Legal and Monitoring Officer to undertake the necessary legal steps to complete the appropriation process.

Bonfires and Naked Flames

Councillor Liz Lockwood asked a question regarding a domestic fire in the rear yard of a council property in Lingfield, started by someone using a weed burning tool and petrol. Councillor Lockwood asked:

Will the council consider including restrictions on the use of bonfires and equipment using naked flames on safety grounds, in properties where the outside space is confined, communal, or close to high-risk land use, such as petrol stations and include such restrictions in the tenancy agreement when it comes up for review?

The Chair of the Housing Committee responded that the council would consider including restrictions on the use of bonfires and equipment using naked flames on safety grounds as part of the consultation and review of tenancy agreements and control of shared spaces, due to commence in early 2026. The Deputy Chief Executive added that an advisory about bonfires and naked flame tools would be included in the tenant's newsletter or other communications.