Issue - decisions

Cabinet AGREED:

(a)               to transfer of the hostel site and nearby properties at Robson Court, Waterbeach, as listed in Appendix 1 to the report to Cabinet, to Sanctuary Carr-Gomm at nil value;

(b)               the demolition of the properties at Robinson Court, Grays Road, Gamlingay and Fairview, Longstanton before 31 March 2017, as listed in Appendix 2 to this report;

(c)               the appointment of a specialist financial advisor to develop options for the raising of the funds required for the Council’s self-financing settlement commitment; and

(d)               to delegate authority to the Executive Director (Corporate Services), in consultation with the Leader and Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder, to pursue the Council’s credit rating.

The Housing Portfolio Holder

1.     declined the Tenant Participation Group’s request for funding amounting to about £9,000  (nine thousand pounds), which would have been used to canvass tenants about their views about Stock Transfer, given that there is no political support from councillors for a new stock transfer process.

2.     Requested that Officers continue to work with the Tenant Participation Group to ensure that the group can become more representative, and democratically accountable to all South Cambridgeshire tenants and that a report setting out the options is brought back to the Portfolio Holder for consideration before the end of 2011.

Council REFUSED TO ENDORSE the Housing Portfolio Holder’s personal response to the government consultation and required officers to forward to the government the points raised at the Council meeting as the Council’s response.

The Council recognises that the self-financing proposal is preferable in the long term to the current HRA subsidy regime. It is, however, reluctant to proceed to an early voluntary implementation. 

In light of the recently-published Programme For Government and the Queen’s Speech, both of which referred to a forthcoming review of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), Council ADJOURNED further debate on this item and DEFERRED a decision on the response to the consultation prospectus for the Government Review of Council Housing Finance: Proposals to Replace Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Subsidy System.

The Housing Portfolio Holder recommended to Council that::

1. it accepts in principle the proposal by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) to proceed to voluntary implementation of self-financing for council housing subject, most importantly,  to further serious consideration being given by CLG to South Cambridgeshire District Council’s special circumstances

2. it endorses the full response to the consultation prospectus as set out in Appendix A to the report from Senior Management Team.

Cabinet AGREED

(a)               the responses to the Department for Communities and Local Government Housing Revenue Account finance consultation questions as set out in the appendix to the report; and

(b)               to give delegated authority to the Housing Portfolio Holder to amend the Council’s response should the need arise.

The Portfolio Holder NOTED the contents of the Consultation paper and AGREED the draft response for submission to Cabinet for final approval.