Agenda

Purpose of Report

The revised 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 Housing Investment Programme capital budgets together with the proposed programmes for 2024/2025 to 2028/2029 were approved by the City Council on 28^th February 2023^[1].

The Council Housing Repairs & Maintenance revenue Budgets for 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 were approved at the Housing and Preventing Homelessness Cabinet Decision meeting on 2^nd February 2023^[2].

The purpose of this report is to inform Members of the spending proposed for the next financial year for revenue and capital funded maintenance and improvement programmes for the City Council's retained housing stock together with Housing IT Business Software. To seek approval to incur expenditure in respect of the capital schemes and rolling programmes and to show how the budgets have been allocated on an area office basis.

The report will also update the Cabinet Member on the year end position on the delivery of the 2022/23 Repairs & Maintenance capital programme, the forecast spend against the approved budget and to highlight any future issues.

Recommendations

1.    That the allocation of finance for the funding of the Revenue Budgets for repairs and maintenance of dwellings listed in Appendix A be noted.

2.    That the allocation of capital budgets listed in Appendix B and Appendix C for 2023/2024 be agreed and the Director of Housing, Neighbourhood and Building Services be authorised to seek approval from the Director of Finance and Resources (Section 151 Officer) under Financial Rules, Section B11, to proceed with schemes within the sums allocated.

3.    That the Cabinet Member notes the year end position and progress of the 2022/23 Repairs and Maintenance budget plan and capital spend.

Purpose of Report

To seek approval for the implementation of the updated Safeguarding Policy for the Play and Youth and Community Services operated by Housing, Neighbourhood and Building (HNB) Services.

Recommendations

That the Cabinet Member for Housing and Preventing Homelessness approves the policy attached and marked as Appendix A.

Purpose of Report

The report was requested by Councillor Darren Sanders, Cabinet Member and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Preventing Homelessness.

The purpose of this report is for information only and provides the Cabinet Member for Housing and Preventing Homelessness with an update on the Portsmouth City Council Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Asset Management Strategy (AMS)

Purpose of Report

The purpose of the report is to present a summary of the performance of the Private Rental Sector mediation service pilot.

The report provides several measures of performance of the service including the number of referrals and the outcomes from cases for the pilot mediation scheme to date.  The report also sets out the cost of the scheme to date.

Recommendations

1.    That the Cabinet Member for Housing and Preventing Homelessness notes the information in this report regarding the demand for the mediation service and the outcomes of the cases that have gone through the system.

2.    That the Cabinet Member for Housing and Preventing Homelessness agrees to end the Pilot scheme on 31^st March 2023.

3.    That the Cabinet Member for Housing and Preventing Homelessness reviews the situation if there is a need for this service in the future and demand supports it.