Agenda item

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy providing a summary of the Private Sector Stock Condition Survey that was undertaken for the Council in 2023, and presenting the options available to the Council to address the key conclusions set out in the survey report.

107.1  The Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy, Councillor S. Chambers, introduced the report and explained that it provided a wealth of information about the condition of the housing stock in Gloucester which would feed into the new Housing Strategy. She provided an overview of the headlines of the report.

107.2  The Chair asked for clarification as to what was meant by ethical low-cost loan organisations at 2.2(e). Councillor S. Chambers advised that these were loans which were compliant with the Islamic faith. In response to a follow-up query from Councillor Morgan, Councillor Wilson advised Members that interest on regular loans was not compatible with the Islamic faith and that ethical loans provided an alternative offering for the Muslim community.

107.3  The Chair referred to 3.12.9 in the report and noted that there was a perception that there was a high number of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in the city. He noted that the figures in the report had led to the decision not to pursue additional licenses and asked for further clarification on the rationale. The Housing Innovation Manager explained that the low HMO numbers identified in the survey had confirmed that there was no demonstratable need to pursue additional HMO licensing at the current time.

107.4  Councillor Hilton observed that the report was comprehensive but noted that he was disappointed that Members had not received a briefing or presentation as he felt it would have been helpful for Members to have an overview of the detailed report. He stated that there were high concentrations of HMOs in Barton and Tredworth, Kingsholm and Wotton and Westgate and expressed the view that there should be a thorough investigation into the pockets of the city with high HMO prevalence.

107.5  Councillor Hilton also raised concerns about the recommendation at 2.2(c) for the Planning Committee to determine whether there was a case for Article 4 Direction to manage conversion of houses into HMOs, noting that in his view this should be a matter to be considered by the new administration rather than Planning Committee. Councillor S. Chambers advised that the report covered the whole city, and that the survey results had not identified a need to direct staffing resource towards Article 4 Direction. She noted that the survey and report had followed the usual governance processes.

107.6    Councillor Pullen thanked Councillor S. Chambers and Officers for the detailed report, and agreed that a briefing would have been helpful, suggesting that this was a matter for the Scrutiny Group Leads to consider for future meetings. He referred to 3.7 in the report and the statement that 73 households had refused to participate in the survey and asked whether the Council could have applied any legal pressure to encourage participation. He also asserted that the Moreland ward had similar issues as the other wards identified in the report, and asked for further information as to the powers the Council had to intervene if serious issues were identified. The Housing Innovation Manager commented that in his view, 73 refusals were positive as it demonstrated a high participation rate from residents. He advised that the Council did not have the power to enter homes against the wishes of residents for the purposes of undertaking the survey. The Housing Innovation Manager further clarified that the survey and all addresses which had consented to taking part were anonymous, and that there was therefore no way of following up on specific issues which had been identified.

107.7  Councillor Morgan noted that the report was hugely complex and that it was unreasonable to expect the Cabinet Member or Officers to present the findings in detail. He stated that all the information was contained in the report for Members to consider, and suggested that Members who had detailed questions about the implications for their ward put their questions to Officers directly.

107.8  In response to a follow-up query from Councillor Pullen as to the anonymity of the survey, the Housing Innovation Manager explained that the purpose of the survey was to use the result to identify trends in certain areas.

107.9  Councillor Pullen referred to the narrative in the Condition Survey report confirming that 46 dwellings were seen to have severe damp and mould, with 217 dwellings having moderate damp and mould. He reflected on challenges the Task and Finish Group on Damp and Mould had experienced with ascertaining the extent of the problem in private rented accommodation and queried whether the Condition Survey report could help in this regard. The Housing Innovation Manager confirmed that the survey had provided some data on damp and mould growth, however it had identified more serious Category 1 hazards, such as falls on steps and stairs. Councillor Pullen suggested that the Task and Finish Group might wish to reconvene to discuss the findings in the report.

107.10          In response to a question from Councillor Sawyer as to what the Council could be doing to continue to increase decent homes in the city, the Housing Innovation Manager explained that the Private Sector Housing Team were actively involved in improving housing standards with a focus on both social housing and private rented accommodation in the city. He advised that they undertook inspections and offered advice to help improve standards, noting that there was a number of interventions which the private sector housing team could take, including enforcement action against landlords. Members were advised that since 2020, they had improved over 800 dwellings.

107.11          Councillor Hilton put forward the following recommendations which were agreed by the Committee.

          RESOLVED that the Overview & Scrutiny Committee RECOMMENDS that:

(1)  A Member Briefing be offered to all Councillors on the Private Sector Stock Condition Survey following the 2024 local elections.

(2)  Members representing Barton and Tredworth, Kingsholm and Wotton, Westgate and Moreland be fully consulted on the issues and proposed actions for their respective areas.

(3)  Consideration be given to revisiting the proposals following the 2024 local elections, to take into account any new actions which are felt necessary by the new composition of the Council.