Agenda item

(a)  Delegate  to the Director of Finance & Resources, following consultation with Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety, authority  to dispose the assets listed in Appendix A, including disposals to be made at less than market value  to the ‘Development Initiative Slough Homes Registered Provider (DISH RP) for provision of affordable housing on the assets listed in Appendix A

(b)  Delegate to the Director of Finance & Resources, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety and with advice of the Service Lead for Housing Development & Community Safety, authority to transfer and enter into leasebacks  of the assets in Appendix A if such conveyancing structures  facilitate the development of affordable housing

(c)  Approve the delegation of authority to the Director of Finance & Resources following consultation with Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety with advice of Service Lead for Housing Development and Contracts to consent to supporting DISH RP in provision of conditional supporting loan from the HRA, available retained 1-4-1 right to buy receipts, submit applications for and enter into grant agreements from Homes England  with warranties in place acting as guardian guarantor for institutional finance. The condition is that the DISH RP delivers for the provision of affordable housing supported by localised allocation agreements.

(d)  Delegate authority to the Director of Finance & Resources following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety to make all necessary arrangements (including the entry into loan and other financing agreements) for up to £90m to be loaned to the DISH RP over the next 5 years on terms that require the DISH RP to develop and/or deliver the affordable housing as set out in appendix D.

(e)  Delegate authority to the Director of Finance & Resources following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety to facilitate, by means of financial or other guarantees or such other financial or other support considered to be reasonably necessary and in the best interests of the Council,  the provision of Institutional Finance arrangement to be taken out by DISH RP.

(f)  Note the annual update to the HRA Asset Management Strategy in Appendix B, noting the update is part of the Housing Strategy. Cabinet further delegates authority to the Director of Place & Development with advice from the Service Lead for Housing Development and Contracts following consultation with Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety to implement and deliver the strategy.

(g)  Delegate authority to the Director of Finance & Resources following consultation with Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety with advice of Service Lead for Housing Development and Contracts to procure, or use of available framework if established if better value for money services that will achieve; a detailed survey of Asbestos, establish Carbon neutral and building safety act initiatives, investment required to achieve compliance to meet regulatory and statutory standards. That HRA Capital funding for 2020/21 has identified capacity to assign a budget of £1.8m for the required range of detailed surveys.

(h)  Delegate authority to the Director of Finance & Resources following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety to seek consent from the Secretary of State to transfer by appropriate leaseback arrangements with DISH RP the properties identified by postcode in Appendix C by the Asset Performance Evaluation those properties identified as requiring a level of investment for repair and compliance with regulation that are or shall be a burden to the HRA, will be presented with individual business cases to the Section 151 Officer for approval.

The Lead Member for Housing & Community Safety and the Service Lead Housing Development & Contracts introduced a report that updated on the progress of delivering the HRA Asset Strategy approved in April 2018, particularly the Housing Development Programme.

The ambitious programme aimed to deliver significant new affordable housing in Slough.  There were a total of 86 sites in the HRA Development Programme and the progress was set out fully in Appendix A to the report.  There was a long term strategy in place and in the short term it was aimed to deliver 473 units though planning to construction in the next 18 months.  There was innovation in the programme in the use of the DISH RP, institutional financing, efficient of design and the model of procurement.  The Officer gave a presentation that highlighted the progress of several exemplar schemes including the London Road Gateway Project, the Chalvey Extra Care scheme and the Broom House former garage site.  The report set out the next steps on how the programme would be taken forward.

The Cabinet welcomed the progress that had made to increase the supply of affordable homes in Slough.  The Council had made significant investment in this area, through vehicles such as James Elliman Homes, and progress was set to continue to gather pace in the coming years.  The recommendations were reviewed and agreed by the Cabinet.

Resolved –

(a)  Delegate to the Director of Finance & Resources, following consultation with Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety, authority to dispose the assets listed in Appendix A, including disposals to be made at less than market value  to the ‘Development Initiative Slough Homes Registered Provider (DISH RP) for provision of affordable housing on the assets listed in Appendix A

(b)  Delegate to the Director of Finance & Resources, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety and with advice of the Service Lead for Housing Development & Community Safety, authority to transfer and enter into leasebacks  of the assets in Appendix A if such conveyancing structures  facilitate the development of affordable housing

(c)  Approve the delegation of authority to the Director of Finance & Resources following consultation with Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety with advice of Service Lead for Housing Development and Contracts to consent to supporting DISH RP in provision of conditional supporting loan from the HRA, available retained 1-4-1 right to buy receipts, submit applications for and enter into grant agreements from Homes England  with warranties in place acting as guardian guarantor for institutional finance. The condition is that the DISH RP delivers for the provision of affordable housing supported by localised allocation agreements.

(d)  Delegate authority to the Director of Finance & Resources following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety to make all necessary arrangements (including the entry into loan and other financing agreements) for up to £90m to be loaned to the DISH RP over the next 5 years on terms that require the DISH RP to develop and/or deliver the affordable housing as set out in appendix D.

(e)  Delegate authority to the Director of Finance & Resources following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety to facilitate, by means of financial or other guarantees or such other financial or other support considered to be reasonably necessary and in the best interests of the Council,  the provision of Institutional Finance arrangement to be taken out by DISH RP.

(f)  Note the annual update to the HRA Asset Management Strategy in Appendix B, noting the update is part of the Housing Strategy. Cabinet further delegates authority to the Director of Place & Development with advice from the Service Lead for Housing Development and Contracts following consultation with Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety to implement and deliver the strategy.

(g)  Delegate authority to the Director of Finance & Resources following consultation with Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety with advice of Service Lead for Housing Development and Contracts to procure, or use of available framework if established if better value for money services that will achieve; a detailed survey of Asbestos, establish Carbon neutral and building safety act initiatives, investment required to achieve compliance to meet regulatory and statutory standards. That HRA Capital funding for 2020/21 has identified capacity to assign a budget of £1.8m for the required range of detailed surveys.

(h)  Delegate authority to the Director of Finance & Resources following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety to seek consent from the Secretary of State to transfer by appropriate leaseback arrangements with DISH RP the properties identified by postcode in Appendix C by the Asset Performance Evaluation those properties identified as requiring a level of investment for repair and compliance with regulation that are or shall be a burden to the HRA, will be presented with individual business cases to the Section 151 Officer for approval.