Decision details

Budget recommendations to Full Council.

Cabinet Recommended to Full Council for approval:

1. Approve the 2020/21 HRA budget for revenue which includes the following:

·       No increase in housing rents for 2020/21

·       Increase of 2.7% (CPI +1%) with effect from April 2020 for garage rents

·       £119.1m revenue expenditure, of which £33.0m is detailed in Appendix A2, the Housing Investment Programme (HIP)

·       £33.0m capital expenditure on existing stock as per the HIP

·       £40.8m on the Development Programme as per Appendices A3 and A4

·       £5.0m on improvements to Sandy Park site subject to Business Case being brought back to Cabinet for approval

·       £0.9m for other capital projects including the ICT project.

2. Authorise the Director of Housing and Landlord Services, in consultation with the Councillor for Housing and Councillor for Finance, Performance and Governance, to approve the use of flexibility in the rent standard with effect from April 2020, for new tenants only for:

·       up to 5% for housing

·       up to 10% for supported housing

3. Authorise the Executive Director of Growth and Regeneration to set service charge budgets in line with the anticipated cost of delivery. The main inflationary increase will be staff salary costs, pay award pending.

1. Cabinet authorised the Executive Director of Growth and Regeneration in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, section 151 officer and the monitoring officer to take all steps necessary to procure and award contracts during 2020/21 to deliver both the capital and revenue investment plans, plus the acquisition plans as set out in detail in Appendices A2 and A3 notwithstanding that individual contracts may exceed the key decision threshold.

2. Cabinet noted that the development schemes as per Appendix A4 will be brought back to Cabinet during the year for approval when detailed spending plans are available.

3. Cabinet approved the movement of previously earmarked HRA reserves into one general HRA reserve as detailed in Appendix A1.