Issue - meetings

To submit a report by the Head of Housing Services.

It was resolved –

·      To approve the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan 2023-2053  subject to minor amendments to the financial details and

·      To authorise the Portfolio Member for Housing and the Portfolio Member for Finance to approve the finalised HRA Business Plan for submission to Welsh Government.

The report of the Head of Housing Services incorporating the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan 2023-53 was presented for the Executive’s consideration and approval.

Councillor Gary Pritchard, Portfolio Member for Children, Youth and Housing Services presented the report and HRA Business Plan as a statutory document saying that the Business Plan reflects the Council’s vision of ensuring that everyone has the right to call somewhere home. The HRA finances all of the Council’s operations in its role as registered social landlord and is ring-fenced for that purpose; it provides a financially viable plan for the Council’s housing stock. An important element of the HRA is the commitment to expanding the Council’s housing stock to meet differing housing needs across the Island. As the Portfolio Holder Councillor Gary Pritchard said that he was proud that Anglesey in among the few authorities to have retained their housing stock and is actively enlarging its stock by building new housing and converting empty properties into homes.

The Head of Housing Services advised that the HRA Business Plan had been prepared in conjunction with the Finance Service and will be submitted to Welsh Government by the end of the month in order to secure the Council’s annual Major Repairs Allowance of £2.688m for 2023/24. The Business Plan demonstrates how the Council brings its stock to Welsh Housing Quality Standards (WHQS); how it intends to work towards the new WHQS, and the investment needed to finance its new council house development programme. By the end of the period covered by the Business Plan, the Council’s housing stock will have increased by 25% to over 5,000 properties which will help meet the increasing local housing need with over 900 people currently on the social housing waiting list including 85 households in temporary accommodation on the Island.

The Council is fully committed to fulfilling the new WHQS shortly to be agreed by Welsh Government and to that end carried out a stock condition survey of all its housing stock during 2022/23 to establish a baseline in preparation for meeting the new standards. A capital programme of £9.7m for 2023/24 has been included in the Business Plan for improvement works; a provision of £6.963m has been included within the revenue budget for responsive repairs and in addition, £8.749m has been budgeted for in 2023/24 for the development programme of new Council housing and acquisition of former council housing on the Island. The Council will also continue with its energy and decarbonisation works with £1m having been earmarked to target a further 250 Solar PV system installations on the Council’s properties. The Business Plan is accompanied by a sensitivity analysis which demonstrates its robustness and further, the plan has been stress tested to take account of the risks and to ensure it remains viable over the 30-year period.

The Director of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer advised that the Business Plan is based on a complex financial model and having examined the Plan to verify the figures it has become apparent  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9