The Director of Housing submitted a report to request that Cabinet recommend that Council approve the following policies: aids and adaptations, disposals, mutual exchange, no access to ensure the maintenance and good management of the housing stock.

Cabinet is recommended to recommend that Council approve:

1.    The draft Aids and Adaptations Policy 

2.    The draft Disposals Policy 

3.    The draft Mutual Exchange Policy 

4.    The draft No Access Policy 

Cabinet resolved to recommend that Council approve:

1. The draft Aids and Adaptations Policy 
2. The draft Disposals Policy 
3. The draft Mutual Exchange Policy 
4. The draft No Access Policy 

The Director of Housing submitted a report to request that Cabinet recommend that Council approve the following policies: aids and adaptations, disposals, mutual exchange, no access to ensure the maintenance and good management of the housing stock.

Councillor Smith presented the report. She said that the report represented four more HRA policies, part of the large suite of policies being reviewed and renewed to strengthen governance of the HRA. She said that having these policies reviewed and available to tenants helps tenants to hold the Council accountable.

James Watkins, the Housing Policy and Projects Officer, presented the policies. On the Aids and Adaptations Policy, he said that they had drawn information from the know your tenant program and that they had a growing population of tenants with mobility issues. He said that this would help to support those tenants. He noted the way that the policy was linked to other housing policies being decided in the current meeting.

The Housing Policy and Projects Officer presented the Disposals Policy and how this will structure how disposals could take place and how the impacts on communities will be considered. He said that this outlines their holistic approach to Disposals. On the Mutual exchange policy, he said that this relates to when a tenant wants to swap their tenancy with another social housing tenant. He said that this outlines a series of procedures for this to be effective and that the residents review group had influenced the shape of the policy. Regarding the no access policy, he noted that this was fundamental because of the implications on the safety of tenants and neighbours. He said that the policy takes a step-by-step approach on how the housing service will approach a tenant and how they would undertake the access with sensitivity.

Councillor Hollingsworth said that it was positive to see how the Disposals Policy was considering and approaching work to avoid gentrification.

Councillor Brown welcomed the work being done and said that it was helpful to have these steps set out so clearly in these important areas.

Cabinet resolved to recommend that Council approve:

1. The draft Aids and Adaptations Policy 
2. The draft Disposals Policy 
3. The draft Mutual Exchange Policy 

The draft No Access Policy