Purpose

Background:
The Government has made the Council responsible, alongside other organisations, for inspection and enforcement activity relating to High Rise Residential Buildings in the private sector with potentially non-compliant cladding and other fire safety concerns. This responsibility falls within the statutory duties of the Private Sector Housing Team.
The Council’s work in this area requires specialist knowledge of housing enforcement, fire safety and high-risk residential building assessment. The current agency worker was recruited to backfill a seconded post and to support the Council’s statutory functions, including inspecting premises, assessing hazards and taking appropriate enforcement action where required.
The role was delivered through the Crown Commercial Services agency framework up to April 2026. However, Oyster Partnership is no longer on the framework and is not on any other compliant framework. A new contract was therefore awarded from May 2026 to maintain service continuity.
The Council has previously tried to recruit to the role on a permanent basis but been unsuccessful. This is considered to be due to a combination of a national shortage of suitably qualified professionals and the salary level associated with the officer-grade position. A subsequent recruitment exercise at Lead Officer level, with the intention of developing and training an individual into the role, was also unsuccessful.
To address these challenges, Housing has implemented a number of workforce development initiatives through HTIP. These include the introduction of career-grade progression pathways, support for officers to undertake a Diploma in Private Sector Housing, and progression opportunities up to Band 11 for officers who achieve registration with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) as a Housing Practitioner. This professional development route will provide the specialist knowledge and competency required for fire safety and high-rise residential building regulation. As a result of these measures, the Council expects to develop the required in-house expertise and does not anticipate the need for agency support beyond 2028.
Reason:
The role supports the Council’s statutory responsibilities for inspection and enforcement activity relating to high-risk residential buildings, including buildings with potentially non-compliant cladding and other fire safety concerns. This work falls within the Private Sector Housing Team’s statutory duties and is linked to enforcement powers under the Housing Act 2004, alongside wider fire and building safety legislation.
The current agency worker provides specialist skills, knowledge and experience that are not currently available within the permanent team. The work is complex, time-consuming and requires a multi-agency approach, including liaison with relevant statutory regulators and consideration of enforcement action where required.
The current post also supports ongoing high-risk casework, including Swan Court, where the agency worker is involved in live enforcement and prosecution activity. Failure to retain the current resource would create a significant risk to service continuity, statutory compliance, resident safety and the Council’s ability to progress complex enforcement matters.

Decision

Extend the agency contract with Oyster Partnership for the role of Private Sector Enforcement Officer through to 31st March 2028.
Approve the Council’s Commissioning and Procurement Standing Orders being set aide to allow the extension of this contract as the total cost is above the Council’s tendering threshold of £100k (inclusive of VAT).

Alternative options considered

The options considered as part of this report, together with the recommended approach, are set out below:
Option 1: Extend the contract of the Private Sector Enforcement Officer through to March 2028
This is the recommended option. The current agency worker is highly skilled and qualified in fire safety and risk assessment, is familiar with Council processes, has built relationships with multiple agencies and supports wider statutory enforcement activity and officer mentoring.
Option 2: End the current contract and recruit from the CCS framework
This option is not recommended. Although it may be possible to recruit through the framework, the report identifies that disruption and impact on services would be significant, with a risk that the Council may be unsuccessful due to the shortage of specialist skills and high demand for fire safety enforcement experience.
Option 3: End the current contract and do not recruit agency resource
This option is not recommended. Whilst it may be possible to upskill existing officers, the report states that the cost burden would exceed the available training budget and there would remain a lack of experience with buildings of this type.