Purpose

To approve the use of the Capital Reserve for up to £49,000 to prepare evidence to assess if an Article 4 Direction can be implemented.

Decision

The Elected Mayor was asked to approve the use of Reserves to commission the collation of evidence  in relation to Houses in Multiple Occupation.

Resolved by Ther Elected Mayor

1   That the use of the Council’s Corporate Priorities Reserve of up to £49,999 be approved to enable the commissioning of evidence in relation to Houses in Multiple Occupation.

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1. That the  Assistant Director Planning (Chief Planning Officer) and Deputy Monitoring Officer be  authorised to award the contract based upon the outcome of the procurement process up to the value of £49,999.

Reasons for the decision

Allocation of funds from the Corporate Priorities  reserve will ensure that there are sufficient funds available to commission evidence and data on HMO to ensure any further decision on the preparation and implementation of an article 4 direction.

Alternative options considered

Not commissioning the evidence, or delaying its preparation until officer capacity becomes available following submission and examination of the Local Plan. These alternatives would delay an informed decision on a potential Article 4 Direction.

The Local Plan examination timetable is set by the Planning Inspectorate, making future capacity difficult to identify, and Private Sector Housing capacity is also limited.