Decision

The Scrutiny Corporate and Resources Committee noted the position set out by officers in relation to Housing Revenue Account (HRA) rent setting, fees and charges, and the accompanying appendices, and RESOLVED to make the following recommendations to the Executive:

1. That the Executive proceed to determine HRA rents, fees and charges as delegated, ensuring statutory notice periods and operational deadlines are met, and that Scrutiny is provided with early sight of any proposed changes as part of quarterly monitoring.
2. That the Executive ensure Appendices H, I and J are presented to Full Council as scheduled, with clear explanations of the relationship between the medium?term financial plan, the capital programme, and the refreshed 30?year HRA Business Plan, noting that Members will have a further opportunity to scrutinise these items at the Full Council meeting in February.
3. That the Executive formally note that Appendix K was not available to this Committee at its meeting and therefore could not be considered or noted. The Committee recommends that the Executive ensure Appendix K is fully incorporated into the Executive agenda pack for 11 February and that sufficient time is provided for public and Member review prior to Full Council.
4. That the Executive request officers to quantify, if possible, the potential impact of the loss of the Public Works Loan Board preferential borrowing discount on future housing delivery and include this information within the report presented to the Executive, recognising that while the current capital programme remains affordable, the absence of the discount may constrain future flexibility.
5. That the Executive consider including further narrative on the risks identified by the Section 151 Officer, particularly regarding interest cover, debt servicing ratios and the accelerated capital programme, and outline how these risks will be monitored and mitigated over the first five years of the plan.
6. That the Executive ensure the refreshed 30?year HRA Business Plan presented to Full Council includes clear explanations of how the HRA will balance new?build ambitions, major repairs, retrofitting requirements and Energy Performance Compliance (EPC) compliance by 2030, with transparency over affordability implications and any trade?offs required.

The Committee confirmed that, subject to the removal of Appendix K from its recommendations for this meeting, it supported the remaining proposed course of action and recognised that Members will be able to scrutinise the full suite of appendices again at Full Council.