Decision

1.        
that the amendments to the current Housing Standards
Enforcement Policy set out at appendix 2 to the submitted report be
approved; and
 

2.        
that delegated authority be provided to the Director
of Adult and Community Services, in consultation with the Cabinet
Member for Adult and Community Services, Public Health and
Inequalities, to authorise forthcoming updates to the Housing
Standards Enforcement Policy to include elements that relate to
Renters Rights Act 2025 (RRA25).

Reasons for the decision

To ensure the Council
could effectively enforce Housing Standards Legislation, a suitable
enforcement policy needed to be in place which would describe what
the Council would and would not do and how to fulfil the
Council’s duties. 

Alternative options considered

The alternative option
was to refuse to adopt the amendments to the existing policy. The
way the current policy was drafted was not in line with the LGO
direction. The Council would face sanctions for failing to comply.
The other amendments bring the Council in line with the first wave
of RRA25 provisions, if not adopted the Council would not be in a
position to effectively enforce which would be expressed via our
new duties to report.