The Borough Residents' Forum of Wandsworth Council was scheduled to discuss the council's approach to domestic abuse within its housing services and an update on the review of resident participation structures. The meeting's report pack also outlined discussions on the Housing Revenue Account rents and service charges, a review of the house purchase grant scheme, and good practice in animal welfare services.

Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance Accreditation

The meeting was scheduled to receive an update on the Wandsworth Borough Council's progress towards achieving accreditation from the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA). This accreditation aims to improve the housing sector's response to domestic abuse by assessing and supporting housing providers to enhance their practices. The DAHA is a partnership between Standing Together Against Domestic Violence, Peabody, and Gentoo. The accreditation process involves evaluating performance against eight priority areas: Policy and Performance, Case Management, Risk Management, Equality and Diversity, Perpetrator Management, Partnership Working, Training, and Publicity and Awareness. A dedicated steering group, comprising staff from various departments including Housing Advice, Temporary Accommodation, and Community Safety, has been formed to drive this process. The report indicated that the department was working to ensure it met the eight priority standards and aimed to achieve accreditation by Spring 2020.

Residents' Working Group Update

A report was scheduled to provide an update on the Residents' Working Group (RWG), which was established to review the council's resident participation structures in light of the government's Social Housing Green Paper (SHGP). The SHGP calls for social landlords to empower residents and ensure their voices are heard. The RWG, composed of representatives from Area Housing Panels (AHPs) and Resident Management Organisations (RMOs), had been undertaking a series of workshops to examine formal and informal participation structures. The report indicated that the RWG had found the council's current formal structures to be robust but recommended improvements to their constitutions to better centre residents. Recommendations included a revised membership model for formal structures, a review of the annual accreditation process for Residents' Associations (RAs), and adjustments to the quorum for AHPs. The RWG also discussed the major works consultation process, suggesting improved notification methods for tenants and recommending the disbandment of the Major Works Review Sub Committee (MWRSC). Furthermore, the group supported the idea of involving residents in the procurement of services and proposed an annual RA conference.

Housing Revenue Account Rents and Service Charges

The Forum was scheduled to consider a report on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) rents and service charges for council dwellings and non-residential properties. This report detailed proposals for expenditure and income for the housing stock for the upcoming financial year, ensuring no debit balance on the HRA. The report recommended additions to the capital programme and proposed a minimum 1% rent decrease for social rented and affordable rent properties, alongside a 4.3% increase in non-residential charges, including garages. The report also outlined the revised budget framework and the 10-year HRA business plan forecast, which demonstrated the council's ability to finance future expenditure, including regeneration projects and development programmes, while maintaining the Decent Homes standard.

Review of the House Purchase Grant Scheme

A report was scheduled to be presented on the review of the House Purchase Grant (HPG) scheme. This scheme, operating under Section 129 of the Housing Act 1988, provides cash incentives to tenants to help them purchase a property, use as a deposit for shared ownership, or adapt a family member's home. The primary objective of the HPG scheme is to release vacant council properties for reletting and to assist residents in home ownership. The report noted the scheme's popularity, with a waiting list of 78 tenants for 2019/20. Proposals for amending the scheme for 2019/20 included reducing maximum grant levels, removing bonus payments, and reducing the maximum grant for adaptations, with the aim of enabling more tenants to benefit from the scheme.

Good Practice in Animal Welfare Service

The Forum was scheduled to consider a report highlighting the achievements of the Animal Welfare Service within the Housing and Regeneration Department. The council's work in animal welfare had received special recognition from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), including the Special Diamond PawPrints Award for both its stray dog policy and pet-friendly housing policy. The report noted that Wandsworth was the only local authority in England and Wales to hold a Diamond Award for its pet-friendly housing policy and one of three to achieve this for its stray dog policy. A report by Battersea had previously highlighted the council's balanced approach to pet ownership, ensuring tenants could benefit from dog ownership while mitigating issues for other residents.

Review of the Council's Tenancy Strategy and Policy

A report was scheduled to be discussed regarding the review of the Council's Tenancy Strategy and Tenancy Policy. The council is required to publish clear policies on tenancies and rent, which private registered providers with rented stock in the borough must consider. The review of the current Wandsworth Tenancy and Rent Strategy and Tenancy Policy had been completed, with a six-week consultation planned before proposed changes were anticipated to take effect in April 2019. The most significant proposed change was extending the initial flexible fixed-term tenancies from five to ten years, with subsequent tenancies offered for five-year periods. The report also noted the inclusion of a statement prohibiting the creation of inter-generational sole to joint tenancies except in exceptional circumstances.

Review of Heating and Hot Water Account

The Forum was scheduled to review the heating and hot water account and proposed revisions to charges for the 2019/20 financial year. The report detailed proposed charges based on actual and anticipated expenditure for communal heating and hot water on a boiler house by boiler house basis, including adjustments for repair costs and fuel charges. It was indicated that 75% of sites would see a reduction or no increase in fuel charges for the year, with repair costs recharged based on actual expenditure.