The Cabinet received a report on the Council’s performance across key priorities and projects for Quarter 2 2024/25. A final version of the Responsive Repairs and Maintenance Policy was scheduled to be presented for approval following consultation with tenants and leaseholders. The meeting also included the Council Tax Base for 2025/26 and a report on the findings from an inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). The final item scheduled for discussion was the final version of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeper Strategy 2025-2030 and associated action plan.

Homelessness & Rough Sleeper Strategy

The Cabinet was scheduled to consider the final version of the Homelessness & Rough Sleeper Strategy 2025-2030. The report states that local authorities have a statutory duty to carry out a review of homelessness in their local area and to publish a new strategy every five years.

Local Authorities have a statutory duty, under the Homelessness Act 2002, to carry out a review of homelessness in their local area and to formulate a Homelessness Strategy every five years. Detailed guidance on this is provided in the Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities. ¹ The Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities was published in 2018, replacing the previous version which was published in 2006. It contains statutory guidance for local housing authorities in England on their duties to people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. It was updated in 2022 to include new legislation and guidance related to the Homelessness Reduction Act.

Stevenage’s current strategy expired at the end of March 2024. During June 2024, consultation on the draft strategy took place with stakeholders. The report pack proposes that the strategy has four priorities: prevention and relief of homelessness, provision of temporary accommodation, delivery of affordable homes, and support for homeless households.

The strategy proposes to avoid unnecessary evictions by providing tenancy sustainment support to people living in privately rented accommodation. The document also states that there has been an increase in the need for emergency accommodation for people with physical disabilities. It proposes to enhance the Council’s emergency and temporary accommodation to ensure that the needs of disabled people are met. A new temporary accommodation scheme is due to open at Dunn Close. The document states that the Council intends to deliver 500 new Council homes over the next 10 years.

The report says that additional consultation was carried out on the strategy in August and September.

Regulator of Social Housing Regulatory Judgement

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) carried out an inspection of Stevenage Borough Council’s housing service between June and mid-September 2024. The report pack says that the RSH has awarded the Council a C2 grade, the second highest of four grades. The judgement is only against the Consumer Standards, known as the ‘C’ Grade.

The Regulator uses 4 grades ranging from C1, where the landlord is delivering the outcomes required in all areas, to C4 where there are very serious failings. ² The RSH's Consumer Standards set out the outcomes that all social housing landlords are required to deliver to ensure tenants experience high quality homes and services. They cover a range of areas, including safety, repairs, complaints handling, and tenant engagement.

The RSH has found that the Council is compliant with the Consumer Standards in most areas but identifies a need for improvements in four areas: the reporting of remedial actions required to address health and safety issues, the provision of information about performance to tenants, opportunities for tenants to influence and scrutinise services, and the use of tenant data to tailor service provision.

Responsive Repairs and Maintenance Policy

The report pack includes a final version of the Responsive Repairs and Maintenance Policy. The policy covers repairs to homes owned by the council and repairs to communal areas. It says that tenants and leaseholders have a responsibility to report any damage to council property and communal areas. They should report repairs through the ‘Housing Online - My Repairs’ section of the Council's website, or by contacting the Customer Service Centre if a repair cannot be reported online. The report notes that emergency repairs should be reported by telephone.

The report pack says that the policy has been developed to reflect feedback from tenants and leaseholders. It proposes to introduce a recharge for tenants who miss repair appointments, aligned to the compensation payable to tenants for missed appointments by the Council.

Council Tax Base

The Council was due to approve the Council Tax Base for 2025/26. The report says that on 15 September 2024 the Valuation Office recorded 38,395 domestic dwellings in Stevenage. It says that 208 new homes are expected to be built during 2025/26. The report pack includes a proposed council tax base of 28,571.8 ‘Band D’ equivalent properties. This is 79 dwellings fewer than the estimate that was previously included in the Council’s Medium-Term Financial Strategy.