The Cambridge City Council Housing Advisory Board was scheduled to meet to discuss the terms of reference for the board, housing performance, regulatory compliance and tenant engagement policies, rent and service charge policies, and a housing revenue account improvement plan.

The board was also scheduled to discuss its annual workplan and any other business.

Housing Performance Report 2024-25

The Housing Performance Report 2024-25 was scheduled to be discussed, outlining key performance areas of the Housing Service over the last financial year.

The report was expected to cover:

• Operational efficiencies, including rent collection, arrears, void losses, and tenancy audits.
• Health and safety in council homes, including compliance with gas safety checks, fire risk assessments, asbestos management surveys, legionella risk assessments, and electrical installation condition reports (EICR).
• Damp, condensation and mould (DCM) management, including live cases and disrepair claims.
• Tenant satisfaction measures (TSM) results for 2024/25, covering both performance and perception measures.
• Tenant engagement activities and their influence on key services.

The report noted that Cambridge City Council is a member of Housemark, a social housing performance comparison club, which allows the service to compare costs and performance against a 'peer group' of authorities with a similar profile to Cambridge.

The report also included commentary from managers on areas where performance was not meeting expectations, such as former tenant arrears and percentage of repairs completed at first visit.

Health and Safety in Council Homes

The report pack included data on health and safety in council homes, stating that reporting and publishing data on performance against the building safety Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM's) is a mandatory requirement under the new Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023¹.

The report noted that between 2023/24 and 2024/25, non-decency has risen from 5 to 38 properties, due to some external doors identified as being old and requiring replacement.

The report also included data on outstanding compliance actions as of May 2025, including actions related to asbestos surveys, water risk assessments, and fire risk assessments.

Damp, Condensation and Mould

The report pack included an update on Damp, Condensation, and Mould (DCM) cases as of June 2025, tracking the progress of cases and disrepair claims.

The report noted that the DCM team continues to lay the groundwork for the implementation of Awaab's Law², due to come into effect in October 2025, and that the primary focus remains on delivering emergency treatments within the expected 24-hour timescale to ensure tenant safety and compliance.

Compliance Policy Bank Summary

The Housing Compliance Policy Manual for Cambridge City Council was scheduled to be discussed, developed through a rigorous, evidence-based process to ensure each policy meets the highest standards of regulatory compliance, operational practicality, and assurance readiness.

The policies are designed to support both operational delivery and strategic governance, ensuring the Council's HRA³ housing stock remains safe, legally compliant, and responsive to tenant and regulator expectations.

The policies included in the manual are:

• Fire Safety Policy
• Gas Safety Policy
• Electrical Safety Policy
• Water Hygiene Policy
• Asbestos Management Policy
• Lift and Equipment Safety Policy

Fire Safety Policy

The Fire Safety Policy outlines the Council's approach to the prevention, assessment, and management of fire risk across all Housing Revenue Account (HRA) properties, ensuring alignment with regulatory expectations and sector best practice.

The policy includes information on fire risk assessments (FRAs), person-centred fire risk assessments (PCFRAs), remedial actions and servicing, resident engagement and communication, performance monitoring and KPIs, training and competency, governance and audit, equality and vulnerability, and continuous improvement and review.

Gas Safety Policy

The Gas Safety Policy outlines how the Council will manage gas safety across all properties it owns or manages under the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), including the delivery of annual Landlord Gas Safety Records (LGSRs), repairs, audits, tenant engagement, and reporting.

The policy includes information on LGSR delivery and access protocols, servicing, repairs, and certification, performance monitoring and KPIs, training and competency, governance and audit, equality and vulnerability, and continuous improvement and review.

Electrical Safety Policy

The Electrical Safety Policy sets out the Council's approach to electrical safety management, inspection, testing, repairs, performance reporting, and continuous improvement.

The policy includes information on EICR delivery and remedial actions, access and servicing protocols, performance monitoring and KPIs, training and competency, governance and audit, equality and vulnerability, and continuous improvement and review.

Water Hygiene Policy

The Water Hygiene Policy outlines how the Council manages water safety in domestic and communal systems, supported by risk assessments, planned monitoring, remedial works, tenant engagement, and rigorous performance oversight.

The policy includes information on risk assessments and monitoring, remedial actions and servicing, performance monitoring and KPIs, training and competency, governance and audit, equality and vulnerability, and continuous improvement and review.

Asbestos Management Policy

The Asbestos Management Policy ensures ACMs⁴ are identified, recorded, managed in place or safely removed, and that tenants, staff, and contractors are kept safe through clear procedures and communication.

The policy includes information on surveys and register management, remedial actions and labelling, performance monitoring and KPIs, training and competency, governance and audit, equality and vulnerability, and continuous improvement and review.

Lift and Equipment Safety Policy

The Lift and Equipment Safety Policy outlines how the Council will manage statutory inspections, servicing, remedial actions, and reporting to meet its legal obligations and protect residents, staff, and contractors.

The policy includes information on inspection, testing and servicing, remedial works and response, performance monitoring and KPIs, training and competency, governance and audit, equality and vulnerability, and continuous improvement and review.

Tenant Engagement Plan – Compliance & Safety

The Tenant Engagement Plan was scheduled to be discussed, aiming to ensure tenants are informed, supported, and actively engaged in maintaining a safe living environment, supporting compliance with the Fire, Gas, Electrical, Water Hygiene, Asbestos, and Lift Safety policies.

The plan outlines key themes and responsibilities, engagement methods, engagement channels, a 12-month engagement timeline, and success measures.

Rent and Service Charge Policy

The Rent and Service Charge Policy was scheduled to be discussed, detailing Cambridge City Councils approach to setting rents and service charges in its Council owned homes and garages, ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation and the standards set out by the Regulator of Social Housing.

The policy covers legal requirements, policy statement, background, rent, the setting of rents, social rents, affordable rents, void rent, shared ownership rent, commercial rents, temporary accommodation rents, houses of multiple occupation (HMO's) rents, garage and parking space rents, ground rent, service charges, the setting of service charges, services charges for all accommodation types, shared ownership and leasehold service charges, sinking funds, interest, equality, diversity, and inclusion, policy review, and version control.

The policy states that:

Cambridge City Council will ensure a fair and consistent approach to rent and service charge setting. We aim to ensure that our rent and service charge policy is clear and transparent for our tenants. We will always look for value for money in the services we provide and charge for in our service charges. We will always try to balance the quality of the services against cost. We will provide tenants with clear information about what they're paying for.

Housing Service Improvement Plan 2025-2026 onwards

The Housing Service Improvement Plan 2025-2026 onwards was scheduled to be discussed, outlining the actions required to ensure Cambridge is meeting the Consumer Standards set by The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023.

The plan includes actions related to stock quality, repairs, maintenance and planned improvements, transparency, influence and accountability, fair and equitable outcomes, neighbourhood and community, and tenancy standard.

Housing Board Work Plan

The Housing Board Work Plan was scheduled to be discussed, outlining potential future topics for the board to consider, including:

• Educate Engage Enforcement Officer
• CIP New Build Homes
• Learned experience on new estates with mixed tenures
• Housing Risks