The Executive of Bolsover District Council are scheduled to meet on Monday 6th October 2025 to discuss a number of issues, including a welfare adaptation policy, a local retrofit strategy, and the use of a property as a regeneration engagement hub. Also to be discussed is pre-construction funding for Mill Lane.

East Midlands Combined Counties Retrofit Strategy

The Executive are scheduled to discuss the endorsement of the East Midlands Combined Counties (EMCC) Retrofit Strategy.

A report in the Public reports pack 06th-Oct-2025 10.00 Executive notes that Bolsover District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council jointly bid to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) Foundation in 2024 to pilot the development of a Retrofit Strategy for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. The bid was successful, and it was agreed to accept the funding at a meeting of the Executive on 9th September 2024.

The report states that officers from Bolsover District Council have led the development of the Retrofit Strategy alongside staff from Nottinghamshire County Council and the MCS Foundation. This has involved coordinating three regional workshops attended by over 100 representatives of 58 different organisations involved in retrofit¹. These organisations included:

• Local Authorities
• Higher & Further Education providers
• Housing Providers (LA, Private Rented and Housing Associations)
• Health Bodies
• National Government Bodies
• Private Companies
• Fuel Poverty Advocates
• Energy Charities and Campaign Groups
• Voluntary Sector representatives
• Financial Support Groups

The report says that the new EMCC retrofit strategy has been co-developed by partners from across the retrofit spectrum from every location in the region and that this has resulted in a wide-ranging strategy that covers all areas of retrofit and overcomes some of the issues that occur when Local Authorities work independently. The vision for the strategy is:

A just future in which we're all living in healthy, energy-efficient homes within sustainable communities.

The mission that sits at the centre of the strategy is:

We will improve our homes faster, prioritising confidence, quality, affordability and collaboration, and grow skills and jobs in our region.

The report notes that the strategy is not just about retrofitting properties, but also addresses issues such as fuel poverty², delivering local economic growth and social benefits, and that it has benefitted from input from health bodies, so it looks at the wider health benefits to the area from improved housing. The report says that the actions within the strategy encourage partners to work together to develop a more efficient approach to retrofit for the region and help overcome the problems faced by individual authorities working alone.

The reason that endorsement is requested is that the strategy has been put together by officers from local authorities across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and endorsement shows that Bolsover District Council support this strategy and its strategic direction for the region.

Welfare Adaptations Policy

The Executive are scheduled to discuss and provide comment on the updated Welfare Adaptation Policy.

A report in the Public reports pack 06th-Oct-2025 10.00 Executive notes that Bolsover District Council has 4940 housing properties and is committed to providing suitable housing to meet the needs of its residents, and that housing adaptations can play an important role in allowing people to live independently in comfort and safety in their own home.

The report says that the Welfare Adaptation Policy provides a framework for the provision of adaptations to the homes of tenants living in Council accommodation, either in their current home or through rehousing to suitable accommodation that may already be adapted and would meet their housing need.

The report defines an adaptation as alterations or additions to a property to make it safer and easier to move around the home and do everyday tasks.

The report notes that the Council approved the Welfare Adaptation Policy in May 2022, setting out who can apply for a Welfare Adaptation and the procedure followed when considering requests, and that to be eligible for an adaptation the tenant or a member of the tenant's household must be an occupant of a Bolsover District Council property using this as their permanent or principal home.

The report also provides definitions of adaptations, saying that minor adaptations are simple, cost-effective solutions to assist a person to live independently, such as grab rails, small external handrails and over bath showers, and tend to be under £1000. The report notes that in the last financial year, the council undertook 42 minor adaptations.

The report says that major adaptations are valued over £1000 and are generally structural changes to a property, for example, replacing a bath with a level access shower or wet room, hard standing/driveways and stair lifts, and that in the last financial year, the council undertook 141 major adaptations.

The report notes that the Policy is now due for renewal, and that as part of the review process, the council held several sessions with the various officers involved in the Welfare Adaptation process, including a representative from Derbyshire County Council. In addition, the council reviewed the Housing Ombudsman Good Practice Guidance issued in February 2025 regarding disabled adaptions in social housing.

The report says that several tenants who had been through the Welfare Adaptation process were invited to form a working group to discuss their experiences and make suggestions for improvement to the Policy and Process, and that the key theme was around improved communication during the process. As a result of which an additional step has been implemented within the process regarding the applicant being notified in writing about the application, and that the applicant will be notified of the reasons for refusal in writing and be provided details of who they are able to appeal the decision.

The report notes that the Policy has been amended to be clearer with regards to what works the council can and will undertake to ensure that expectations are managed, and that the key changes within the policy are as follows:

• Eligibility - the occupant must be using the property as their permanent or principal home for 12 months or more.
• Where a stair lift is required in a block of flats this will only be considered following a feasibility and fire risk assessment.
• Feasibility assessments will be undertaken when looking at the provision of hard standing for wheelchairs users or where this could provide a more economical solution to provide a hard standing than providing additional paths/ramping from the roadside.
• Ramping for self-purchased wheelchairs or mobility scooters may not be considered unless assessed as a necessary requirement by an Occupational Therapist or other suitably qualified medical professional.
• Where a level access shower is required in properties at first floor or above, this can be considered following a feasibility and/or accommodation needs assessment.
• Should alternative suitable accommodation become available prior to work commencing the council can make this as an alternative offer to the adaption agreed.
• Reference to £500 rent arrears threshold has been removed, rather stating where there are any arrears, that contact is made with the applicant to ensure a payment plan is in place and being adhered to, prior to works being carried out.

The report says that Customer Services Scrutiny have reviewed and provided comments on the updated Policy which will be verbally reported to the Executive.

Engagement Hub - 8 Cotton Street, Bolsover

The Executive are scheduled to discuss the utilisation of 8 Cotton Street, Bolsover as a regeneration programme engagement hub for a minimum period of 2 years.

A report in the Public reports pack 06th-Oct-2025 10.00 Executive notes that the Council-owned property at 8 Cotton Street, Bolsover became vacant on 21 June 2025, following the retirement of a long-standing tenant who had operated the premises as a café.

The report says that the building comprises a ground-floor commercial unit of approximately 336 sq. ft (31.22 sq. m), with a void first-floor area, and includes a street-facing customer space, rear kitchen, separate WC accessed via the back of the property, and a prominent shopfront secured by an electric roller shutter.

The report notes that during handover, the outgoing tenant disclosed unreported damp issues affecting the front elevation and rear flat roof, and that the tenant had informally managed these issues through surface treatments and cosmetic decoration.

The report says that once the property was vacated, a high-level inspection was carried out by the Council's Quantity Surveyor, who identified a number of remedial issues requiring attention, including previously unreported damp, roofing repairs, fire safety and compliance.

The report notes that in response, and in line with the Council's commitment to maintaining safe, lettable assets, three independent contractors were invited to assess the property and provide a costed scope of works, and that the estimated cost of works is £22,000, excluding any additional electrical works that may arise following the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). The report says that this has been reviewed by the Council's Quantity Surveyor and an internal Project Manager and is considered reasonable against current market rates, and that costs will be met by the place programme within the £15million funding awarded to the Council.

The report says that in April 2025, a market rental assessment carried out by the council's marketing agent, Omeeto, indicated a guide rent of £6,500 per annum (£19.35 per sq. ft), conditional upon the property being refurbished to a lettable standard.

The report notes that given the property's location near five major regeneration initiatives (the former Co-op site, former White Swan, 36/36a Market Place, the Public Realm Programme, and the Shop Front Improvements Scheme) a strategic proposal has been developed to repurpose 8 Cotton Street as a regeneration engagement hub and 'show property' for the shopfront improvement scheme.

The report says that the proposal would see the Council use the property as an engagement hub for a two-year period, foregoing rental income (estimated at £13,000), and that the building would serve as a visible, accessible base for officers leading on the regeneration programme to engage directly with the public, enhancing transparency, positive engagement, and community trust.

The report notes that all necessary works, including internal upgrades and external façade improvements, as outlined in the contractor's submitted scope of works, will be fully funded through the regeneration programme, and that this investment will bring the property up to a high standard, suitable for public-facing use and future commercial letting.

The report says that once refurbished, the building will act as a live demonstration of the Shop Front Improvements Scheme, showcasing design standards and encouraging wider participation from local businesses and property owners.

The report notes that this approach has been presented to and is supported by both the Strategic Commissioning Board and the Asset Management Group, and that as the former use of 8 Cotton Street as a café (Class E(b)) and its proposed use as an engagement hub (Class E(c)(iii)) both fall within Planning Use Class E³ (Commercial, Business and Service), no change of use planning application is required.

Mill Lane Bolsover, Pre-construction Funding Arrangements

The Executive are scheduled to discuss and approve a reduction in the level of dividend to be returned to the Council arising from Dragonfly Development Ltd profit, achieved during the 2023\24 financial year, so as to fund pre-construction works at Mill Lane, Bolsover.

A report in the Public reports pack 06th-Oct-2025 10.00 Executive notes that Dragonfly Development Ltd (DDL) during the 2023\24 financial year, realised a profit after tax of £808,803, and that after repaying loans owed to the Council as previously agreed by the Dragonfly Board of £421,292.06, a balance remains of £387,510.94, which could normally be returned to the Council as a dividend as 100% shareholder of the Dragonfly group of companies.

The report says that DDL is one of the Council's strategic vehicles in delivery of its Bolsover Homes pipeline ambitions by way of increasing its affordable social housing stock by 200 units within the Council's current strategic plan, (The Future) 2024 to 2028.

The report notes that the Council, in consultation with Dragonfly, has reviewed its schedule of potential development sites concluding that smaller sites limiting development potential to 3 units, are not viable, and that therefore, other sites have been considered which were not included in the original Bolsover Homes pipeline.

The report says that one such site is Mill Lane Bolsover, which it is considered, offers potential to develop approximately 38 units, but that pre-construction work (i.e. design\investigatory) is necessary to confirm viability.

The report notes that it is proposed that the development of Mill Lane Bolsover should be included within the Bolsover Homes pipeline, thus delivering approximately 38 further 38 homes towards the 200 target, but that before this can be further considered for inclusion in the Bolsover Homes funding pipeline and submitted to Members for approval, viability of the scheme needs to be undertaken.

The report says that Dragonfly Development costing of pre-construction services is £275,362.13 excluding VAT, summarised as follows:

• RIBA⁴ Stage 2 Pre-Construction Services: £20,728.83
• RIBA Stage 3 Pre-Construction Services: £40,161.33
• RIBA Stage 4 & 5 Pre-Construction Services: £214,471.97

The report notes that it is proposed that Dragonfly (DDL) fund pre-construction works for development at Mill Lane Bolsover, from their 2023\24 profit, which would result in any dividend returned to the Council being lowered.

The report says that the Council's Shareholder Agreement provides facility for the Council to agree the distribution of profit (i.e. dividend) it receives from the Dragonfly companies, and that the report seeks Executive\Council approval to reduce the level of dividend received from Dragonfly's 2023\24 profit after tax.

Minutes

The Executive are scheduled to review the minutes of the last meeting held on 8th September 2025.