Agenda item

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director – Families & Communities, which advised that the report sought to satisfy various committee instructions, which were listed below.

At this Committee on 17 January 2023, the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord was instructed to consolidate and refresh all asset management strategies for the HRA estate and report back to this Committee by late 2024.

At the meeting of this Committee on 30 May 2024, the Executive Director Families and Communities was instructed to present Committee with bi-annual reports to enable Committee oversight of all housing improvement activity being coordinated by the Housing Board.

On 30 May 2024, this Committee instructed the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to pause new applications under the Council House buy-back scheme (with the exclusion of any properties in Torry with potential to meet the requirements of RAAC affected tenants) and bring a report on the Acquisition and Disposal policy and buy-backs progress to this committee no later than 21 November 2024.

On 05 September 2024, the Committee declared a housing emergency and committed to the creation and implementation of a rights based Housing Emergency Action Plan to align the work of internal and external partners to address the housing emergency.  Committee recommended that Council establish a cross-party working group to monitor progress against the Plan in addition to reporting progress bi-annually to Committee.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)          note the progress made by the Housing Board from June to November 2024;

(b)          note the Housing Emergency Action Plan in Appendix A and endorse the areas of focus within the Plan;

(c)          note the evaluations contained in Appendices B and C;

(d)          note the revised Minimum Letting Standard;

(e)          approve the Council Housing Stock Acquisition and Disposal Policy as detailed in Appendix D and instruct officers to review the Policy on a bi-annual basis;

(f)            instruct the Chief Officer Corporate Landlord to continue with the suspension of the buy-back scheme and to review this again in early 2026, noting that flexibility remained to purchase individual properties to meet specific requirements; and

(g)          note the intention that the Void Member/Officer working group members would form part of the Housing Emergency Cross Party Working Group.

The Convener moved, seconded by the Vice Convener:-

          That the Committee approve the recommendations.

Councillor Graham, seconded by Councillor Tissera, moved as an amendment:-

          That the Committee - 

1.    notes the contents of the report;

2.    agrees the Housing Revenue Account 30 year business plan presented by the SNP did not propose building one single new council home, noting the SNP refused to work cross party to deliver a further 1,000 Council homes within the next 4 years, which reflects badly on the SNP whose actions defy the agreed housing emergency;

3.    agrees the number of Void properties awaiting/undergoing preparation for re-let is too high and that the Chief Officer - Housing, in collaboration with the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord, bring forward an improvement plan within 2 committee cycles to deal with getting Voids down to the hundreds rather than the thousands;

4.    notes the decisions by the Council on RAAC, approved by only 4 Council members at an Urgent Business Committee Meeting on 29^th February 2024;

5.    notes the success of the previous Aberdeen Labour-led administration in obtaining monies from the Scottish Government to buy back properties against the dismal monies obtained by the SNP as outlined at 4.3 of the report; and

6.    instructs the Chief Officer – Housing and Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to reconsider the Council’s Housing Emergency Action Plan and develop a plan like that of the City of Edinburgh Council and/or other local authorities who have declared a housing emergency.

On a division, there voted – for the motion (5) – the Convener, the Vice Convener and Councillors Greig, Davidson and McLellan – for the amendment (3) – Councillors Cross, Graham and Tissera.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the motion.