Agenda item

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Kerr)

Report of the Head of Planning Services

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Kerr)

The Head of Planning Services submitted a report to agree the policy for allocating funding from Section 106 commuted sums for the delivery of additional affordable housing in the district and to consider the process for determining applications for funding by approved housing providers.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment, were set out in the report as follows:

Option 1 – Agree the policy and procedure and note that once this framework has been approved, allocations will be made by way of Individual Cabinet Member Decision.  The risk associated to this is that in some instances there may be a conflict of interest, but this can be addressed by the decision being referred to Cabinet. 

Option 2 – Agree the policy and procedure and reserve decisions about allocations to Cabinet.  The risk with this process is that there may be occasions when a decision is needed before the next available Cabinet meeting.  In the event that Option 2 is preferred, the draft procedure would require minor amendment.

Officer Preferred Option (and comments)

Officers preferred option is 1.  This will allow a response to be given to applications in a timely manner.

Where there is a conflict of interest for the Member involved or if the Member would prefer the decision to be referred to Cabinet, there is provision in the Constitution for this.

An open book approach by RSLs must be taken to ensure there is transparency in the allocation of the funds.

In order that sustainable communities are developed in some instances it may be necessary for the approved housing provider to produce a local lettings plan.  These can be used in areas where there are known problems and the council and partner agencies are working to address the issues.  The plans can be used to ensure that there is no overcrowding in a property, there are no persons allocated the properties that are known to have caused anti social behaviour in the past and to balance the allocations to people who are economically active and to those unable to work.  These are only examples and local lettings plan must address the individual issues of an area.

All developments that have received funding from the commuted sum will provide 100% nominations from the council’s housing register (waiting list).  If there is a local lettings plan in place the nominees must meet the criteria set out in the plan.

It was moved by Councillor Kerr and seconded by Councillor Archer:-

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”

Members then voted:-

Resolved unanimously:

(1)        That the policy, as a framework to define how any spending of Section 106 monies designated for affordable housing would be evaluated and managed, be adopted.

(2)        That Cabinet notes that the determination of allocations of the monies will be made by Individual Cabinet Member Decision by the portfolio holder for Health and Wellbeing.

(3)        That the Head of Financial Services be authorised to update the Capital Programme to reflect any decisions taken under (2) above, subject to there being a nil impact on the Council’s resources outside the allocated commuted sums.

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

Corporate Director (Regeneration)

Head of Planning Services

Head of Financial Services

Reasons for making the decision:

The decision agrees a process to spend the commuted sums on additional affordable housing and will allow a response to be given to applications in a timely manner.

(Councillor Kerr left the meeting at the conclusion of this item.)