Agenda item

Minutes:

The Service Manager for Governance welcomed Chris Clipstone, the Council’s Assistant Director for Housing Operations, who was in attendance to give Members an update regarding the Council’s current position in relation to the management of incidences of damp and mould within the Council’s housing stock.

 

The former Inward Focus Select Committee had first considered Damp and Mould as a topic during 2023 and had received information in respect of the following:

 

·         the background to the introduction of the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023 following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017 and the death of Awaab Ishak in 2020

 

·         current procedures for reporting damp/mould issues to the Council

 

·         the increase in cases reported due to media focus and awareness and the resultant interest from solicitors touting for business via claims against the Council

 

·         different types of mould and how/why they flourish

 

·         the impact of the current Cost of Living Crisis and the resultant damp/mould issues arising in Council properties due to tenants struggling to heat their homes adequately

 

·         the age of the housing stock equating to more substantial and recurring damp/mould issues

 

·         the Council’s current responsibilities to their tenants

 

·         development of the draft Damp and Mould Policy and recent consultation with local Tenant Gateways and stakeholders

 

·         the work being undertaken to raise tenant awareness of preventative measures that can reduce the effects of damp/mould.

 

To assist Members with their deliberations, a briefing note compiled by Joel Smith from xxxxx school in Stechford, Birmingham, who had been on work experience with the Scrutiny and Democratic Services Team, was circulated at the meeting. 

 

To provide an insight into the current position, the Assistant Director for Housing Operations advised that there had now been a 90% increase in disrepair claims due to the increased media awareness, and solicitors were putting pressure on local authorities to settle claims quickly.  The Council had recently taken on an extra officer to cope with the increased demand for house inspections as a result of this increase and it had been acknowledged that even more resources would most probably be needed in the future to keep up with demand.

 

Additions to the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023 were expected at some point later in the year regarding tighter guidelines for dealing with all types of hazards within tenant’s homes as well as issues of damp and mould.  It was proposed that landlords would only have 7 days from completion of inspection to commence works and rectify the hazard, with a requirement for an inspection report to be available 48 hours following the inspection.  If passed, these timelines would be challenging and more resources would inevitably be needed to keep up with the prescribed requirements.  It was intended that all social landlords nationally would be inspected over the next 4 years.

 

Members received a recap of the three types of damp and mould and the importance of educating tenants in relation to preventative measures for managing the humidity of their homes. Home insultation and the use of fans and heating were effective measures for reducing damp and mould, but many tenants were reluctant to use electrical equipment and/or heating systems that could result in their energy bills rising.

 

To endeavour to offer ongoing support to tenants, Council staff had recently been trained to assist with money management issues and to offer support and guidance in relation to damp and mould reduction measures. 

 

An External Audit review was currently underway to ascertain how the Council was preparing and dealing with the implications from the new legislation in their role as a public sector landlord.  It was anticipated that there would be some weaknesses highlighted but officers were already working on closing the gaps to improve the service and comply with the necessary legislation.

 

To conclude, Members were advised that the Council’s Damp and Mould Policy had now been ratified at Council and in respect of private sector rental properties, a leaflet had been produced for private landlords addressing possible enforcement measures should they fail to acknowledge and rectify any incidences of damp and mould in their properties.

 

Members took the opportunity to debate the issues and thanked Chris for his insightful update and Joel Smith for his detailed and informative brief.  Both had assisted the Committee in gaining a further understanding of the challenges being faced by Councils in relation to dealing with incidences of damp and mould within their housing stock.

 

RESOLVED that

a)    the update in relation to the Council’s management of incidences of damp and mould within the Council’s housing stock, be received and noted;

 

b)    the Service Manager for Governance be requested to invite the Council’s Team Manager Environmental Health (Residential), Stacy White, to an informal meeting of the Committee, to give Members some further insight into the Council’s residential private sector enforcement procedures and resources relating to damp and mould issues.

 

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