Apologies for absence were received from Councillors K Grey and Walch.

There were no Declarations of Interest declared at the meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 2 March 2017 were confirmed.

The Chairman requested that in reference to minute number 1, Sustainability & Transformation plan for Norfolk & Waveney, that the Committee be forwarded copies of the power point presentation made by the CCG representatives.

A Member reported that the Forward Plan had been omitted from the agenda, therefore, the Member Services Officer agreed to circulate a copy of the Forward Plan by e-mail to Committee members following the meeting.

The Director of Housing & Neighbourhoods and the Senior Strategic Planner gave a presentation outlining the recent Government Housing White paper which identified the key challenges and opportunities for the Council and the proposed responses to the consultation on the White Paper and associated document.

The Committee requested the following additional responses:-

• The Council were concerned regarding extending the Right to Buy to Low Cost Homes/Council owned dwellings.
• The White Paper did not address Brownfield Sites - the Council should receive additional funding to ease the Borrowing Cap if the Council could make a firm Business case to do so.
• Penalties for developers for land banking - suggest a tax on each undeveloped plot. The Borough has 800-1000 permissions granted but work had not commenced.
• Extra funding towards Compulsory Purchasing Powers to enable the Council to bring identified brownfield sites forward for development.
• The White paper to include a minimum standard of house/room size to achieve an acceptable form of development to prevent "the slums of the future".
• The PDA's response to Development Corporation to help bring the development of difficult sites forward.

The Senior Strategic Planner agreed to amend the Council's response to the White Paper and to circulate copies of the amended response to the Committee, via e-mail, for their approval.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee:

(i) Note the Housing White Paper, and its significance for Great Yarmouth Borough Council; and

(ii) Agree the responses to the Housing White Paper, included the additional responses agreed at the meeting, and associated "Build to Rent" consultation.

The Director of Housing & Neighbourhoods & the Norse Manager updated the Committee on the plans for the use of grant funding awarded by the DCLG under the Estates Regeneration Programme.

The Director of Housing & Neighbourhoods reported that with reduced revenue and capital resources available within the Housing Revenue Account, competing demands and no major grant funding available, the estates regeneration programme represented an opportunity to explore options for the regeneration of the Middlegate estate and to link it closely to the neighbourhoods that Work programme, wider town centre regeneration and the Council's housing aspirations.

RESOLVED:

(i) That the Committee note the programme of work agreed with the DCLG; and

(ii) To include, as part of the quarterly update report, to the Housing & Neighbourhoods Committee.

The Group Manager, Neighbourhoods & Communities, gave an update on the current activity and delivery through the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector commissioned services.

The Group Manager, Neighbourhoods and Communities, reported that Internal Audit were still reviewing the processes which had been undertaken resulting in four VCSE organisations being awarded funding to deliver VCSE support services for the period of one year in January 2017.

Members raised the following issues:

• Further clarification regarding small and medium sized organisations. The Group Manager, Neighbourhoods & Communities, agreed to carry out the required amendment.

• That the Committee was expecting two reports, one to the Audit & Risk Committee and one, as a result of an internal review of the processes, by the Committee itself.

• The tight timescale between the final report being considered by the Committee and the process starting in September. The Director of Housing & Neighbourhoods reported that there was an option to extend the four grant awards for a further year.

• That local charities were being left in a vulnerable financial position by the Council which kept moving the goalposts which Members were unhappy with.

The Director of Housing & Neighbourhoods agreed to bring a further report to the next meeting.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee note the report and a further report be received at the next meeting of the Housing & Neighbourhoods Committee on 15 June 2017. The item to be added to the Forward Plan.

The Group Manager, Housing Health & Wellbeing provided a verbal update to inform Members of the Current situation and work being undertaken following Norfolk County Council's decision to reduce housing related support funding across the County.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee note the report.

(i) Forward Plan.

Councillor Williamson requested that a report on the Leaseholder Service be placed on the Forward Plan. The Chairman requested that this be added to the Forward Plan for the next meeting.

(ii) Street Naming

The Chairman reported that the access to the new Hertford Way development required naming. Three suggestions had been put forward, Homerton Close, Wolfson Close and Robinson Close. The Director of Housing & Neighbourhoods would e-mail the Committee and ask for their choice and the result would be given at the next meeting.

The Chairman thanked the Committee for their hard work and support during her tenure as Chairman of the Committee.