Agenda item
To consider
the Annual Report of Cartrefi Cymunedol
Gwynedd
Minutes:
(a)
The Annual Report of Cartrefi
Cymunedol Gwynedd (CCG) for 2014-2015 was submitted.
Reference was made to the Transfer Agreement, and it was noted that it was
required for them to note how they had realised the promises made to tenants in
the Offer Document and implemented the obligations under the Transfer
Agreement. Attention was drawn to some specific matters:
·
167 (98.8%) of the promises within the "Your
Home, Your Choice" Offer Document had been successfully delivered since
the end of March 2015. It was noted that CCG continued to prioritise local jobs
ensuring that the expenditure was circulated locally. At the end of March 2015,
257 were employed on the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) improvement
programme across all service providers. As WHQS’ work flow and improvement
programme drew to a close, it was noted that Service Provider staffing levels
were decreasing and as a result the number of apprentices and trainees was
reducing.
·
CCG had previously won the Association of
Consultant Architects Innovation and Partnering award (2013), and the
Outstanding Contribution award in the National Procurement Awards (2014). Following
that, it had been praised for the way that local businesses and people had
benefitted from the jobs and apprenticeships created. In 2015, it received an
award from Wales National Procurement.
·
Since CCG's inception and up to March 2015, 180
community projects had benefited from grants (a total of £975,699) through
CCG's Community Investment Fund with additional investment of £5.6M secured
through match funding.
·
CCG’s emphasis was changing. Over the past five
years, the emphasis had been on ensuring that the association's stock complied
with the standard, and this remained a definite commitment. By now, the
business’ direction was changing, and the Corporate Plan 2015/20 had been
formed outlining the strategy and aspirations for the next five years. Welfare
reform would affect tenants, and consideration had to be given to the provision
that would be offered.
·
The business continued to grow in order to ensure
long-term viability - new developments in Maesgeirchen
and Pwllheli together with achieving the target in
the provision of affordable homes and investigating new sources of income. Although
the expenditure would reduce from this year onwards, CCG would continue to
invest and circulate funding within the County.
·
Elements of collaboration with large companies and
sub-contracting arrangements caused some concerns, but CCG continued to work
through this.
·
Continued to consult with tenants to include
customers in everything it did.
·
As a result of the change in emphasis, the
relationship with the Council was changing from a monitoring perspective.
(b)
During the discussion, the following observations
were made:
i.
CCG was congratulated on its success in receiving a
Wales National Procurement award and on its positive report. It was thanked for
the success of the community fund and its willingness to improve the mixed
property estates.
ii.
New developments were approved, but it was
necessary to secure more units for older people as well as one-bedroom units. In
response, it was noted that CCG was aware of the increase in the number of
older people and of the clear statistics which evidenced the emphasis on
keeping older people in their homes - the matter had already been discussed at
the Housing Partnership and therefore the housing associations were
collaborating to respond to the demand and to ensure that the developments were
in the right locations.
iii.
The standard of kitchens, for example, was likely
to decline at the same time and therefore it was foreseen that further
investment would be needed in approximately 15 years. In response, it was noted
that this had been considered in the business plan.
iv.
Request to strengthen the local members' and the
District Council's links with local wardens in terms of sharing information. In
response, it was noted that the Elected Member Protocol ensured the flow of
information in one direction, with every enquiry and response being
appropriately recorded. It was stated that establishing one point of contact
had provided professional aspect to the procedure. In terms of contacting
wardens, it was highlighted that this was not effective as the warden tended to
be out in the field all day. It was also highlighted that a Members Champion
had been purposefully appointed to share information. Members were reminded
that the member protocol was effective and Gethin and
the team were congratulated on their timely information and responses.
v.
In terms of housing sales it was noted that the
average had reduced to between 5 and 7 houses being sold annually. It was noted
that the Government had an intention to reduce the discount from £16,000 to
£8,000 which would make the process less appealing for the tenant. The ‘Right
to Buy’ initiative was ongoing, with an eligibility period of having lived in
the property for two years prior to making an application. According to the
Westminster Government, it was an aspiration, for every house sold that another
should be built in its place, but it appeared as though Welsh Government had
made a robust commitment to abolish the 'Right to Buy' project.
vi.
In response to a Member’s request for information
to share with tenants in terms of who received priority, it was noted that
requests were managed by the Housing Options Team with good collaboration with
the Housing Services. It was also highlighted that Information Security had to
be respected, and therefore information on tenants could not be shared. The
work that members did to mitigate situations was appreciated.
vii.
In response to a comment noting disappointment that
CCG had appointed two non-Welsh speaking senior officers and the ill-feeling
that had been created as a result, it was highlighted that it was not an easy
decision. It was noted that there had been recruitment problems and that they
had sought to respond to the situation. CCG’s work towards the Welsh language
continued, but as a business it was necessary to ensure that the right people
were in the right posts and therefore this was a priority.
viii.
In response to an observation regarding improving
collaboration arrangements in terms of the Empty Housing situation, it was
noted that empty housing was a financial problem for CCG and therefore if local
members could support CCG by promoting empty housing it would be very grateful.
ix.
In terms of land ownership, it was highlighted that
CCG would contact local members.
x.
In terms of a changing relationship, it was
highlighted that the members would like to see the relationship continuing
between the Council and CCG as the collaboration was beneficial. An initial
suggestion was made that it would be possible to hold an annual discussion at
the Communities Scrutiny Committee to discuss / scrutinise the work of all
housing associations that provided houses in Gwynedd.
Everyone was thanked for their contribution
to the debate and representatives from Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd were thanked for attending the meeting. The
report was accepted.
Supporting documents: