Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Community Leadership & Engagement presented a report on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) estimates, review of rents and other charges for 2022/23, and the available HRA resources within the context of the 30-year Business Plan and proposed the budgets for 2022/23 for both revenue and capital expenditure.

The Cabinet Member advised that 2022/23 was the third year in which the Council was able to control its own rent setting policy after the Government had imposed a four-year, 1% rent reduction policy on all providers of social housing from April 2016, which had a significant negative impact on the HRA business plan. It was noted that although the Council was able to freeze service charges at 2021/22 levels, it was proposed that rents increased by 4.1 % from April 2022, which represented an average HRA rent increase of £3.97 per week from £97.00 to £100.97 per week, and heating and hot water charges would also increase due to the significant rise in fuel costs.

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Core Services highlighted the average rent levels for homes under the HRA and the excellent value for money that they represented.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree that rents for all general needs secure, affordable and sheltered housing accommodation be increased by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) (September 2021) of 3.1% + 1% = 4.1%, from the current average of £97.00 per week to £100.97 per week;

(ii)  Agree the following service charges for tenants:

(iii)  Agree that charges for heating and hot water increase by 7.1% in anticipation of fuel cost increases, as follows:

(iv)  Note that water and sewage charges will be increased by the provider by an average change of 10.2% for water and 3.1% for sewage, making a combined change of 8.9%;

(v)  Agree that the above charges take effect from 1 April 2022;

(vi)  Agree the proposed HRA budget for 2022-23 as set out in paragraphs 2.13 to 2.18 of the report, and

(vii)  Agree the Investment in Existing Stock programme and the HRA Capital Programme for 2022/23, as set out in sections 3 to 6 of the report.