Agenda item

RESOLVED: The Shareholder Committee noted the contents of the Annual Assurance Report.

REASON FOR DECISION: To provide the Shareholder Committee with assurance on the West Norfolk Housing Companies performance against the business plan, governance and finances.  

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The Housing Development Manager presented the report, providing updates on business plan delivery, funding opportunities, pipeline progress, and the impact of local government reorganisation and sector challenges.

In response to a question from Councillor Morley, the Housing Development Manager assured the Committee the impact of the Renters Right Act was minimal for the Housing Company and was not due to come into effect for registered providers until October 2026.

The Chair, Councillor Beales commented on the funding opportunities, such as the £39 Billion from Central Government. The Assistant Director for Regeneration, Housing and Place discussed the company's engagement with new funding streams, including the Social and Affordable Homes Programme and the National Housing Bank, highlighting ongoing discussions with Homes England and the potential for low-cost loans and affordable homes grants to support future delivery.

The Chair, Councillor Beales commented on a recent meeting he had attended with Freebridge Community Housing and explained the focus was delivery of housing and would support any future opportunity for the Council and Freebridge Community Housing.

Councillor Ring commented on the opportunity of exploring the potential for using new low-interest funding to support shared ownership properties. The Assistant Director for Regeneration, Housing and Place clarified that while the primary focus was affordable housing, there may be opportunities for market-led housing, and the company will examine the detail as it emerged including tenure swapping.

The Chair, Councillor Beales commented there was ambition within the Council to increase the scale to make bids attractive. The Assistant Director for Regeneration, Housing and Place added Homes England were trying to achieve more housing therefore the ambition to scale up was to be welcomed.

The Shareholder Committee Members discussed the transfer of properties from the Council to the Housing companies and existing and future tenure mix. The Assistant Director for Regeneration, Housing and Place commented further on transparency in purchases and leases.

Councillor Morely requested a regular update on reporting of schedule of housing delivery numbers including the stage and status of each site. The Chair, Councillor Beales commented this information was to be reported from the steering group.

Under Standing Order 34, Councillor Ware commented on shared ownership  and highlighted the importance of shared ownership being delivered on the right housing developments.

Councillor Ring commented on a significant dependency on one housing association for delivery and questioned if alternatives were to be considered to reduce risk.

The Housing Development Manager explained board members of the company had discussed this matter and would review following the outcome of the Local Government Reorganisation.  He explained the scale needed to be higher such as 250 to 500 properties before bringing management and maintenance in house would be economically viable.

The Assistant Director for Regeneration, Housing and Place added the reliance on the housing association as the managing company was significant and not having them was a risk so therefore careful consideration was taken. He highlighted to the Committee the success of another round of local authority housing funding from MHCLG. 

The Chair, Councillor Beales requested an exempt session at a future meeting on the reliance of the housing association being the management company.

In response to Councillor Beales concern, the Housing Development Manager reported that a new Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Council was finalised and was going to the board for approval at their meeting next week.

Councillor Morley and Beales discussed the need for improved information sharing with all Members, including the creation of concise fact sheets, FAQ’s, website access, and regular updates to ensure Members of the Shareholder Committee can effectively represent shareholder interests and understand company activities.

Under Standing Order, Councillor Ware suggested circulating website addresses and creating updated fact sheets for both companies, enabling Councillors to easily access business plans and key information, with agreement from the committee to keep materials concise and accessible.

The Assistant Director for Regeneration, Housing and Place acknowledged previous concerns about resource constraints but committed to considering ways to improve ongoing information flow.

RESOLVED: The Shareholder Committee noted the contents of the Annual Assurance Report.

REASON FOR DECISION: To provide the Shareholder Committee with assurance on the West Norfolk Housing Companies performance against the business plan, governance and finances.