Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Head of Housing & Health. Under the statutory Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard set by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), landlords must be open with tenants and treat them with fairness. Although the terms and process that enable tenants to acquire their council homes under Right to Buy (RTB) is largely set by legislation, it is important that Mid Devon Housing (MDH) have a clear point of reference through a specific policy available for tenants.

The Group had before it a report * from the Head of Housing & Health. Under the statutory Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard set by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), landlords must be open with tenants and treat them with fairness. Although the terms and process that enabled tenants to acquire their council homes under Right to Buy (RTB) was largely set by legislation, it was important that Mid Devon Housing (MDH) had a clear point of reference through a specific policy available for tenants.

There had also been some key recent legal changes to the RTB policy nationally which made it timely to have an up to date policy in place. This report therefore presented a new policy that outlined Mid Devon Housing's (MDH) approach to managing tenants' RTB of their Council homes.

The following was highlighted within the report:

·         The new policy gave transparency to tenants and provided guidance to officers.

·         There may be some circumstances where the Council would consider waiving certain discounts.

·         The removal or temporary suspension of particular covenants would be considered, for example, if the existence of a covenant would lead to the closure of a care home because the staff could not be accommodated.

RECOMMENDED to the Cabinet that it recommends to Council the adoption of the Right to Buy Policy and Equality Impact Assessment contained in Annexes A and B respectively.

(Proposed by Cllr J Cairney and seconded by Cllr C Connor)

Notes:

(i)            * Report previously circulated.

(ii)          Cllr A Glover abstained from voting as she was a Council tenant and wished for her abstention to be recorded.