Housing, Dundee Contract Services And Environment Services Committee - 15/03/2004

At a MEETING of the HOUSING COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 15th March 2004.

Present:-

BAILIES

COUNCILLORS

Councillor HIND, Convener, in the Chair.

The minute of meeting of this Committee of 16th February 2004 was held as read.

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

I PRESENTATION TO KIRSTEEN McGREGOR, HOUSING OFFICER

The Convener congratulated Kirsteen McGregor as Winner of the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland's Malcolm Smith Award.

II HOUSING DEPARTMENT - ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR TEAM - STRUCTURE AND SERVICE DELIVERY

The Director of Housing and the Assistant Chief Executive (Management) submitted Joint Report No 171-2004 seeking approval to restructure the Anti-Social Behaviour Team following a review by the Director of Housing and the Assistant Chief Executive (Management).

The Committee approved the undernoted recommendations:-

(a) the establishment of one post of Senior Investigation Officer, graded AP4, 19,632 - 21,732;

(b) one post of Senior Investigation Officer graded AP3, 17,340 - 19,029 be regraded to AP4, 19,632 - 21,732;

(c) six posts of Investigation Officer, graded AP2, 15,582 - 16,866, be regraded to AP3, 17,340 - 19,029;

(d) one post of Investigation Officer graded AP2, 15,582 - 16,866, be deleted; and

(e) the establishment of three Assistant Investigation Officers, graded AP1, 14,211 - 15,204 for a temporary period of 2 years.

III TENANTS' ALLOWANCES

On a reference to Article I of the minute of meeting of this Committee of 17th February 2003 the Director of Housing submitted Report No 136-2004 updating allowances in line with inflation.

The Committee approved the recommendations of the report with effect from 1st April 2004 and further agreed the revised decant allowances for tenants making their own arrangements as outlined in paragraph 8 of the report.

IV RESEARCH INTO THE HOUSING NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS OF GYPSIES/ TRAVELLERS AND BLACK ANDMINORITY ETHNIC COMMUNITIES

The Director of Housing submitted Report No 126-2004 advising the Committee of the results of research undertaken into the housing needs and aspirations of Gypsies/Travellers (GT) and Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Communities.

The Committee noted the research findings outlined in Appendices 1 and 2 of the report and agreed that the research findings be used to inform the appropriate sections of the Local Housing Strategy (LHS) and future developments of policy.

V A FUEL POVERTY STRATEGY FOR DUNDEE

The Director of Housing submitted Report No 176-2004 seeking approval of the Fuel Poverty Strategy for Dundee to meet the requirements of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and the Scottish Fuel Poverty Strategy Statement 2003 which committed local authorities to producing a Fuel Poverty Strategy.

The Committee approved the contents of the Strategy which detailed Action Plans for the authority and other agencies to ensure householders in Dundee no longer lived in Fuel Poverty by 2016 as far as practicable and the submission of the Strategy to the Scottish Executive as part of the Local Housing Strategy.

There was also submitted Agenda Note AN133-2004 advising the Committee that Community Scotland had issued a letter dated 9th March 2004 advising that some of the statistics in the Scottish House Condition Survey 2002 Report were being revised as a result of a technical error which affected the whole of the chapter on Energy Efficiency and Fuel Poverty. The Agency had found that there were fewer households in fuel poverty with the figure for Scotland reducing to 286,000 from 369,000 initially.

The Director of Housing expressed her concern at the need to revise statistics and the effect on energy efficiency monitoring and the lack of details relating to support for pensioners.

The Committee further agreed to a future report being submitted in due course.

VI SALE OF LAND - WHITFIELD - CARBERRY CRESCENT

The Director of Housing declared a non-financial interest by virtue of her spouse's employment.

On a reference to Article I of the minute of meeting of this Committee of 15th October 2001 the Chief Executive submitted Report No 234-2004 requesting approval to sell an area of ground at Carberry Crescent, Whitfield, to Home in Scotland Housing Association Limited.

The Committee:-

(a) agreed to dispose of the land at Carberry Crescent identified on the plan attached to the report (Appendix 1) to Home in Scotland Housing Association Limited at nil value;

(b) instructed the Director of Economic Development to negotiate the sale; and

(c) instructed the Depute Chief Executive (Support Services) to prepare the necessary offer and Draft Disposition and to seek the Scottish Ministers' consent to dispose of the site.

VII TENDERS RECEIVED

The City Architectural Services Officer submitted Report No 233-2004 giving details of offers received to carry out cold water storage tank replacements at various multi-storey developments.

The Committee agreed to accept the lowest offer by Building Environmental Hygiene Limited amounting to 84,910, to which required to be added allowances of 873 for Planning Supervisor, 7,263 for professional services, making a total expenditure of 93,046.

The Committee also noted that Building Environmental Hygiene Limited had listed the undernoted sub-contractors:-

VIII 1 TO 7 AND 6 TO 10 CRAIGMOUNT AVENUE

Reference was made to Article VI(b)(i) of the minute of meeting of this Committee of 16th February 2004. There was submitted Agenda Note AN120-2004 advising that the appointed contractor, Central Demolition Limited, had since written formally to the Council withdrawing their tender on the grounds that an error had been made in the pricing of their document. Following consultation with the second lowest tenderer, Trojan Limited, this contractor had confirmed that they were unable to undertake the above works within the required timescales because of their workload having recently been awarded two significant projects by the Council.

After consultation with the Director of Housing, the City Engineer recommended acceptance of the third lowest tender by Dundee Plant Limited, amounting to 70,160 which was only nominally in excess of the tender submitted by Trojan Limited of 69,635 and noted that Dundee Plant Limited had confirmed that they would be able to carry out these works within the required timescale.

The Committee approved accordingly.

IX REGISTRATION OF TENANT ORGANISATIONS - HOUSING (SCOTLAND) ACT 2001 (THE ACT)

There was submitted Agenda Note AN113-2004 advising that an application to be registered as a tenant organisation had been received by the Director of Housing from Dudhope Park Tenants' Association.

As the Director of Housing considered that the application fulfilled the criteria set out in the Act, the Committee approved the application.

X REGISTERED TENANT ORGANISATIONS - ADMINISTRATION GRANTS

There was submitted Agenda Note AN114-2004 advising that the Director of Housing had received the undernoted application requesting grant assistance towards administration costs for 2003/2004:-

The Committee approved accordingly.

XI HOUSING (SCOTLAND) ACT 2001 - IMPROVEMENT, REPAIRS AND ENVIRONMENTAL GRANTS, HOME LOANSETC

There was submitted Agenda Note AN115-2004. Reference was made to the minute of meeting of this Committee of 15th November 1999 when grant expenditure under the Housing (Non HRA) Budget was agreed.

It was agreed that the grants approved during February 2004 in each of the categories were as follows:-

* may contain commercial premises

Previous applications transferred and approved under the new grant scheme Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 (additional grant expenditure) **

** no works having commenced under old grant scheme applicants therefore chose a financial test of resources and transfer to new scheme

The Committee resolved under Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 that the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the undernoted item of business on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 6 and 9 of Part I of Schedule 7(A) of the Act.

XII REPURCHASE OF PROPERTIES FOR DEMOLITION

Reference was made to Article II of the minute of meeting of this Committee of 21st January 2002 wherein it was agreed that a number of residential properties were to be demolished and it was remitted to the Director of Economic Development to enter repurchasing negotiations with the respective owners of the three properties. There was submitted Agenda Note AN112-2004.

The Director of Economic Development advised that provisional agreement had been reached with an owner.

The Committee agreed to the repurchase on the terms and details indicated and instructed the Depute Chief Executive (Support Services) to conclude the necessary legal formalities.

CHRISTOPHER HIND, Convener.