Health Improvement Committee

Tuesday, 4 February 2003 at 3.00 pm

Present:  Provost Roach, Councillors Mitchell, Morrison (D), McCabe, McGraw, Rebecchi and Robertson (A).

Chair:    Councillor McCabe presided.

In attendance:  Chief Executive, Ms L Brabender (for Director of Legal & Support Services), Director of Social Work & Housing Services, Head of Financial Services and Mr A Gerrard (for Head of Property Services).

Apologies:  Councillors Jackson, Nimmo and O’Rourke.

With the exception of the decisions marked “C” which are open for confirmation or otherwise, the following paragraphs are submitted for information only, having been dealt with under the powers delegated to the Committee.

   119

Area Renewal

119

There was submitted a report by the Director of Social Work & Housing Services (1) on the developments which have been made to date in the Area Renewal process, (2) summarising the contents of the report “A New Inverclyde: The First Steps” produced by the Inverclyde Regeneration Partnership and (3) seeking approval of a proposed strategy and the recommendations for its implementation.  (Councillor McGraw entered the meeting during consideration of this item of business).

Following discussion, Councillor McCabe moved:

(1) that the report “A New Inverclyde: The First Steps” appended to the report and the Housing Renewal Strategy contained therein be approved;

(2)  that approval be given to the use of the three Area Renewal Plans for planning and consultation purposes during the implementation of the strategy;

(3)  that given that the strategy is housing-led, responsibility for preparing detailed proposals together with their implementation be remitted to the Director of Social Work & Housing Services working within the Community Plan structure which will include the establishment of a multi-agency Sub-Group with community representatives;

(4)  that it be remitted to the Director of Social Work & Housing Services to develop proposals and costs for establishing the multi disciplinary and multi agency implementation team, that the partner agencies, through the Community Plan structure, be engaged and that agreement be given to committing the necessary staffing and related resources to ensure successful implementation of the strategy;

(5)  that the Council, through the Director of Social Work & Housing Services, jointly develop with Communities Scotland an initial three year (2003/04-2006/07) Housing Investment Programme based on the principles of the report as a means of launching the process; and

(6)  that approval be given to the drafting of a formal Communications Strategy and a Community Consultation Framework to allow community consultation to be completed by October 2003. 

As an amendment, Councillor Mitchell moved that the report be remitted to the Policy & Strategy Committee for consideration.  On a vote, 3 Members voted for the amendment and 4 for the motion which was declared carried.  Those Members who had voted in favour of the amendment then requested in terms of the relevant Standing Order that the matter be referred to The Inverclyde Council for decision in terms of the amendment.

C

Decided:

(1)  that the report “A New Inverclyde: The First Steps” appended to the report and the Housing Renewal Strategy contained therein be approved;

(2)  that approval be given to the use of the three Area Renewal Plans for planning and consultation purposes during the implementation of the strategy;

(3)  that given that the strategy is housing-led, responsibility for preparing detailed proposals together with their implementation be remitted to the Director of Social Work & Housing Services working within the Community Plan structure which will include the establishment of a multi-agency Sub-Group with community representatives;

(4)  that it be remitted to the Director of Social Work & Housing Services to develop proposals and costs for establishing the multi disciplinary and multi agency implementation team, that the partner agencies, through the Community Plan structure, be engaged and that agreement be given to committing the necessary staffing and related resources to ensure successful implementation of the strategy;

(5)  that the Council, through the Director of Social Work & Housing Services, jointly develop with Communities Scotland an initial three year (2003/04-2006/07) Housing Investment Programme based on the principles of the report as a means of launching the process; and

(6)  that approval be given to the drafting of a formal Communications Strategy and a Community Consultation Framework to allow community consultation to be completed by October 2003. 

C

   120

Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme 2003/2006

120

There was submitted a report by the Director of Social Work & Housing Services on the draft HRA Capital Programme 2003/2006. 

The Head of Housing & Building Services advised the Committee in relation to Appendix 2 (Proposed Projects and Phasings for the Next Two Years), that the heating system replacement provision for 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 and beyond should be £500,000 and £100,000 respectively resulting in amended totals of £6,615,000 for 2003/2004 and £5,227,000 for 2004/2005 and beyond.

C

Decided:  that the HRA Capital Programme 2003/2006 be as set out in Appendix 1, amended Appendix 2,  Appendix 3 and Appendix 4 of the report.

C

   121

3 Year Investment Strategy: Inverclyde Council/Communities Scotland 2003-2006

121

There was submitted a report by the Director of Social Work & Housing Services on the proposed 3 year Investment Strategy with Communities Scotland for the period 2003-2006.

Decided:

(1)  that the draft Housing Investment Strategy 2003-2006 appended to the report be approved and that a report be submitted to the Committee on an annual basis providing an update on progress; and

(2)  that it be noted that an Action Plan will be submitted to the Committee in June 2003.

It was agreed in terms of Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 as amended, that the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item on the grounds that the business involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 4, 6 and 13 of Part I of Schedule 7(A) of the Act .

   122

Prioritising Investment in Private Sector  Housing in Inverclyde

122

There was submitted a report by the Director of Social Work  & Housing Services (1) on the outcome of the work carried out on behalf of the Council and Communities Scotland by Organisational Development and Support (ODS) to devise a 10 year investment programme for below tolerable standard housing in Inverclyde and (2) making a number of recommendations based on the findings of the work.

Decided:

(1)  that a total of £1,832,000 be requested from the Capital Programme over the next 2 financial years to enable implementation of the Housing Action Area for Demolition at 6-12 Garvald Street, Greenock and the Housing Action Area for Improvement at 32, 34 South Street and 37, 39 Kelly Street, Greenock;

(2)  that Officers of the Council work with Communities Scotland, local Housing Associations and home owners with a view to producing a Housing Action Area for Improvement programme for the houses designated as Category A in the report by ODS,  that a further report be submitted to the Committee on the details of this programme and that the sum of £1,000,000 per annum be included in the Non-HRA Capital Plan from 2005/06 onwards to enable implementation of the programme;

(3)  that repairs grants be reinstated from 1 April 2003 to enable grants to be offered to the owners of houses designated as Category B and B* in the ODS report and that the sum of £440,000 per annum be requested from the Capital Programme in each of the next 3 financial years for this purpose;

(4)  that proposals for the improvement of the housing in the Robert Street area, Port Glasgow be progressed under the auspices of a Robert Street Community Trust which will be the subject of a Feasibility Study in early 2003 funded from the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund;

(5)  that repairs grants be made available to the owners of the 25 properties in the Robert Street area which still require new roof coverings and that the sum of £150,000 be requested from the Capital Programme in 2003/04 to enable this work to be undertaken; and

(6)  that the sum of £50,000 per annum be allocated to assist owner occupiers in Council promoted schemes of refurbishment etc.