Agenda and minutes

The Panel noted apologies from Councillor Cooper.

To elect the Vice Chair for the Municipal Year 2025- 2026.

RESOLVED that Councillor Greenhalgh be elected as Vice-Chair for the Municipal Year 2025/26.

The Panel considered and noted the report of the Scrutiny Manager recommending that the Panel note the terms of reference and the provisional work programme for 2025/26.

The Panel noted and commented on the report of the Cabinet Member for Housing on the draft SCC Housing Strategy 2026-2031.

In discussion about the priorities included within the draft Housing Strategy the Panel noted the following:

• The limitations of the existing strategy and the requirement to focus on issues in addition to the City Council’s housing stock.
• The extensive challenges being experienced by residents with regards to housing in Southampton.
• The Council’s continuing engagement with national government to influence housing policy and funding.
• The ambition to resume the construction of council housing in the future.
• The financial constraints impacting on housing and development in Southampton and the opportunities for additional resources.
• The requirement to replace underperforming assets, increase housing density in certain localities, and foster stronger communities.
• Public Health’s involvement in the development of the draft strategy.
• The plans to consult residents, SCC tenants and stakeholders to ensure that they have the opportunity to comment on the draft strategy.

RESOLVED that:

i.  Consideration is given to including potential funding opportunities within the draft Housing Strategy.

The Panel noted the report of the Director of Housing providing an update on the Housing Improvement Programme and the performance of Housing Services.

In discussion the Panel noted updates including detailed progress toward addressing non-decent homes, improving tenant services, and enhancing the responsiveness of repairs through new technologies and better customer journey mapping. The programme includes governance improvements and regular reporting to the regulator and Cabinet. Efforts to involve tenants in co-design and consultation were evolving, with benchmarking against housing associations and other local authorities to adopt successful approaches.

In addition to emphasising the need to improve performance across Housing Services, the Panel discussed the importance of managing tenant debt, preventing new arrears, and supporting tenants facing financial hardship through specialist interventions.  The council is working toward compliance with asbestos and fire safety regulations, using condition-based property assessments and data-driven asset management to prioritise investments and maintain housing standards.

RESOLVED that: 

i.  Officers reflect on the contribution feedback from elected members can make to improving information on the condition of SCC properties.

ii.  Consideration is given to including within the performance dataset:

·  Asbestos performance indicators

·  Fire safety remedial actions