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Agenda item

Bromford Housing Update

Purpose

Bromford Housing will be present to respond to Members questions and to give a general update on their social housing in the district.

 

Bromford Representatives:

Amanda Swann – Regional Director

Natalie Colfer – Head of Neighbourhood and Communities

Nick Woolridge – Head of Home Investment

 

Council Representatives

Councillor Juliet Layton, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning

Alan Hope, Head of Strategic Housing, Property and Assets

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed the representatives from Bromford Flagship. She noted that improved communication and understanding would help the Council better support residents of the district.

 

Nick Woolridge – Head of Home Investment

Natalie Colfer – Head of Neighbourhood and Communities

Amanda Swann – Regional Director

 

The Bromford representatives discussed the questions that had been submitted to them in advance and circulated to the Committee, adding the following points:

  • It was acknowledged that there had been difficulties in contacting the service by telephone, with long waits. Bromford offered to explore ways to improve access for Councillors and report back in due course.
  • It was noted that the new homes built by Bromford on behalf of English Rural Housing were not managed by Bromford. They had acted only as a development agency. Allocation of the homes continued to be managed through the local authority, while ownership remained with English Rural Housing.
  • The Neighbourhood coaching team aimed to provide help with benefit queries and to visit each customer to identify support needs.
  • The Committee heard that Bromford had invested in methods to clean carpets in empty properties, and that in approximately 80% of cases, carpets were now retained rather than removed.
  • Members were advised that Bromford’s policy required urgent cases, such as domestic abuse or hate crime, to be responded to within two working days, and where possible within 24 hours. For antisocial behaviour, contact was aimed to be made within five working days.
  • The average waiting time for a category ‘Bronze’ applicant was 12-24 months.
  • Following the discussion regarding the replacement of carpets at the end of a tenancy, Councillor Ind suggested that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee request that ward councillors receive an annual update from all housing providers, including information on ageing properties, issues such as mould, and plans for maintenance, to ensure councillors were aware of issues before they became severe.
  • The Head of Strategic Housing, Property and Assets agreed to take forward the proposal for annual reporting from housing providers, subject to agreement on the information to be included.
  • Neighbourhood coaches had been given access to the GIS mapping system which enabled them to identify land ownership responsibilities.
  • Bromford confirmed that they did not currently have the facility to cut back hedges or maintain gardens but noted that they could explore ways to improve services and work with the community to address overgrown gardens.
  • Bromford stated that when building new homes, they factored in the resources required and ensured that teams were in place to deliver properties as they expanded to meet affordable housing needs.
  • Bromford reported that their new homes development programme included a wide range of property types, from one-bedroom flats to five-bedroom houses and bungalows, including accessible properties built to M standards. They noted that some properties could be internally adapted to meet changing needs over time, providing flexibility for residents.
  • Bromford confirmed that they operated a disposals programme for homes where the investment required was too high or the properties were unsuitable for future customers, including some non-traditional constructions. Disposals were carried out in a hierarchical manner.
  • It was explained that some garage sites were subject to pre-emptive rights of way, making redevelopment for new housing difficult.
  • It was highlighted that the regeneration of Austin Road, Cirencester considered local demographics and demand, leading to the inclusion of houses alongside flats to provide more suitable housing while managing space constraints and safety requirements such as fire exits.

 

The Chair thanked the representatives of Bromford for attending the meeting and answering the Committee’s questions and looked forward to more engagement with Bromford in the future.

Supporting documents:

 

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