Minutes:
69.1 Councillor Morley made the following announcements:-
The death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak after exposure to mould in his family's flat in Rochdale was a tragedy, and I am sure all members will join me in expressing our sympathies to his family.
This sad case has rightly put the standard of social housing in the spotlight. In the last week, housing secretary Michael Gove has written to all housing providers in England, including Babergh and Mid Suffolk Councils, calling for an urgent assessment of homes to provide reassurance over standards.
But we didn't wait for this Government letter in order to act, we had already begun initiating work to address this. Members will be aware we initiated a full diagnostic review of building services earlier in the year. This picked up the need to increase our input into resolving issues around mould and damp. We have acted on these recommendations.
This year, for example, we have trained more people to deliver damp and mould treatment and employed a Damp Specialist Surveyor. We are also recruiting another surveyor to increase capacity.
The wellbeing of our tenants has always been a priority and following this case I can promise members we will redouble our efforts to ensure the quality of all our homes so that such a tragedy can never happen here. I have spoken to our new Housing Director, Deborah Fenton, who has updated me on all the actions already taken this year to resolve any damp and mould issues, and further measures planned. We are also progressing well with our Stock Condition Survey and are developing and costing a retrofit programme. The housing directorate will also be developing a performance framework to be presented to Cabinets and the Tenant Board every quarter, helping both members and tenants hold us to account.
This work is just a part of what we are doing to ensure our homes are fit for the future.
Since our last full council meeting, an historic county deal for Suffolk has been announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. This is the first county deal of its kind in the country, and if agreed, will deliver decades of significant additional investment into local priorities. It will give Suffolk greater decision-making powers around the likes of transport, infrastructure and skills.
As you know, Suffolk’s public sector leaders – including from Mid Suffolk and Babergh – and MPs have been working collaboratively on this for some time. It has been a great example of Suffolk working together for the benefit of residents and businesses.
The chancellor said Suffolk would get a directly elected mayor. But I want to clarify that Suffolk is actually pursuing a model where the Leader of Suffolk County Council is directly elected by the people of Suffolk. It will not be an elected mayor, and the current leader/cabinet model will be retained. The proposed change would not add any new levels of bureaucracy nor create any new offices.
I will keep you informed about the county deal as it progresses.
Next week, Mid Suffolk District Council will publish our End of Term report. This report tells the story of our council's fantastic achievements in the last four years. It covers the full breadth of what we have done - from how we supported many thousands of residents and businesses during through the Covid-19 pandemic, to how we are now helping in the cost of living crisis.
But it is not just about how we have magnificently stepped up to the challenges we have faced. It is a celebration of the outstanding work done by the council in all areas - including planning and housing, driving economic growth, and delivering a vision for our district and its communities.
I would urge everyone to read it, reflect on our achievements and feel pride in what we do. Please do share it with people in your ward.
69.2 In response to a question from Councillor Welham regarding incidents of damp in council owned housing, Councillor Morley advised Members that a briefing paper was being prepared by the newly appointed Director for Housing and would be issued to Members shortly.
69.3 Councillor Geake asked whether the proposed damp treatment would centre on structural and heating issues to treat the root cause of the damp rather than chemical treatments.
69.4 In reply, Councillor Morley advised that research into the proposed works had not yet taken place, however when this work had been completed the outcome would be shared with Members.
69.5 Councillor Morley responded to a question from Councillor Field regarding the treatment of damp in sheltered accommodation, advising that as soon as details of the proposed treatment were available this would be shared with Members.
69.6 Councillor Otton requested assurance from the Cabinet Member for Housing that chemical treatments would not be used to treat the issues.
69.7 Councillor Morley restated that details would be shared as soon as they became available.