Hillingdon Council Cabinet Member and Officer Decisions
Housing Revenue Account New General Needs Housing Stock (Housing Buy-Back Scheme) - RELEASE NO: 4, 2022/23
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Executive Decision Notice – 19 December 2022 Page 1
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
OFFICIAL EXECUTIVE DECISION NOTICE
PUBLISHED BY DEMOCRATIC SERVICES
Notice is hereby given that the following decision(s) have been made today by Cabinet
Members at the London Borough of Hillingdon:
Title of decision
Housing Revenue Account New General Needs Housing
Stock (Housing Buy-Back Scheme) 2022/23 - RELEASE NO:
4
Reference No. 655
Date of decision Monday 19 December 2022
Call-in expiry date Wednesday 28 December 2022
Relevant Select
Committee
Property, Highways and Transport Select Committee
Relevant Wards All
Decision made
Cabinet Members
making the decision
Councillor Martin Goddard - Cabinet Member for Finance
Councillor Jonathan Bianco - Cabinet Member for Property,
Highways and Transport
Approved
That the Cabinet Member for Finance and the Cabinet
Member for Property, Highways and Transport:
1. Agree to the following capital release requests of £6,714k
from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) “Acquisitions
1st 20 units each year” budget for the funding of the
purchase and repair of fourteen properties, as detailed in
the report (Appendix A);
2. Agree to the following capital release requests of £76 k
from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) “Rough
Sleepers Accommodation Programme” budget for the
funding of the purchase and repair of two ex-Right-to-Buy
properties, as detailed in the report (Appendix A);
3. Agree to the following capital release requests of £1,819k
from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) “Right To Buy
Buyback Fund” budget for the funding of the purchase and
repair of eight ex-Right-to-Buy properties, as detailed in the
report (Appendix A).
Reason for decision
In January 2015, Cabinet approved the implementation of a buy-
back scheme for ex -Council properties. The scheme was
approved to deliver benefits to local residents in terms of
Executive Decision Notice – 19 December 2022 Page 2
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
improved housing provision in the Borough. Two of the k ey
drivers of the scheme were:
a) To increase the supply of affordable housing for rent in
the HRA, that in turn could be used to reduce the Council's
reliance on temporary accommodation, especially high-cost bed
and breakfast (B&B) accommodation. Purchase of these
properties should facilitate the reduction of B&B costs and
generate savings to the General Fund in a full year estimated at
£139k.
b) To apply locally in Hillingdon right -to-buy (RTB) receipts
from Council house sales that would otherwise be returnable
with interest to central Government, thereby meeting the
Council's one- for-one replacement of Council housing
commitment under the self -financing arrangement agreed
with central Government for the HRA.
The Council successfully bid ed for GLA grant funding for
acquisition schemes. The Rough Sleepers Accommodation
Programme (RSAP) to acquire 20 1-bed flats began in 2021/22.
Funding from the GLA RTB Ringfenced Grant and BCHFL
Negotiated Grant secured grant for 13 acquisitions. A bid to the
GLA Right To Buyback Fund to acquire 20 ex -stock was also
successful. These additional GLA grant funded schemes
mitigated the cap of 20 RTB 1-4-1 funded acquisitions that came
into effect in 2022/23.
Alternative options
considered and
rejected
The alternative option is to not buy back the properties, with the
vendors selling them privately on the open market. This would
not assist the Council in increasing the supply of social housing
in the Borough, in meeting the one- for-
one replacement
commitment, or in utilising time-limited RTB receipts.
Alternatively, the Council could offer lower purchase prices to
the vendors. However, the Council is in competition with private
buyers for these properties, with no leverage to compel the
vendors to accept below -market prices, and the prices offered
in this report have already been accepted by the vendors.
Classification Part 2 – Private / Confidential
Link to associated
report
That this report be declared as exempt from publication as it
involves the disclosure of information in accordance with
Section 100(A) and paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12 (A) to
the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), in that the report
contains information relating to the financial or business affairs
of any particular person (including the authority holding that
information) and that the public interest in withholding the
information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it.
Relevant Officer
contact & Directorate
Ben Sargent, Place Directorate
Executive Decision Notice – 19 December 2022 Page 3
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
Any interest declared
by the Cabinet
Member(s) /
dispensation granted
N/A
Implementation of decision & scrutiny call-in
[Internal Use only]
When can this
decision be
implemented by
officers?
Officers can implement Cabinet Member decision in this notice
only from the expiry of the scrutiny call-in period which is:
Wednesday 28 December 2022
However, this is subject to the decision not being called in by
Councillors on the relevant Select Committee. Upon receipt of a
valid call-in request, Democratic Services will immediately advise
the relevant officer(s) and the decision must then be put on hold.
Councillor scrutiny
call-in of this
decision
Councillors on the relevant Select Committee shown in this
notice may request to call-in this decision. The request must be
before the expiry of the scrutiny call-in period above.
Councillors should use the Scrutiny Call-in App (link below) on
their devices to initiate any call-in request. Further advice can be
sought from Democratic Services if required:
Scrutiny Call-In - Power Apps (secure)
Further information These decisions, where applicable, have been taken under The
Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and
Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.
This is the formal notice by the Council of the above executive
decision, including links to the reports where applicable.
If you would like more information on this decision, please
contact Democratic Services on 01895 250636 or email:
democratic@hillingdon.gov.uk.
Circulation of this decision notice is to a variety of people
including Members of the Council, Corporate Directors, Officers,
Group Secretariats and the Public. Copies are also placed on
the Council’s website.
Democratic Services
London Borough of Hillingdon
Civic Centre
High Street
Uxbridge
UB8 1UW
Executive Decision Notice – 19 December 2022 Page 4
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk