Hillingdon Council Cabinet Member and Officer Decisions
Housing Revenue Account New General Needs Housing Stock (Housing Buy-Back Scheme) - RELEASE NO: 2, 2024/25
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Executive Decision Notice – 31 July 2024
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) - RELEASE NO: 2, 2024/25
Reference No. 1177
Date of decision Wednesday 31 July 2024
Call-in expiry date Wednesday 07 August 2024
Relevant Select
Committee
Corporate Resources & Infrastructure Select Committee
Relevant Wards Wood End, Colham & Cowley, Belmore, Pinkwell, Uxbridge,
Harefield Villages
Decision made
Cabinet Members
making the decision
Councillor Martin Goddard – Cabinet Member for Finance
Councillor Jonathan Bianco – Cabinet Member for Property,
Highways and Transport
Councillor Eddie Lavery – Cabinet Member or Residents’
Servies
Decision Approved
That the Cabinet Members:
1. Agreed to the following capital release request of
£1,494k from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA)
Acquisitions 2024/25 Normal buyback budget for the
funding of the purchase and repair of three
properties, as detailed in the report (Appendix A);
and
2. Agreed to the following capital release request
totalling £966k from the HRA Acquisitions GLA and
DLUHC Grant Funded Schemes Budget 2024/25 for
the GLA SHAPS Single Homeless and Young
Persons programme for the funding of the purchase
and repair of three 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.
Executive Decision Notice – 31 July 2024
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
The scheme was approved to deliver benefits to local residents
in terms of improved housing provision in the Borough. Two of
the key drivers of the scheme are:
a) To increase the supply of affordable housing for rent in
the HRA that in turn can 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 £44k.
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 application of RTB receipts to these purchases
will assist in applying receipts within the three -year limit,
of which 40% of the purchase cost would be applied to
these properties.
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 II – Members Only and Not for Publication
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 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
Any interest declared
by the Cabinet
Member(s) /
dispensation granted
N/A
Executive Decision Notice – 31 July 2024
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
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:
5pm on Wednesday 07 August 2024
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.
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