Andrew reappointed to Cabinet

 

 

Conservative Order Paper passed at Annual Meeting

Andrew will retain the Housing and Estate Renewal portfolio for another year

 

At the Annual Meeting of Basildon Borough Council held on Thursday night, the Conservative Group formally presented its Order Paper following our success in the local elections three weeks ago.

The Leader of the Council has asked me to continue as Cabinet Member for Housing and Estate Renewal. This will be my third year in the brief and, without wishing to pluck at the world's smallest violin, I have to say that it is extremely hard work and a not inconsiderable challenge undertaking responsibility for such a large and important brief whilst also holding down a full-time day job. Not wanting to sound smug, but my casework stats' are the highest of any member of the Cabinet. As a humble backbencher, representing Billericay East, I used to deal with about two or three hundred cases a year. Last year, I dealt with well over 700. But I never certainly never received 'thank you' emails like the ones I get now. Because the issues I am taking up and the things I am helping people with are so absolutely vital to their happiness and well-being. It is hard work but it is very, very rewarding.

None of this would be possible without the support of my beautiful wife, Rosie, and my stepdaughter, Poppy. It is their ceaseless encouragement and understanding that enables me to take on this task and I want to put that on record.

"None of this would be possible without the support of my beautiful wife, Rosie, and my stepdaughter, Poppy. It is their ceaseless encouragement and understanding that enables me to take on this task and I want to put that on record."

At yesterday's meeting, we also passed the 2023-27 Corporate Plan, outlining the Administration's strategic priorities for the coming year. This afforded me an opportunity to talk a little about what I have been doing over the last municipal year and what I hope to achieve over the next year.

As I told the chamber, there is no doubt that the last year was challenging for everyone; not just the council but the communities we serve. All of us are keenly aware that there is a lot going on in the world; things largely outside our control but affecting all our lives. The Conservative Administration on Basildon Council has been working hard to deliver support and good reliable services and nowhere more so than around Housing Services.  

Basildon is the largest borough in Essex and with an ever-growing population. Our council is a stock-owning authority, with over 10,000 properties. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that one of the main areas of activity has been repairs. I do not think I would be 'talking out of school' if I said that I inherited a repairs contractor that is, shall we say, not entirely beloved (though, to be fair to Morgan Sindall, I can think of no time in recent history when people have not routinely hated the repairs contractor - it is certainly not an easy gig!). Since I took over, I hope I have introduced a more proactive approach to disrepair. Morgan Sindall have completed more than 18,000 responsive repairs, mostly without incident (but, obviously, I only tend to hear about the ones that go wrong!). We held workshops in early January and undertook a comprehensive Housing Repairs Review. That has now concluded and we will be taking a robust Action Plan before the Place Scrutiny Committee in July. We are working in close partnership with Morgan Sindall to make improvements and ensure we are providing a good reliable service.

"We are working in close partnership with Morgan Sindall to make improvements and ensure we are providing a good reliable service."

A particular focus has been damp and mould. I established a Damp and Mould Task Force to ensure the Council as a landlord takes robust action to address it. I briefed Full Council in December, following the inquest into the death of Awaab Ishak in Rochdale, and we had all-member training sessions in the New Year, along with additional staff training. We have now installed well over 1,000 Switchee units and over 400 Golden-I units to monitor condensation and allow us to manage damp and mould risks. I want to continue to roll these out and my long-term hope is that we can get these installed in all council-owned properties and really start to proactively manage those risks.

We also chuffed to bits when we secured £4 ½ million from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. This is going to allow us to retrofit energy efficiency works to our housing stock. It is a really exciting project, currently being scoped out for delivery, focusing on our priority estates. We are hoping to improve around 450 properties over the next 2 years. The Conservative Administration is investing in our stock because they are not just houses; they are homes.

This is also why we have committed significant investment into our estates across the Borough through our flagship £40 million Safe & Sound programme. We have been carrying out substantial tree works, de-weeding, trimming hedges and removing fly-tipping on a number of estates, to make them tidier and more attractive. We have installed more dog-waste bins and installed new CCTV at Felmores shops in Pitsea and Elizabeth Way shops in Laindon. The only CCTV did not link back to the main hub at the Bas' Centre but now does. We installed entirely new CCTV at Ballards Walk shops, which is the first time those shops have ever had CCTV coverage.

"The Conservative Administration is investing in our stock because they are not just houses; they are homes."

Safe & Sound is now starting to be rolled out on the Five Links and Lee Chapel North estates. The Estate Improvement Plan for the Felmores Estate went to Place Scrutiny in February and was approved by Cabinet in March and officers are starting to establish key milestones against the EIP, such as the Bin Store Pilot to try to improve the communal refuse arrangements on the estate, which local residents were very clear was entirely not fit for purpose and a big priority for them.

The Council has also been working closely with Trust Links, a local mental health charity, to transform green spaces. Lots of local residents have mucked in and it has been a huge success and I really commend their work.

Safe & Sound is really trucking now. We are going to draw up bespoke EIPs for all our estates. They all present their own unique challenges and priorities, but the Conservative Administration will continue to develop and deliver this programme. Our Administration remains committed to carrying on that investment to refresh our estates and homes.

"I look forward to doing my bit to carry out the promises in our Corporate Plan, to drive forward our plans to enhance and improve our Borough."

In addition to enhancing our estates, we are building new homes for our residents, like the excellent new council homes at Valerie Lodge in Vange. We’re working with Sempra Homes to bring forward new affordable housing across the Borough with priority given to Basildon people to enable them to gain their first step on the housing ladder.

The other big area of activity is homelessness. All 10 units at our new homeless facility at Nevendon Place are now occupied. Our teams have also provided homelessness prevention advice to 130 households and provided support and advice for residents experiencing financial difficulties.

So, there is lots to be getting on with over the coming year but I look forward to doing my bit to carry out the promises in our Corporate Plan, to drive forward our plans to enhance and improve our Borough.