Issue - meetings

That:

1)        the budget monitoring position for the month ending 31 May 2019 be noted;

2)         the operational update for the period to 31 May 2019 be noted.

(Councillors John Halsall, John Kaiser, Charles Margetts, Stuart Munro and Wayne Smith declared personal interests in this item)

The Executive considered a report setting out the budget monitoring position and an operational update of the Council owned companies for the period to 31 May 2019.

The Executive Member for Finance and Housing introduced the report and reminded Members that Optalis was a jointly owned company with The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and its key objective was to provide safe and good quality adult social care services commissioned by the Council at a reduced cost and to provide a financial return to the Council

Councillor Kaiser drew attention to the work of Wokingham Housing Ltd (WHL), and its subsidiaries, Loddon Homes and Berry Brook Homes, which included 63 units on site or about to start on site across five separate projects.  The largest of these was Arnett Avenue, which was part of Phase 1 of the Gorse Ride project, which would deliver 46 units.  WHL was also working on a further 270 units on previously identified sites, of which the major regeneration project of Gorse Ride South was the most important.  It was noted that the submission of the planning application for the scheme of 249 units to replace the existing estate of 178 homes was due to be lodged in the summer for a decision in the autumn.

Councillor Kaiser informed the meeting that as a number of the previously advised Board Members were no longer Councillors, and therefore not entitled to sit on the Boards of Council owned companies, it had been necessary to make major changes to Board Members and these were set out in the report.

Councillor Blumenthal queried the fact, as mentioned in the report, that the rationale for retaining Berry Brook Homes Ltd (BBHL) as a second delivery vehicle for affordable housing was no longer relevant and therefore the Board would be exploring the transfer of its housing stock to Loddon Homes, and asked whether changes in Government personnel would mean that this would be reviewed?  Councillor Kaiser highlighted that BBHL was set up originally as a vehicle to rent market homes rather than affordable homes and it had been agreed to focus on this area so that the Council could deliver market homes and make profits that could then be put towards affordable housing.

RESOLVED that:

1)        the budget monitoring position for the month ending 31 May 2019 be noted;

2)         the operational update for the period to 31 May 2019 be noted.