Agenda item

Public Question Time

Meeting of Full Council, Wednesday, 30th March, 2022 7.30 pm (Item 5.)

To answer public questions under Full Council Procedure Rule 1.1-E. The questions must be on matters which are relevant to the functions of the Council, and should not include statements.

One supplementary question from the questioner will be allowed.

Up to 30 minutes is allocated to Public Question Time.

Minutes:

Questioner’s Name	Name of Councillor Responding
Karen Sudan - Ifield My question relates to the Leader’s column in the Crawley Observer today, but I think it’s directed to the Cabinet Member for Housing. In the column the Leader has referred to the cost-of-living crisis and mentioned how it is causing hardship in Crawley because of low income and high housing costs. I would like to ask if he would agree that charging council tenants higher rents is exacerbating this hardship? Supplementary Question – More money has gone into the Housing Revenue Account because the Council are charging the higher affordable rent for new tenancies. Does that extra amount match the amount lost to the Housing Revenue Account because the rents from the garages no longer go into the Housing Revenue Account?	Councillor Ian Irvine (Cabinet Member for Housing) I know we share a passion for council housing and the people that rent them. When renting a council house it’s important to look at the whole picture. I regret that council rents have to rise but I believe that Crawley provides a very good housing service as the people that rent the houses do not have to pay for them to be maintained. But that housing service has to be paid for and if we do not put up the council rents then that housing service does not have as much money as it should have. This year we have been faced with enormous challenges, rising costs of raw materials for example, and we certainly do not want a failing housing service. I receive a lot of emails about housing but I have not received communication from tenants saying they cannot afford the rent. The communications are from those desperate to be on the housing register. Crawley Homes needs to be a forward-looking organisation. The Housing Revenue Account is a dynamic account as there is money coming in and out. When garages was transferred to the General Fund, which is something that nearly every other council has done, it was carried out during the first year of Covid during a challenging year for council finances . Some of the money that gets generated from the affordable rents can get put back into building new council properties which is something the Council had to be proud of.
Winnie Duggan, Ifield Have any new council homes been built in Crawley since 2012 for which tenants have not been charged the affordable rent? Supplementary Question – Does the Cabinet Member accept that using the term ‘affordable’ implies the existence of ‘unaffordable’, at least for some people? What are Crawley people expected to do if we can’t afford to live here?	Councillor Ian Irvine (Cabinet Member for Housing) I have only been the Cabinet Member for Housing for 3 years, but I believe houses at Forge Wood are not affordable council properties. I’m not entirely sure how the terms ‘affordable’ and ‘social rent’ have made their way into the language. I prefer ‘council rent’. People complain about affordable rents, but it has never been raised with me that tenants cannot afford their rent and people do seem happy with what the Council are doing. The tenants seem to be satisfied with service they received for their rent.
Robin Burnham – Bewbush Dissatisfaction was expressed with regards to how the initial petition process had conducted with regard to the petition “We Need Truly Affordable, Publicly Owned Homes for Crawley People”. Will you be accountable to the public by moving 20 July meeting to a bigger venue, either K2 Crawley or the Hawth? As of today about 200 households have said they want to attend. I would like to hear Councillors’ views on a bigger venue. Supplementary Question – I did respectfully ask if any Councillor wanted to be accountable to the public and whether they would want to consider a bigger venue.	Operational matter: Head of Legal, Governance & HR It is an operational matter in terms of arranging a venue for the July meeting. We are currently still in March, and July is someway off and the logistics and arrangements will be reviewed nearer the time. We cannot predict what the Covid situation will be in July, hopefully it will be much improved but, for those reasons and those in last 24 months, arrangements around meetings are in constant review. Councillor Brenda Burgess I believe Mr Burnham is asking for an opinion on a larger venue. If we are going to have a large number of people, we need to keep an open mind and personally think it may be a good idea to consider it. Councillor Millar-Smith I have always felt that engagement between the Council and our tenants is important and if a large number wish to attend this should be accommodated. Councillor Ian Irvine (Cabinet Member for Housing) If the numbers warrant a larger number then it’s something to look into. But, just on the issue of providing housing, the Labour party are looking to continue to provide public housing in Crawley. The Deputy Mayor summarised that venue location will be identified and confirmed closer to the date of the July meeting once logistics and arrangements have been identified.

Questioner’s Name

Name of Councillor Responding

Karen Sudan - Ifield

My question relates to the Leader’s column in the Crawley Observer today, but I think it’s directed to the Cabinet Member for Housing. In the column the Leader has referred to the cost-of-living crisis and mentioned how it is causing hardship in Crawley because of low income and high housing costs. I would like to ask if he would agree that charging council tenants higher rents is exacerbating this hardship?

Supplementary Question –

More money has gone into the Housing Revenue Account because the Council are charging the higher affordable rent for new tenancies. Does that extra amount match the amount lost to the Housing Revenue Account because the rents from the garages no longer go into the Housing Revenue Account?

Councillor Ian Irvine

(Cabinet Member for Housing)

I know we share a passion for council housing and the people that rent them. When renting a council house it’s important to look at the whole picture. I regret that council rents have to rise but I believe that Crawley provides a very good housing service as the people that rent the houses do not have to pay for them to be maintained. But that housing service has to be paid for and if we do not put up the council rents then that housing service does not have as much money as it should have. This year we have been faced with enormous challenges, rising costs of raw materials for example, and we certainly do not want a failing housing service. I receive a lot of emails about housing but I have not received communication from tenants saying they cannot afford the rent. The communications are from those desperate to be on the housing register. Crawley Homes needs to be a forward-looking organisation.

The Housing Revenue Account is a dynamic account as there is money coming in and out. When garages was transferred to the General Fund, which is something that nearly every other council has done, it was carried out during the first year of Covid during a challenging year for council finances . Some of the money that gets generated from the affordable rents can get put back into building new council properties which is something the Council had to be proud of.

Winnie Duggan, Ifield

Have any new council homes been built in Crawley since 2012 for which tenants have not been charged the affordable rent?

Supplementary Question –

Does the Cabinet Member accept that using the term ‘affordable’ implies the existence of ‘unaffordable’, at least for some people? What are Crawley people expected to do if we can’t afford to live here?

Councillor Ian Irvine

(Cabinet Member for Housing)

I have only been the Cabinet Member for Housing for 3 years, but I believe houses at Forge Wood are not affordable council properties.

I’m not entirely sure how the terms ‘affordable’ and ‘social rent’ have made their way into the language. I prefer ‘council rent’. People complain about affordable rents, but it has never been raised with me that tenants cannot afford their rent and people do seem happy with what the Council are doing. The tenants seem to be satisfied with service they received for their rent.

Robin Burnham – Bewbush

Dissatisfaction was expressed with regards to how the initial petition process had conducted with regard to the petition “We Need Truly Affordable, Publicly Owned Homes for Crawley People”.

Will you be accountable to the public by moving 20 July meeting to a bigger venue, either K2 Crawley or the Hawth? As of today about 200 households have said they want to attend. I would like to hear Councillors’ views on a bigger venue.

Supplementary Question –

I did respectfully ask if any Councillor wanted to be accountable to the public and whether they would want to consider a bigger venue.

Operational matter:

Head of Legal, Governance & HR

It is an operational matter in terms of arranging a venue for the July meeting. We are currently still in March, and July is someway off and the logistics and arrangements will be reviewed nearer the time. We cannot predict what the Covid situation will be in July, hopefully it will be much improved but, for those reasons and those in last 24 months, arrangements around meetings are in constant review.

Councillor Brenda Burgess

I believe Mr Burnham is asking for an opinion on a larger venue. If we are going to have a large number of people, we need to keep an open mind and personally think it may be a good idea to consider it.

Councillor Millar-Smith

I have always felt that engagement between the Council and our tenants is important and if a large number wish to attend this should be accommodated.

Councillor Ian Irvine

(Cabinet Member for Housing)

If the numbers warrant a larger number then it’s something to look into. But, just on the issue of providing housing, the Labour party are looking to continue to provide public housing in Crawley.

The Deputy Mayor summarised that venue location will be identified and confirmed closer to the date of the July meeting once logistics and arrangements have been identified.