Issue - meetings

To determine a revised policy for the issuing of civil sanctions under the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)      Approve and adopt the revised policy as set out in Annex 1 to the report

Resolved (6 for, 1 against) to:

(2)      Nominate and Authorise the Head of Housing and Community, Public Protection Manager, Principal Environmental Health Officer and Environmental Health Officer to determine individual financial penalties in accordance with the policy.

The Committee received a report to determine a revised policy for the issuing of civil sanctions under the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

The Committee considered the following matters:

a)            Staffing and Resourcing. In response to a question from a Member, the Public Protection Manager stated that in his view the service area was sufficiently resourced to carry out the enforcement works associated with the proposed policy. He stated that Epsom & Ewell had a history of few enforcement cases, informing the Committee that there had been none under the current policy within the last c.2-3 years. He advised that the service would to a degree be self-funding, with any penalty income resulting under the new policy being ringfenced and put back towards resourcing the service.

b)            Identification and Prioritisation of Cases. In response to a question from a Member, the Public Protection Manager stated that, aside from those cases identified through the Council’s routine checks of HMOs, the majority of enforcement cases are brought to the Council’s attention via complaints made. He stated that cases are prioritised based on risk-level, and that the process for prioritising cases was set out the Council’s enforcement policy.

c)            Policy Robustness. In response to a question from a Member, the Public Protection Manager stated that the proposal to adopt the policy proposed to Members had come about following a wider review of housing procedures. He stated that many nearby authorities had already adopted the proposed policy, explaining that the policy was backed up by a great deal of case law and data indicating strong robustness and effectiveness.

d)            Future Review. The Public Protection Manager advised that the policy may require review in future following the Royal Assent of the Renters (Reform) Bill, which may introduce law requiring updates to be made to the policy.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)      Approve and adopt the revised policy as set out in Annex 1 to the report.

Resolved (6 for, 1 against) to:

(2)      Nominate and Authorise the Head of Housing and Community, Public Protection Manager, Principal Environmental Health Officer and Environmental Health Officer to determine individual financial penalties in accordance with the policy.