Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence from those Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

No apologies were received.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on the 26^th January 2026.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on the 26^th January 2026, be approved as a correct record.

Members will be asked to say if there are any items on the Agenda in which they have any disclosable pecuniary interests or any other interests, which may prevent them from participating in any discussion of the items or participating in any vote upon the items.

No interests were declared.

Most agenda items take place in public. This only changes where there is a need to consider exempt information, as contained at Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. You will be informed at this point which items are to be recommended for exclusion and to be resolved by the Panel.

All agenda items were considered in public session.

The Panel will receive any petitions and/or deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also submit a petition at the meeting relating to a matter on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10, Members of the Public must submit a deputation in writing, at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting and shall subsequently be notified if the deputation shall be heard. A maximum of four deputations shall be heard at any one meeting.

No deputations or petitions were received.       

To receive any public questions.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11, the period for the asking and answering of public questions shall not exceed 15 minutes.

Any questions must be submitted in writing at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting.

No public questions were received.

This report provides the internal evaluation of Homes and Neighbourhoods’ performance against the Regulator of Social Housing’s Consumer Standards.

Contact: Phil Jones, Service Director for Homes and Neighbourhoods.

Councillor Moses Crook introduced the agenda item informing the Panel that the report provides an update on compliance with the Regulator of Social Housing’s Consumer Standards. In summary the Panel was informed that the report forms part of the Council’s internal assessment and validation processes in preparation for any future inspection by the Regulator. All registered providers, including the Council as a landlord, are subject to such inspections.

The Panel was advised that, similar to other public sector inspection frameworks, the Council has no control over when an inspection takes place. As a result, it is important to maintain continuous assurance activity to ensure ongoing readiness and compliance with the Consumer Standards. The Council’s priority remains the delivery of high?quality services for tenants, with compliance and, where possible, exceeding the required standards being fundamental to this objective.

External validation of the Council’s internal assessment has been commissioned from the David Tolson Partnership to provide additional assurance that the assessments are rigorous and that any areas requiring improvement are clearly identified.

The Panel was informed that the Homes and Neighbourhoods Service has undergone significant transformation over the past two years, effectively addressing service deficits in areas such as damp, mould and condensation, fire safety, and water testing. The service has also taken steps to become more tenant?focused, ensuring that the tenant voice is embedded throughout service design and delivery.

A key element of the service’s improvement work is the ongoing stock condition survey, which will provide up?to?date information on the condition of all Council homes and support the achievement and maintenance of high standards. This area of compliance, particularly in relation to the safety and quality standard, remains a continued focus for further improvement.

The Panel was advised that the service has taken action to address areas where standards had not been met. Successful social landlords continually seek opportunities to improve and to enhance the services provided to tenants. The Homes and Neighbourhoods Service exists solely to serve tenants, and the internal assessment will support further refinement of service delivery in line with this overarching purpose.

Cllr Crook informed the Panel that both his aspiration and that of the service is to achieve the highest C1 rating and to be among the top 11% of council housing providers. The report sets out an assessment of the service’s current position against each of the Consumer Standards.

Phil Jones, Service Director for Homes and Neighbourhoods, informed the Panel that the assessment is measured against four areas of the Consumer Standards. Three of these areas are currently assessed as C2, which is positive, and one is assessed as C3. He highlighted that, while overall performance is strong across all standards, some ongoing issues within the Safety and Quality Standard may result in an overall C3 rating.

In response to the information presented, the Panel asked a number of questions and made comments including some of the following:

-       Referring to section 2.3.1 of the submitted report where it states that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

To note the content of the report as part of the regular updates to the Scrutiny Panel.

Contact: Liz Jefferson, Acting Head of Housing Growth

Cllr Graham Turner, introduced the agenda item informing the Panel that the report contains a number of positive developments, with progress being made across several challenging sites.  He explained that although the Council remains short of its overall housing target, the team continues to work towards closing this gap, and a forthcoming update on the Local Plan is expected to support further progress.

Liz Jefferson, Acting Head of Housing Growth, informed the Panel that the update being presented, would include the work of the Housing Growth Team over the past 12 months, the strategic context in which the team operates, progress made on strategic sites, town centre living, specialist and affordable housing, and market housing. The presentation to the Panel would also highlight key learning, the challenges encountered, and the priorities for the year ahead.

In summary, the Panel was advised that, since coming to power in July 2024, the government placed a significant emphasis on building new homes and has made a commitment to deliver 1.5 million new homes in the next five years. This will be supported by the reintroduction of mandatory housing targets, reform of the planning system, and plans for a number of new towns.

The national commitment to increasing housing delivery is also reflected regionally, with one of the Mayoral pledges being the delivery of 5,000 affordable homes by 2028. In Kirklees, the current Strategic Housing Market Assessment identifies a need for 1,873 new homes per year across the district. The housing waiting list now exceeds 19,000 households, highlighting the significant level of local housing need, and in response, the Council is progressing a comprehensive programme of work.

The Panel was also informed that, over the past 12 months, an updated Housing Strategy for the period 2026-2031 has been developed.  The draft Housing Strategy sets out a vision to ensure every resident has access to a suitable, safe and affordable home. A key focus of the strategy is enabling people to secure appropriate accommodation and prevent homelessness. The strategy addresses this through three core themes: housing need, housing quality, and housing growth and delivery.

The strategy has been developed against a backdrop of rising housing need, an ageing population, increasing cost?of?living pressures and widening inequalities. It provides a coordinated, long?term framework for responding to the housing challenges facing Kirklees.

With regard to strategic sites, the Panel was informed that Dewsbury Riverside, is the largest housing allocation in the current local plan and over the last 12 months, progress continues working closely with Homes England. Preliminary market engagement took place with master developers in the summer of last year.

Another focus has been the resolution of issues with neighbouring strategic landowners with whom dialogue and negotiation is ongoing.  Unfortunately, it is not possible to progress to the procurement of a master developer until these issues have been resolved. Recent positive conversations have been held with the relevant landowners, and it is anticipated that there will be further progress over the summer.  In conjunction  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

To provide an update on national planning reforms (2025-2026).

Contact: Johanna Scrutton, Planning Policy Group Leader and Mathias Franklin Head of Planning and Development

Cllr Graham Turner, introduced the agenda item advising the Panel that this remains a rapidly evolving area, with frequent changes to national guidance and policy. Despite the pace of change, the small team are doing a very good job interpreting and responding to extensive and complex information. The team is undertaking work as preparations progress towards the future Local Plan, including adjusting elements of the current plan to avoid unnecessary duplication pending updated policy guidance.

In summary, Johanna Scrutton, Group Leader, Planning Policy and Strategy advised the Panel that there has been a great deal of planning reforms over the past 18 months to two years, and this work is still ongoing. These reforms have resulted in substantial policy revisions and have introduced new legislation, particularly through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, some of which the plan elements only came into commencement last week and the Planning and Infrastructure Act.

The scale and pace of recent planning reforms are considerable, representing the most substantial changes since the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework in 2012. The Government is seeking to provide greater certainty in the operation of the planning system, encompassing both the preparation of local plans and the timely determination of planning applications, together with the effective delivery of development sites arising from those applications.”

The government aims to move towards a more rule?based national planning system, with clear and consistent standards for applicants and developers. The Panel was informed that the information being presented will focus on the current reforms, ongoing consultations, and emerging proposals. This represents only a snapshot in time, as further guidance and additional reforms are expected.

The Panel was advised that one of the key reforms has been the overview of the National Planning Policy framework. A revised draught was published in December 2025, for consultation and the consultation date closes on the 10^th March 2026. The consultation comprises of 225 questions on the proposed structure, format, policies and content. The planning services have worked across the council, engaging with our other council services who use our plan and not just in the delivery of their own developments, but also in the delivery of council plan objectives.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has undergone substantial restructuring. The document now adopts a format more closely aligned with a Local Plan and, for the first time, includes a comprehensive set of 133 policies. These policies are divided into two categories: plan?making policies and decision?making policies.

The Government’s intention, is to make planning policy more accessible. It is to provide a comprehensive suite of national policies which must be used by all local authorities across the country.  The intention is to avoid unnecessary duplication within local plans and to limit divergence from national planning policy. This approach is designed to streamline plan preparation and prevent the creation of varying local standards, which can add complexity to the development process.

The Panel received an update on Chapter 2 of the draft  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.