Agenda and draft minutes

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Minutes of meeting dated Wednesday 10th February and matters arising pdf icon PDF 647 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Agreed : Minutes Agreed

 

2.

Chairpersons Business pdf icon PDF 657 KB

      i.        Housing Symposium Update

     ii.        Correspondence

Additional documents:

Minutes:

i.           Housing Symposium Update

Cllr Alison Gilliland provided a synopsis of the Cost Considerations When Delivering Public Housing Symposium held on Thursday 25th February. In particular the following cost related considerations were highlighted

·         Bureaucracy – 4 Stage Approval Process & Procurement/Tendering Process

·         Difficulties - infill city sites & vacant over shop units

·         Integrating of funding community facilities

·         Innovation & partnerships

·         Supply chain impact

·         Housing social benefits

·         Housing specification

 

Cllr Gilliland also thanked attendees and acknowledged wide range of speakers. A special thank you went to Rebecca Ward and Eva Chudomelova for their assistance with the Symposium.

Members thanked Cllr Gilliland for her contribution and organisation of the event.

 

ii.         Correspondence

No correspondence received

 

3.

Update on Working Groups

i.              Rent Review Working Group

ii.            Public Housing Working Group

iii.           Services for Senior Citizens Working Group

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A brief update was provided in relation to the three working groups.

i.              Rent Review Working Group

It was proposed that the Rent Review Working Group be incorporated into the Public Housing Working Group.

ii.            Public Housing Working Group

The next meeting shall occur on Friday 19th of March at 13:00. The Anti-Social Behaviour Policy shall be reviewed.

iii.           Services for Senior Citizens Working Group

Group met on February 18th and a submitted a contribution to the Development Plan on how the plan can enhance the experience of senior citizens across all aspects of our city. The next meeting shall cover the issue of how technology can assist living within the city.

 

Agreed :Rent Review Working Group shall be incorporated into the Public Housing Working Group.

 

4.

Housing Management Update pdf icon PDF 653 KB

i.              Report on Housing Supply

ii.             Report on Homelessness

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

i.              Report on Housing Supply

The following considerations were raised;


·         Oscar Traynor Site – the breakdown of units & potential cost.

·         Radon - National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) report

·         Section 183 disposals

·         Housing voids

·         Covid impact on Housing Supply delivery.

·         O’Devaney Gardens project update

·         Poolbeg /Irish Glass Bottle site & National Assets Management Agency (NAMA) engagement

·         Social/Tenure mix within Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) apartment blocks.

·         Cross boundary allocations

·         Borrowing implications

·         Retrofitting - Mandatory Radon tests & ventilation

·         Sustainable communities

·         Social housing demand

·         Pepper Potting

·         Part V

·         Height & Density

·         Dampness & condensation


 

Agreed :Management to write to Cllrs. about Radon upon receiving Engineers report.

Agreed :Management to update Cllrs. about Dept. of Housing feedback in relation to Oscar Traynor site

Agreed :Management shall provide SPC with feedback from future NAMA Poolbeg discussions


 

ii.            Report on Homelessness

Members thanked Mary Flynn for her work as acting-Director of the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive following the retirement of Eileen Gleeson. Members congratulated Mary Hayes on her appointment as Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) Director and wished her well in the role.

The Chairperson, Cllr Alison Gilliland, informed members that the Corporate Policy Group had approved the establishment of a Special Committee on Homelessness and that she had written to Group leaders seeking nominations to the Committee. The following considerations were raised;


·         Single persons presenting to homeless and a request to include details on reasons so many single persons are presenting

·         Challenging & complex issues

·         New inspection regime of homeless accommodation & reporting

·         National Quality Framework clarification

·         Legislation clarification regarding local connection

·         The need for the homeless report to include the length of time families are spending in homeless accommodation

·         Number of families on own door accommodation

·         Freephone review

·         Trajectory of family homelessness

·         Housing application process

·         Other Local Authority engagement

·         Family Hub capacity update


 

Agreed :Report noted


 

5.

Viability Study into the establishment of a DCC Building Company pdf icon PDF 331 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Brendan Kenny, Assistant Chief Executive provided a briefing on the report which outlined the considerations that would be taken into account when setting up an Building Company or Arms-Length External Organisation (ALEO), the experiences of other local authorities that have taken this step and the conclusion that such an ALEO would not be either viable or beneficial to DCC.

 

The following considerations were raised;

 

·         United Kingdom experience/mechanism

·         Tendering Process

·         Risks

·         Increase Project Manager numbers within Dublin City Council (DCC)

·         Implications establishing such a company

·         Internal capacity increase alternative

·         DCC borrowing options to deliver housing

·         Housing construction Frameworks

·         Funding Capital Projects

·         Client-Contractor methodology

·         Centralising the Procurement process

·         Examine Part 8 Planning process

·         Programme Management IT system

·         New model of Cost Rental & Affordable Purchase

·         Expand Delivery Models

·         Secure Funding Models

·         Value for Money (VFM)

·         Void Management

 

Agreed : The report and its conclusions were agreed

Agreed : That a presentation on procurement & resources would be made to the Committee at a future SPC

 

6.

Lord Mayor's Taskforce on Homelessness

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Lord Mayor, Cllr Hazel Chu, provided an update to members about the Taskforce changing to a sub group format.

 

Update included the following;

 

·         Day Services

·         HSE collaboration

·         Communication with Minister for Housing regarding the Oscar Traynor development

 

7.

Motion in the name of Cllrs. James Geoghegan, Colm O' Rourke, Naoise Ó Muirí, Ray McAdam, Danny Byrne, Anne Feeney, Paddy McCartan, Terence Flanagan & Declan Flanagan

That Dublin City Council directs the Chief Executive to undertake an immediate external audit on exact construction costs paid by the local authority in the delivery of social housing. This external audit, should include, but not be limited to, the schemes referred in the report on Construction Costs published by Dublin City Council on the 31st December 2020. This urgent requirement comes following the publication of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland report on the 26th of January 2021 and news reports over the weekend that senior executives at Dublin City Council have raised concerns about the "premium price" it has been charged by private contractors for social housing.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

That Dublin City Council directs the Chief Executive to undertake an immediate external audit on exact construction costs paid by the local authority in the delivery of social housing. This external audit, should include, but not be limited to, the schemes referred in the report on Construction Costs published by Dublin City Council on the 31st December 2020. This urgent requirement comes following the publication of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland report on the 26th of January 2021 and news reports over the weekend that senior executives at Dublin City Council have raised concerns about the "premium price" it has been charged by private contractors for social housing.

 

Agreed : Defer motion to April Housing SPC meeting

Agreed: The SPC committed to wait until the work of Mark Bourke Chief Quantity Surveyor is completed with Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage (HLGH) and Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCS) before commencing and external audit/review of costs.

 Agreed : Terms of Reference to be drafted to include the tenet of the motion and issues raised during its discussion and circulated to members in the interim

 

8.

Motion in the name of Cllr. Daithi Doolan

Dublin City Council will immediately set about establishing a publicly owned designated activity company in partnership with the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund for the sole purpose of constructing social and affordable housing on public land.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Dublin City Council will immediately set about establishing a publicly owned designated activity company in partnership with the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund for the sole purpose of constructing social and affordable housing on public land.

 

Agreed : Defer motion to April Housing SPC meeting

Agreed : Presentation by a the Housing Infrastructure Services Company established between the Irish Strategic Investment Fund and Cork Co. Council (HISCO) at the April Housing SPC meeting so as to provide a context for discussion on the deferred motion.

 

9.

Motion in the name of Cllr. Deirdre Heney

That this Strategic Policy Committee agree to establish an Animal Welfare Oversight Committee for the city, the terms of reference of which to be agreed by the Oversight Committee when established and then brought before the SPC for agreement

Additional documents:

Minutes:

That this Strategic Policy Committee agree to establish an Animal Welfare Oversight Committee for the city, the terms of reference of which to be agreed by the Oversight Committee when established and then brought before the SPC for agreement

 

Agreed : Motion Agreed

Agreed : Terms of Reference to be established

 

10.

AOB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

April Housing SPC meeting 14th April 11:00-13:00

 

Cllr. Alison Gilliland

CHAIRPERSON