Asset Management Strategy 2022 – 2027

Name of policies to be assessed

Asset Management Strategy 2022 – 2027

1. What is the main purpose of the policies?

The main purpose of the policies is to:

• To set out future investment priorities for the management and maintenance of social housing stock owned by Colchester City Council and managed by Colchester Borough Homes.

2. What main areas or activities does the policies cover?

To ensure the continuous improvement of the social housing stock owned by Colchester City Council to meet current and future Decent Home Standard Including the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Social Housing White Paper 2022.

3. Are there changes to an existing policy being considered in this assessment?

• Meeting Net Zero Carbon by 2050
• Responding to the Climate Change Emergency
• Implementing the Building Safety Act 2022
• Responding to the Social Housing White Paper 2022
• Updating the Colchester City Standard to reflect the emerging changes to HM Government (Decent Home Standard)

4. Who are the main audience, users or customers who will be affected by the policy?

The main groups who will be affected by the policy are:

• Colchester Borough Homes
• Tenants and Leaseholders
• Colchester City Council

5. What outcomes does the Council want to achieve from the policy?

• The delivery of planned investment to maintain and improve upon the Colchester City Standard for residents.
• To respond to the legislative changes, enshrine within the Building Safety Act 2022 to ensure that construction -related compliance and health and safety requirements are met and maintained.
• To prepare for the changes that will be required to meet next zero carbon by improving the insulation and heating\electrical services to resident’s homes to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

6. Are other service areas or partner agencies involved in delivery?

• Colchester Borough Homes
• Amphora
• CBC Legal Services
• CBC Housing and Corporate Finance
• CBC Planning – Strategic Policy and Development

7. Relevant information, data, surveys or consultations

The following relevant information, data, surveys or consultations¹ help us assess the likely or actual impact of the policy upon customers or staff.

• NEC Asset Management (Responsive Repairs, Compliance and Landing Capital Investment)
• Parity Solutions (scenario modelling linked to future investment requirements including compliance and meeting net zero carbon)

8. The ‘general duty’

The ‘general duty’ states that we must have “due regard” to the need to:

1. eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
2. advance equality of opportunity between people who share a ‘protected characteristic²’ and those who do not³
3. foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not⁴

Not all policies help us to meet the ‘general duty’, but most do.

This policy helps us to meet the ‘general duty’ by:

• The Council will work closely with partner agencies and consult with tenants and leaseholders, to promote understanding which can benefit all groups.
• The strategy seeks to advance equality and combat disadvantages by providing safe and secure accommodation for all of the Councils tenants and leaseholders.
• The Council will work closely with partner agencies, consult with tenants and leaseholders, to promote understanding which can benefit all groups.

9. Disproportionate impacts

This section helps us to identify any disproportionate impacts. We will indicate whether the policy is likely to particularly benefit or disadvantage any of the 'protected characteristics'.

The strategy responds to improving their health of residents living within properties managed by Colchester Borough Homes by improving quality of their homes to make them safe and secure to live in which enriches residents’ quality of life.

The strategy responds to identifying residents with specific needs and encourages multiagency working to support a range of specific needs of individual residents by targeted investment as appropriate.

The following applies to all protected characteristic groups:

Age - older people (60+)

Positive impact

The strategy ensures that the Council maintains sheltered housing stock to a high standard that is safe and secure together with undertaking appropriate aids and adaptions works within individual residents’ properties to meet their specific needs

Age - those who are typically in the age group 45-55 and younger people (17-25)

n/a

Disability – physical, sensory, learning, mental health issues, other

Positive impact

The strategy responds to the Equalities Act 2010 and subsequent government guidance to improve accessibility to common areas of blocks and publicly accessible spaces By facilitating aids and adaptions within residents’ homes this will enable residents to maintain their quality of living by providing both physical and sensory adaptions to their homes and common areas to allow access as appropriate.

Negative impact

• There may be issues where the installation of age and adaptions may result in alternative measures being adopted whilst the work is being undertaken to a specific home. Where major works are required to a property and\or communal areas that will affect residents then as part of the CDM 2015 assessment the necessary risk assessment should be undertaken, and management strategies adopted to ensure access is maintained wherever possible
• There is an increased risk of trips and falls when works are undertaken which needs to be built in as part of any access planning
• There is a need to understand if there are any specific learning difficulties issues with residents which will require additional support
• Proposed works might have an impact on residents with complex mental health issues

Ethnicity - White; Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups; Asian or Asian British; Black, Black British, Caribbean or African; Other ethnic group

None Identified

Language – English not as a first language

None Identified

Pregnancy and maternity - Women who are pregnant or have given birth in the last 26 weeks

None Identified

Religion or belief - People with a religious belief (or none)

None Identified

Sex – Men and Women

None Identified

Gender reassignment - Transgender/Transsexual

None Identified

Sexual Orientation – Straight/Heterosexual, Gay or Lesbian, Bisexual, Other sexual orientation

None Identified

Marriage and Civil Partnership - People who are married or in a civil partnership

None Identified

10. How negative impacts be minimised or removed?

By consulting with tenants and leaseholders any negative impacts will be removed or minimised. A task and finish group will be used to monitor the strategy where appropriate.

11. Could the policy discriminate⁵ against any ‘protected characteristic’ either directly or indirectly?

No

Summary and findings of Initial Equality Impact Assessment

12. Confirmation of findings

There are four options to describe the finding of the EqIA:

1. No negative impacts have been identified – Action is to sign off screening and finish.
2. Negative impacts have been identified but have been minimised or removed  - Action is to sign off screening and finish.
3. Negative impacts could not be minimised or removed – Action is to sign off screening and complete a full impact assessment – Section 2.
4. There is insufficient evidence to make a judgement - Action is to sign off screening and complete a full impact assessment – Section 2.

The findings and action are confirmed as (A). No negative impacts have been identified – Action is to sign off screening and finish

13. Name and job title of person completing this form

Ernie Gray – Interim Client Asset Manager

14. Date of completion

April 2022

15. Date for update or review of this screening

This strategy is for the period 2022-27, next update due in April 2027

• [1] National Census 2021 ethnicity categories are: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British; Irish; Gypsy or Irish Traveller; Roma; Any other White background (White); White and Black Caribbean; White and Black African; White and Asian; Any other Mixed or Multiple backgrounds (Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups); Indian; Pakistani; Bangladeshi; Chinese; Any Other Asian background (Asian or Asian British); Caribbean; African; Any other Black, Black British or Caribbean, Any other Black, Black British or Caribbean background (Black, Black British, Caribbean or African); Arab, Any other ethnic group (Other ethnic group).
• [2] The Equality Act’s `protected characteristics’ include age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sex and sexual orientation. It also covers marriage and civil partnerships, but not for all aspects of the duty. 
• [3] This involves having due regard, in particular, to the need to (a) remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by persons who share a protected characteristic that are connected to that characteristic; (b) take steps to meet the needs of persons who share a relevant protected characteristic that is different from the needs of persons who do not share it, and (c) encourage persons who share a relevant protected characteristic to participate in public life or in any other activity in which participation by such persons is disproportionately low.
• [4] This involves having due regard, in particular, to the need to (a) tackle prejudice, and (b) promote understanding.
• [5] The Council has a general duty to ‘eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation’. Direct discrimination occurs when a person is treated less favourably than another in a comparable situation because of their `protected characteristic’ whether on grounds of age, disability, pregnancy and maternity, ethnicity; religion or belief; sex (gender), sexual orientation, or marriage and civil partnership. Indirect discrimination occurs when an apparently neutral provision or practise would nevertheless disadvantage people on the grounds of their `protected characteristic’.