Issue - meetings

The Executive Committee is asked to note that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee will be pre-scrutinising this report at a meeting on Monday 4th February.  Due to the short time available between the Overview and Scrutiny and Executive Committee meetings any recommendations arising from the pre-scrutiny of this report will be tabled at the Executive Committee meeting on 5^th February.

The Deputy Chief Executive presented a report in respect of the progress that had been achieved with the implementation of the Housing and Housing Revenue Improvement Plan. 

During the presentation of the report the following matters were highlighted for Members’ consideration:

·                This was the first progress report in respect of the Housing Implementation Plan that had been presented to Members.  Further updates would follow at six month intervals.

·                The report had been pre-scrutinised by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and a similar report was due to be considered by the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee in April.

·                The Council had a balanced Housing Revenue Account (HRA), though the financial position for the Council remained challenging.

·                Service reviews were being undertaken and would be taken forward during the year.

·                Consideration of the gas business case by the Executive Committee until June 2019.  This would provide time to seek external expert advice.

·                The Council was complaint with requirements in terms of gas services but Officers needed to review the boiler replacement programme.

·                The number of voids had been reduced from approximately 120 to 51.  Further reductions in the number of void properties would only follow once the Council had procured a new Housing IT system.

·                In total 20 per cent of the stock condition survey had been completed.

·                Service development continued to be treated as an area of high risk.

·                Since the previous report to Committee on this subject a risk had been added in respect of seeking housing advice.

·                Health and safety risks had been upgraded from medium to high.  Whilst the Council was compliant with health and safety requirements some issues had been identified, including with the Council’s high rise buildings, that merited the upgrade.

Members discussed the report in detail and noted that Officers had worked hard to address the problems that had been identified with Housing Services in 2017/18.  The Overview and Scrutiny Committee had also concurred that the staff had worked hard and Members had agreed that they should be thanked for this hard work.  There had been a number of difficulties that had had to be overcome and both Officers and Members had found this stressful.

RESOLVED that

1)        thanks be extended to all housing staff, including the Deputy Chief Executive, the Head of Environmental Services and the Head of Community Services for their hard work to address the issues in respect of Housing Services that were identified in 2017/18; and

2)        the Executive Committee consider the content of the report and endorse the progress reports for each of the items detailed.

The Committee received a report in relation to the Council Housing/Housing Revenue Account Strategic Improvement Plan outlining the progress made to date. Whilst presenting the report the Deputy Chief Executive highlighted the following matters for Members’ consideration.

Members were reminded that in September, 2018 the Executive Committee agreeda number of decisions which included the endorsement of a StrategicImprovement Action Plan.

·                This was the first progress report presented to Members.  Further updates would follow every six months.

·                A revised timetable had been developed in respect of the Gas Services Business Case. Major improvements had been made with the number of voids being reducedfrom approximately 120 to 51.

·                The Housing Capital, Property and Compliance Teams had been reviewed and revised management and service structures had beendeveloped.  These would be subject to formal consultation with the Trade Unions and staff.

·                The Strategic Measures Dashboard would be updated regularly and Members could request to look at the Corporate Performance report for the six strategic purposes.

·                The current risks were reviewed on aregular basis with a full formal review to be undertaken in advance ofthe new financial year 2019/20.

The Chair informed the Committee that a resident had informed him that a member of the Housing Team had dealt with their enquiry and had been very helpful and courteous.

Following the presentation of the report, Members discussed a number of issues in detail:

·                With regards to the gas contract, the Council would be looking to get external help to ensure that the issues were managed appropriately.

·                It was recognised that the voids numbers would not reduce further until the new Housing IT system was in place.

·                Pre-inspections on properties would be carried out as well as regular inspections when necessary and photographs would also be taken of the properties.

·                The stock condition survey would be completed in the spring and checks would be made at regular intervals.

·                The new Housing IT system would be operational in May/June 2019 with the expectation that this would be fully implemented within 18 months.

·                The tenants’ handbook would be revised in due course.

On behalf of the Committee, the Chair thanked all housing staff, including the Deputy Chief Executive, the Head of Environmental Services and the Head of Community Services for their hard work to address the issues in respect of Housing Services that were identified in 2017/18.

RECOMMENDED that

1)        thanks be extended to all housing staff, including the Deputy Chief Executive, the Head of Environmental Services and the Head of Community Services for their hard work to address the issues in respect of Housing Services that were identified in 2017/18; and

2)        the Executive Committee consider the content of the report and endorse the progress reports for each of the items detailed.