Agenda item

This item is due to be pre-scrutinised at a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 17^th February 2026. Any recommendations arising from the meeting will be published in a supplementary pack for the Executive Committee meeting.

The Assistant Director of Environmental and Housing Property Services presented the Quarter Three Housing Improvement Plan (HIP) Update report.

In doing so, he drew Members’ attention to the clear, measurable progress that had been made since the regulatory judgement in July 2025.

In relation to outstanding actions, it was highlighted that there were nine ‘Green’, five ‘Amber’ and one ‘Red’ rated actions. It was noted that the one ‘Red’ action was due to delays with the implementation of the Total Mobile system which had been discussed in the previous minute item.

It was reported that fire safety had been highlighted as an issue through the regulatory judgement. The table contained within the report demonstrated the improvement that had been made since then. Members were assured that officers were looking to make further improvements moving forward and would be setting quarterly targets in order to evidence improvement. In addition, the Committee was advised that officers were seeking to accelerate the fire safety works with funding which had been allocated in the Medium Term Financial Plan.

In relation to transparency, officers were currently progressing with their annual report for 2025/2026. Quarterly performance would be included in the annual report to provide an oversight of progress against the HIP. A new communications strategy was also being implemented to ensure tenants were provided with regular and clear updates.

It was reported that a new Senior Complaints Officer had been recruited and the process was underway to recruit a Tenant Experience Manager and Senior Tenancy Engagement Officer.

The Assistant Director advised that two out of three actions had been completed with regards to ‘Neighbourhood and Community’. One ‘Amber’ issue was outstanding which related to Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) cases. It was explained that the team were progressing with the procurement of new ASB software.

The Portfolio Holder for Housing thanked the Assistant Director and the wider team for producing the report. With regard to the Tenant Satisfaction Survey 2025, it was noted that this had now closed and the response rate had been positive. Moving forward, the Portfolio Holder explained that a plan was being developed for tenant scrutiny and an oversight board. Members were advised that the Council continued to meet regularly with the housing regulator, which provided constructive support in ensuring the Council remained on track and maintained appropriate records.

It was also noted that additional funding had been allocated to address the outstanding and overdue fire safety works, this included the replacement of fire doors.

The Portfolio Holder drew Members’ attention to the Council’s ‘Community and Housing’ priorities –

• Build more Council homes.
• Ensure the Council’s housing stock was clean and safe to live in.
• Reduce the housing waiting list.
• Reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation.
• Improve time taken for repairs to be completed.

Members were advised that temporary accommodation figures were fluctuating but on the whole were improving. It was explained that the Council was hoping to acquire purpose adapted buildings to support those suffering from homelessness.

The Chair commented that she was pleased to see the figures were moving in the right direction although there was still more to be done to address the overdue repairs. However, clear actions had been identified to demonstrate how this would be achieved moving forward.

In discussing the content of the report, Members commented on the following points –

• At a Strategic Housing Improvement Board meeting there had been discussions about the report and the improvements that had been made. In relation to fire remedial actions, there had been a conversation about the trajectory to achieve targets, and it was recognised that this would take several years. It was queried whether this was on the risk register. In addition, Members asked for future iterations of the report to contain information regarding how soon they could expect certain actions to be completed in the HIP. The Assistant Director assured Members that fire safety was a priority and at the forefront of discussions with regards to compliance. He advised that a month-by-month plan had been produced which covered the course of the following two financial years. It was noted that it would also be useful to have details of the accelerated proposal in future versions of the report.
• Fire safety mitigations and risk management. The Assistant Director outlined the mitigating actions that were being taken in relation to fire safety. An example was provided regarding robust servicing and maintenance of communal areas. It was explained that the caretaking team ensured that any combustible materials found were disposed of to ensure areas remained as safe as possible. In addition, safety in flat blocks had been invested in to prevent fires being set in ASB prone areas. Members were reassured that under the HIP, a third-party external company had been consulted to ensure measures were robust. A report was scheduled to be released at the start of the following financial year which outlined timescales and any potential supplementary actions which needed to be taken. In addition, surveys were being undertaken to identify whether any intermediary repairs could be carried out, such as re-fitting closures on fire doors that had been removed by tenants. Reassurance was given that all blocks did have fire doors, although these were currently non-compliant with current standards, but they were in situ in the interim while a replacement programme was being carried out.
• It was queried whether the HIP Update and Quarterly Performance reports would be merged at some point in the future. Officers clarified that there wouldn’t be a ‘conclusion’ to the HIP as there would always be new actions and continuous improvements to be made. Therefore, it was confirmed that the reports would remain separate.

RESOLVED that: -

1) The Housing Improvement Plan Quarter 3 2025/26 Update, which included actions to address areas for improvement, confirmed as part of the Regulator of Social Housing inspection process, be noted.