The
Assistant Director of Environmental and Housing Property Services
presented the Quarter One 2026/27 Housing Performance and
Improvement Plan Update.
Members were advised that the report provided an update on both
housing performance during Quarter One and progress against the
Housing Improvement Plan (HIP). It was explained that the Council
had reviewed and expanded its performance indicators during the
previous financial year to provide greater oversight of key
strategic and operational areas, including rent collection, void
properties, tenancy audits and tenant profiling, enabling services
to be tailored more effectively to residents' needs.
The
Committee was informed that positive performance had been recorded
in a number of areas, including building safety compliance, gas
safety, lift safety and electrical safety. Strong performance in
relation to void properties was also reported, with the Council
performing in the upper quartile when benchmarked against
neighbouring local authorities. Complaint handling performance
remained positive overall within the Housing Service.
Members noted that staffing vacancies within the service had
impacted performance during the quarter. However, a new Housing
Property Services Manager and Business Support Manager had now been
appointed, providing additional leadership and capacity within the
service. The Committee was advised that repairs performance
continued to improve and that the Total Mobile system was scheduled
to go live on 13th October 2026.
Further updates were provided on fire safety improvement works,
including progress on fire door replacement schemes following
increased investment in the service. A second contractor had also
been appointed to increase the capacity to bring void properties
back into use. Rent arrears had been introduced as a new financial
performance indicator and it was reported that actions were being
taken to address responses to damp and mould cases.
In
respect of the Housing Improvement Plan, the Committee was advised
that thirty actions had been completed, forty-eight were on track
to be completed and six were behind schedule, with the exceptions
highlighted within the report.
After the presentation of the report, Members had detailed
discussion and raised the following points:
- Members sought an
update on progress against the regulatory judgement. Officers
advised that the Housing Improvement Plan had been designed to
address areas identified against the consumer standards. It was
explained that progress was being closely monitored and, once the
required improvements had been delivered, the Council would seek
reinspection with the aim of achieving a C1 grading.
- It was confirmed that
the inspection process applied not only to local authorities with
housing stock but also to registered providers with more than 1,000
properties.
- Concerns were raised
regarding rent arrears and the potential impact on both tenants and
the Council if cases were not addressed promptly. Members
emphasised the importance of early intervention to prevent arrears
escalating and placing tenants at risk of financial hardship or
eviction.
- In response to
concerns regarding rent arrears, officers advised that performance
had been affected by staffing shortages, with a number of
experienced staff leaving the service over a relatively short
period. Members were informed that recruitment activity was
underway, including interviews for Rent Officers, and that efforts
had been made to improve the promotion of vacancies and attract
candidates from a wider range of sectors. Officers highlighted that
the Council remained a positive employer, offering agile working
and other benefits, although recruitment within local government
remained challenging.
- It was further noted
that the tenancy sustainment service had been expanded to provide
additional support to tenants, including assistance with accessing
the correct benefits and identifying pathways into employment.
Officers expressed confidence that these actions would help improve
performance against the rent arrears target and advised that the
Council was considering joining House Mark to enable benchmarking
against other housing providers and identify further opportunities
for service improvement. A comprehensive service review was also
scheduled to commence in October 2026 to assess performance and
explore additional improvements.
- Members discussed the
high level of void rent loss and queried whether the target
turnaround time was realistic. Officers explained that routine
voids were performing well and achieving upper-quartile
performance, while the longer turnaround times related primarily to
more complex capital voids requiring extensive works and specialist
contractor input.
- In relation to voids,
the Committee was advised that contractor performance was being
managed more robustly, additional capacity had been introduced and
a review was underway to assess performance against sector
benchmarks.
- Members expressed
concern regarding the length of time some capital void properties
remained empty and the associated loss of rental income. It was
noted that, whilst many voids could be returned to use relatively
quickly, the most complex cases often required extensive
refurbishment works and presented significant challenges. Members
suggested that these cases may require the procurement of
additional specialist expertise and emphasised the importance of
exploring all available options to bring properties back into use
as quickly as possible. The Committee highlighted that prolonged
void periods were not sustainable and requested that a strong focus
be maintained on reducing turnaround times, ensuring value for
money and considering alternative approaches where refurbishment
works were no longer economically viable.
RESOLVED
that
1) The
Council’s Quarter 1 2026/27 Housing Performance be
noted.
2) The
Housing Improvement Plan Quarter 1 2026/27 Update be
noted.