Agenda item

Matt Hillman, Assistant Director of Investment

a.    presented Housing Scrutiny Sub Committee with an end of year report on performance indicators for the 2022/23 financial year (April 2022-March 2023), which combined all performance relevant to Housing Landlord issues

b.    reported that over the last twelve years the Council had been working with Lincoln Tenants Panel to improve external scrutiny and to meet standards implemented by the Tenant Services Authority

c.    added that from April 2010 all social landlords were required to have local offers in place alongside the national standards as set out in the new Regulatory Framework for Social Housing, which was amended with effect from April 2012 although the principles remained the same

d.    reported that of the 21 measures in total; 11 were on or exceeding targets for the year (year-end), 5 had not met the normal targets set, of which 4 were within 5% tolerance of their respective targets (Amber Rating), and one measure did not have a target (complaints replied to in line with corporate policy)

e.    referred to Appendix A of the report which attempted to simplify the overall analysis by listing performance on a service functional basis (rents, repairs etc) and then showing the source of the indicator (reason)

f.     added that further information on the areas highlighted was provided at paragraph 4 of the report

g.    invited committees’ questions and comments.

Members discussed the content of the report, commented, asked questions, and received relevant responses from officers as follows:

·         Comment: It would be beneficial to have a more rapid turnaround of paperwork to ensure vacant properties were brought back into use as soon as possible to avoid anti-social behaviour /damage.

·         Response: The new initiative of interactive information videos would help prospective tenants with useful points to consider. In the sad circumstances when a tenant passed away, the property remained the responsibility of relatives whilst in the probate period.

·         Question: It was noted that Performance Indicator 58 Average re-let period – All dwellings (excluding major works) – (days)’ was currently in red. Was it possible to provide a further breakdown as to how many terminations in tenancy were due to deaths/residents moving into nursing homes?

·         Response: This information would be provided by officers.

·         Question: Was it possible when signing up to a tenancy agreement to verify in advance that in the event the property became void, there would be free access by the Council if there were no other relatives involved?

·         Response: This would not be practical as it would be too far in advance in many circumstances in relation to the power of attorney.

·         Question: What was the difference between a void without major works and one with major works.The target for re-let of properties was a lot less than the actual performance?

·         Response: This was controlled by the House Mark Standard. Officers would forward the relevant information to members.

·         Question: The % of complaints against target time had increased every quarter. What plans were there to make improvements?

·         Response: Most of the complaints related to housing repairs. Officers had been through the data to look for trends such as ‘discuss the issue further appointments/low quality work’ but there were no apparent reasons. The customer base was different to years gone by and people complained on a regular basis, due to changes in the tenant profile. Extra resources were being allocated. Operatives were being instructed to make sure any repairs needed were actioned accordingly. He would arrange a meeting with LTP members and staff to discuss the issues further.

·         Comment by Councillor Nannestad, Portfolio Holder for Quality Housing: It was important that members used the single point of contact (SPOC) for any complaints in order that problems were always logged. This was a policy formerly agreed by all members.

·         Response by Mick Barber, Chair of LTP: The SPOC was a good system The logging of data regarding complaints was essential to make future improvements and to enhance service delivery. LTP had helped set up templates on how to address complaints and there was a huge improvement on what had gone before. We needed to modernise our working systems to deal with customer issues.

RESOLVED that:

1.    The following supplementary information be provided to members:

Ø  A further breakdown as to how many terminations in tenancy were due to deaths/residents moving into nursing homes .

Ø  Further detail of the House Mark Standard.

2.    The current performance outcomes during the financial year 2022/23 be noted.

3.    A commitment to continued reporting on a quarterly basis and a determined programme to have more interim in-depth reviews of service specific performance be noted.