Agenda and minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 12th June 2019.

The Board raised some minor amendments in relation to the minutes from the previous meeting which they were advised would be corrected.

The minutes of the meeting of the Board held on 12th June 2019 were then confirmed as an accurate record.

All members will make a declaration at each meeting if they have an interest in any item of business on the agenda which would affect them more than tenants or residents of the ward(s) affected generally.

No declarations of interest were made.

A report of the Head of Landlord Services to update the Board on the progress of the New Decent Homes Contract supplied by Fortem, as requested, including the disabled adaptations work programme.

Ryan Wilkes and Andy Green from Fortem attended the meeting and updated the Board on progress since the last meeting.

They advised the Board that some progress had been made although they were still not reaching the key performance indicator (KPI) targets set by the Council. The bathroom stream of work was improving due to the recruitment of internal staff to provide direct delivery to customers as well as working more closely with the sub-contractors to ensure work was being completed to a satisfactory level.

The Board was advised that the kitchen programme was on track and Fortem were meeting the target of eleven to twelve days for completion.

The Board highlighted the Shelthorpe community garden project which had been recently completed. The Chair said that it had greatly benefited the residents in the area.

The Board asked about the disabled adaptations programme of work that was outstanding and was informed that the majority of the work had been completed or was under way but there was a small amount which was outstanding. This was due to the unique nature of the work to be completed. It was taking longer to get quotes for the more complex jobs which was having a knock-on effect for start dates. The Board was assured that the work would be completed as soon as possible and there was a workforce ready to start when needed.

The Board asked about satisfaction levels and the process followed to get responses. They were advised that all residents received a letter following the completion of work which included a scoring sheet and comment section to be completed. The option of a text survey was suggested which Fortem said they would investigate.

A six monthly report of the Head of Landlord Services updating the Board on the level of complaints received and the actions implemented.

The Head of Landlord Services submitted a report for the Board detailing the breakdown of complaints for Landlord Services.

The Board was advised that there had been a reduction in the number of complaints compared to the previous year. The most frequent complaints that were received were due to service delays or delays in progress to repair work, which was to be expected.

The Board was pleased to hear that whilst complaints were being received the amount of complaints progressing to higher levels were few.

At this point in the meeting the Board was introduced to the new Principal Officer for Repairs and Maintenance. He advised the Board that he had been in post since January and had been working on a variety of projects to improve the quality of service provided to tenants. Specifically, the use of the satisfaction survey to gather feedback from residents, looking at the complaints process and understanding it better and improving the fit to let standard for void properties.

In accordance with the Board’s decision members of the Board were asked in advance of this agenda being published whether they had any questions on matters within the remint of the Board that they wished to ask, for response at this meeting.

On this occasion Councillor Draycott asked the following:

In the case of proven ASB being carried out by person/s living in rented accommodation, what is the responsibility of the Landlord and what powers does the Council have, in this regard?

 In accordance with the Board’s decision at its meeting on 22nd March 2017 (HMAB Minute 24.1), members of the Board had been asked in advance of the agenda being published whether they had any questions on matters within the remint of the Board that they wished to ask, for response at this meeting.

On this occasion Councillor Draycott had asked the following question:

“In the case of proven ASB being carried out by person/s living in rented accommodation, what is the responsibility of the landlord and what powers does the Council have, in this regard?”

The Head of Landlord Services provided a detailed response for the Board which included the Council’s responsibilities as a landlord and the legislation it has to follow, the powers available to the Council and the approach to using those powers. The Board was advised that an incremental approach was usually taken to try to resolve issues before they escalated. This was confirmed by the data provided which showed that most cases had been dealt with by providing advice.

The Board was also informed that there were other teams in the Council who dealt with ASB issues such as Regulatory Services, Planning and Community safety.

A report of the Head of Landlord Services to enable the Board to review and agree its Work Programme, together with meeting dates for 2019/20.

For information further meetings of the Board are scheduled as follows in 2019/20:

Wednesday 6th November 2019 at 4.30pm

Wednesday 15th January 2020 at 4.30pm

Wednesday 25th March 2020 at 4.30pm.

The Board received a report of the Head of Landlord Services to enable the Board to agree its work programme (item 7 on the agenda).

Members of the Board could identify matters that they considered required looking at over the next few meetings of the Board, including any already listed on the Work Programme but not yet scheduled. Officers present could provide advice as to whether items might be appropriately considered at the time proposed.

The Board decided to review the work programme and made some changes to the items, either removing them or scheduling them for upcoming meetings.

RESOLVED

1.    That an update on the Council’s housing allocations policy be added to the Board’s work programme for its November meeting.

2.    That the following items be removed from the Board’s work programme: Housing and Planning Act 2016 – Update, Review of Repairs Standards and Response Times for Repairs, Service Area Delivery Plan.

3.    That the remaining items be scheduled for upcoming meetings.

4.    That the Board’s work programme be updated to reflect all decisions made above and earlier in the meeting.

Reasons

1.    To enable the item to be considered by the Board.

2.    The items were no longer relevant or had been amalgamated into another item.

3.    To ensure the items are considered in a timely manner.

4.    To ensure that the information in the work programme is up to date.