The Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report which provided an update on performance and key achievements of the Housing Service over the past financial year and set out the work programme for the Council’s housing stock for the next financial year.  The following documents were appended to the report:

Appendix 1 - Works to Housing Stock 23/24 Housing Revenue Account (HRA);

Appendix 2 – Works to Housing Stock 23/24 General Fund;

Appendix 3 – Works to Housing Stock by Ward 23/24.

The report stated that over the past year, the achievements of the Service had included:

• Low carbon improvements in a further 18 properties in Kentwood Ward, bringing the total number of improved properties to 43;
• Installation of a further 40 air source heat pumps in Granville Road Southcote with the remaining properties at this location on the 2023-24 work programme;
• Continued support and debt advice to tenants, leading to top quartile rent collection levels of over 99%.  The Money Matters webpages had been continually refreshed o offer up to date advice and support;
• No families were placed in shared B&B accommodation;
• Continued delivery of new homes with 15 key worker flats at the old Arthur Hill swimming pool site and 37 homes in North Street due to be handed over in Spring 2023.  Planning applications were due to be submitted for two mixed general needs housing and adult social care provision at the old Central Pool site and a site on Hexham Road expected to deliver a further 103 properties;
• Maintaining high tenant satisfaction levels as detailed in the survey results;
• A successful bid to DLUHC for £2.8 million to maintain and increase rough sleeping services;
• The Council had been shortlisted as finalists for the best social housing initiative for the modular pods in the MJ Awards, APSE Awards and LGC Awards.

Further to the introduction of the new Complaints Handling Code (CHC) (see Minute 30 of the meeting held on 4 January 2023), the report set out a breakdown of Housing Service complaints by area and by outcomes.  The most common areas for complaint included the quality of the service received, communication, lack of support, policy issues, failure to resolve the issue and the time taken to resolve the issue.  The report stated that 59% of the 275 complaints had received a response within the required timescale and explained that new systems to track, manage and embed learning from complaints would be implemented over the next two months, with the aim of improving complaints handling performance.

The report also updated the Committee on the results of the Tenant Satisfaction Survey which had been carried out during Autumn 2022, which found that satisfaction levels were still generally high, there had been an improvement in some areas.

The report explained that Housing Property Services had a responsibility to ensure that the housing stock was well maintained in accordance with the Decent Homes Standard and that Council homes were safe and healthy places to live, including the improvement of the thermal efficiency of its stock in line with the Council’s Climate Change ambitions ensuring homes could be heated efficiently and cost effectively, thus reducing their carbon footprint and reducing fuel poverty.  The service also worked to improve the wider environment on housing estates to meet the needs and aspirations of both the Council and the tenants.

Resolved:

(1)          That the performance and key achievements of the Housing Service in the past financial year be noted;

(2)          That the planned maintenance programme for Council homes for 2023-34 detailed in appendices 1 to 3 of the report be noted;

(3)      That the Assistant Director of Housing & Communities, in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Housing, be authorised to: (a) procure; (b) award and (c) enter into all necessary contracts relating to the individual schemes for the 2023/24 work programme as detailed in Appendices 1 and 2 of the report subject to sufficient funding being available in the approved Budget to meet the cost of the relevant schemes.