Agenda item

This report provides the internal evaluation of Homes and Neighbourhoods’ performance against the Regulator of Social Housing’s Consumer Standards.

Contact: Phil Jones, Service Director for Homes and Neighbourhoods.

Councillor Moses Crook introduced the agenda item informing the Panel that the report provides an update on compliance with the Regulator of Social Housing’s Consumer Standards. In summary the Panel was informed that the report forms part of the Council’s internal assessment and validation processes in preparation for any future inspection by the Regulator. All registered providers, including the Council as a landlord, are subject to such inspections.

The Panel was advised that, similar to other public sector inspection frameworks, the Council has no control over when an inspection takes place. As a result, it is important to maintain continuous assurance activity to ensure ongoing readiness and compliance with the Consumer Standards. The Council’s priority remains the delivery of high?quality services for tenants, with compliance and, where possible, exceeding the required standards being fundamental to this objective.

External validation of the Council’s internal assessment has been commissioned from the David Tolson Partnership to provide additional assurance that the assessments are rigorous and that any areas requiring improvement are clearly identified.

The Panel was informed that the Homes and Neighbourhoods Service has undergone significant transformation over the past two years, effectively addressing service deficits in areas such as damp, mould and condensation, fire safety, and water testing. The service has also taken steps to become more tenant?focused, ensuring that the tenant voice is embedded throughout service design and delivery.

A key element of the service’s improvement work is the ongoing stock condition survey, which will provide up?to?date information on the condition of all Council homes and support the achievement and maintenance of high standards. This area of compliance, particularly in relation to the safety and quality standard, remains a continued focus for further improvement.

The Panel was advised that the service has taken action to address areas where standards had not been met. Successful social landlords continually seek opportunities to improve and to enhance the services provided to tenants. The Homes and Neighbourhoods Service exists solely to serve tenants, and the internal assessment will support further refinement of service delivery in line with this overarching purpose.

Cllr Crook informed the Panel that both his aspiration and that of the service is to achieve the highest C1 rating and to be among the top 11% of council housing providers. The report sets out an assessment of the service’s current position against each of the Consumer Standards.

Phil Jones, Service Director for Homes and Neighbourhoods, informed the Panel that the assessment is measured against four areas of the Consumer Standards. Three of these areas are currently assessed as C2, which is positive, and one is assessed as C3. He highlighted that, while overall performance is strong across all standards, some ongoing issues within the Safety and Quality Standard may result in an overall C3 rating.

In response to the information presented, the Panel asked a number of questions and made comments including some of the following:

-       Referring to section 2.3.1 of the submitted report where it states that three of the four consumer standards are C2, however gaps remain in safety and quality.  What are the challenges and what is hindering progress on this?

-       Regarding the appendix on page 23 of the submitted report, the report is in black and white but there is information in red, amber and green actions which is not possible to see progress on those.  In addition, there is information showing circles and squares and it is not possible to determine what the circles and squares mean.  Would it be possible for coloured copies of this information be circulated to the Panel?

-       Regarding safety and quality information, it was mentioned that it would take a while for the survey to complete.  Is that likely to be completed in time for a C2 level at the next inspection, and also what are the main challenges to conducting that stock condition survey?

-       Despite the intention to avoid situations where tenants need to be decanted from their homes, have there been instances where this has been necessary and if so, what are the main challenges including the typical duration of such decant periods, and the proportion of properties affected?

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet Member and officers be thanked for providing an update on the Internal Assessment of Compliance with the Regulator of Social Housing Consumer Standards.