Agenda item

Report of the Director of Placemaking & Housing. To be presented by the Cabinet Member Housing and Planning, and Deputy Leader of the Council

This report is to provide an overview of the Housing service’s performance between 2023 and 2024.

The Cabinet Member Housing and Planning, and Deputy Leader of the Council introduced the report. It was explained that, as a Council landlord, the Council was obliged by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) to be accountable, accessible and transparent in the way we deliver services. The Housing Annual Report supported that obligation by providing residents and stakeholders with a review of what the Council had done to maintain good quality and safe homes; to support neighbourhoods and communities; and manage our tenancy services well. It also provided tenant satisfaction data, complaints figures and a breakdown of budget allocation and how the Council had spent the income received.

It was explained that the report for 2023-24 described ongoing priorities and next steps to continue the transformation process set out in the Housing Improvement Plan. It sets out the progress made in respect of:

·         compliance with fire and electrical safety standards

·         making more homes decent

·         delivering major works schemes

·         tackling repairs issues

·         improving tenancy management and continued support for tenants with the cost-of-living crisis and migration to Universal Credit

·         involving residents in shaping services through resident engagement framework.

It was explained that the report also reflected a positive shift in around half of our tenant satisfaction measures. The Cabinet Member noted that the Council was meeting regularly the Housing Regulator and Housing Ombudsman while rolling out the Improvement Plan and had positive feedback from them in 2024, confirming that the service is moving in the right direction. It was stressed that the service needed to keep up this momentum in the coming year, particularly around improving the repairs service, resolving and damp and mould issues and learning from complaints, where performance remains below average.

In response to comments and questions from Cllr Cawley-Harrison, the following information was shared:

• Officers explained that the Council was exceeding the 95% target of leasehold charges collection.
  
  
• Complaints handling, and whether there will be a change in approach to handle complaints. The Cabinet Member explained that there had been an Increased numbers of complaints which had increased the number of complaints which had not been resolved, however, it was stressed that the number of complaints that had been resolved had also increased. However, it was explained that, in order to increase satisfaction, the Council would need to increase capacity.
  
  
• Officers explained that the costs on supervision on management included supervision and tenancy management and supported living services, which were people management services received by tenants.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Noted and approved the Housing Annual Report 2023-24, so that it can be made available to tenants, leaseholders and other stakeholders on the council’s website.

Reasons for decision

The Council had committed to improve its housing services. It was essential that it was transparent about what it delivers: the landlord services it provided to tenants and leaseholders; the work it was doing to maintain and improve homes; the ways it supported the communities it manages; how it was spending the money it receives from rents and charges; and how it listens and learns from residents. 

Alternative options considered

Not applicable