Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Cllr Robini, Cllr Crowe and Executive Head of Housing, Andrew Smith.

Cllr Laughton was in attendance to observe the discussions regarding Responsive Repairs and Voids as the O&S Resources Committee had expressed concerns about the KPIs.

To agree the notes of the meeting held on 20^th JULY 2023 attached here and published on the Council’s website.

Members agreed that the notes of the previous meeting, attached, were an

accurate and complete record.

The Chair addressed a few matters arising and provided the following updates:

- The Decant Policy and Re-let Review are on the work programme, scheduled to come to the Board in November.

- Drew Roberts, Fire Safety Officer, has agreed to consult with the Home

Ownership Team RE: leaseholders’ obligations to install smoke detectors.

He confirmed that any leaseholder letting out their property will be required to

install smoke detectors as part of their legal responsibilities as a Landlord.

Homeowners however, are not obligated to install them and the only

mechanism is if there is an applicable term in their Lease. This is a legal

issue and Drew will seek further clarity.

- The Chair noted that CDM refers to Construction and Design Management;

CDM Regulations 2015 set legal responsibility for all parties regarding

construction projects .

- The Chair clarified that bi-annual meant twice a year in the context of Senior

Living Reviews.

- Drew discussed the suggestions to allow Tenants Panel representatives to

join the Senior Living Reviews with David Brown (Senior Living Careline

Services Manager), however when each manager brought this up at the

Tenant meetings for respective sites, no one wished to take up the offer.

Managers will continue to offer this in future.

To receive any declarations of interests under the Waverley Members’ Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations received.

There were no questions received.

There were no questions received.

Matt Alexander (Housing Operations Manager) to deliver presentation with contract manager and contactor (Ian Williams).

The Chair urged attendees to keep their questions as general as possible. William

Jones, representing Ian Williams, the Council’s Responsive Repairs and Voids

Contractor, then presented an overview of the last five months of their business

operations.

William Jones noted the performance record since he entered the role in June. He

mentioned the average monthly volume of reactive orders (around 1,100 to 1,200)

and the significance of maintaining a two-and-a-half-week work-in-progress (WIP).

He displayed a graph indicating a decline in live orders from 1,200 in April to

approximately 650 by the end of August. He emphasised that this change marked a

positive impact from the steps and measures they had implemented, even though

they hadn't reached their ideal state. He also noted improvements in emergency

and urgent performance, aiming for 90% completion on routine jobs in the next

quarter.

William outlined the changes made, including restructuring the operational

management, dividing the workforce for efficiency, conducting performance

reviews, recruitment efforts, and optimizing the supply chain.

Graphs in his presentation showed performance metrics for emergency, urgent, and

routine tasks. The performance in April and May was not optimistic. However, since

June, performance began to improve, and by August, the emergency and urgent

tasks had reached their desired performance levels. They aimed to continue

improving routine performance to reach their target of 95%.

William elaborated on the changes made:

1. They reviewed their operational management structure to provide more clarity in

roles and responsibilities.

2. The workforce was split into fast response jobs for emergencies and larger works

that required pre-site planning and specific delivery schedules.

3. A performance review was conducted with direct labour, leading to the departure

of five employees who weren't meeting performance standards. Simultaneously,

seven new employees were recruited with specific skill sets, and resources were

brought in-house for areas like electrical work and flooring.

4. Recruitment efforts were ongoing with more robust recruitment criteria, as it was

essential to maintain a talented workforce.

5. The supply chain underwent changes to ensure alignment with their performance

goals. They transitioned out underperforming contractors and introduced new

contractors, even though this was an ongoing process.

6. Their goal was to decrease outsourcing to about 20%, focusing on specialist

tasks like drainage, large roofing jobs, and flooring.

William Jones continued his presentation, highlighting various changes made, such

as restructured management and the division of the workforce to address

emergencies and larger projects. The company also performed performance

reviews for direct labour, recruiting new talent, and optimizing the supply chain by

transitioning away from underperforming contractors. Their goal is to reduce

outsourcing to 20% of work, focusing on specialist tasks like drainage and large

roofing jobs.

There were several questions raised about the presentation;

1. Terry Daubney, Waverley Tenant’s Panel, highlighted his disappointment

with the service; most significantly that tenant satisfaction was continuing to

drop and that missed appointments, delays and failure to communicate by

Ian Williams set a poor standard for social housing in the Tenants’

perspective. He highlighted that Ian Williams  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

Presentation from the Customer Experience Group and Joseph Warriner (Housing Graduate Management Trainee) highlighting Complaints Review and recommendations from the CEG.

Rod Blackmore, on behalf of the Customer Experience Group, addressed the Board and delivered an overview of the Customer Experience Group's review of complaints data. The group had access to council complaints data to identify areas where improvements could be made in the council's services.

The CEG discovered that many upheld complaints lacked recorded "Lessons Learned," and this was mainly due to lack of awareness of this function. To address this issue, the group recommended that actionable "Lessons Learned" should be recorded on all upheld complaints. They suggested conducting an investigation into the process of adding these lessons. Additional training for staff handling complaints was also recommended. The group planned to review the results of these actions in six months.

Members praised the group's dedication and suggested that a 10-day response time to complaints might be too long. It was emphasized that tenants should be updated throughout the complaints process. Acknowledging compliments received was also highlighted as important.

Officers outlined the complaints handling process, highlighting the importance of immediate issue resolution for tenants. The process includes a 10-day formal response period for written explanations and "Lessons Learned." An automated system sends acknowledgments and updates to tenants throughout the process.

Following the newly enacted housing legislation, the Regulator for Social Housing is now consulting on a set of 4 proposed consumer standards and a Code of Practice.

Recommendation

That the Board considers the RSH proposals and comments on the: 

·       proposed Safety and Quality Standard

·       proposed Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard

·       proposed Neighbourhood and Community Standard

·       proposed Tenancy Standard, and

·       proposed Code of Practice

The Chair actioned that lengthy agenda papers are to be sent out earlier as

Members received their papers a few days prior to the meeting and were not

given adequate time to study them.

Annalisa Howson, Service Improvement Officer, addressed the Board and

reminded Members of the reading that was sent over summer RE: the RSH

Consultation and new Consumer Standards set by the Regulator.

Annalisa discussed the recently enacted Social Housing Regulation Bill, which

grants the regulator increased powers to hold social landlords more accountable. It

also focuses on ensuring good quality homes, tenant safety, and compliance with

various issues such as gas safety, damp, mould, asbestos, and more. Members

were informed that the Regulator was consulting on a set of new Consumer

standards. The purpose was to get feedback on these standards and to increase

awareness. There was also a call for suggestions from the regulator on improving

tenant involvement.

A few points were raised about the Safety and Quality Standard;

i. The Chair mentioned that accurate assessment databases must be

maintained within the Safety and Quality Standard.

ii. There was also a question about re-lets within this standard; which appeared

to have been dropped out. There was emphasis on getting repairs ‘right

first time’ with catagorized jobs. Although it was acknowledged that some

jobs will never be fixed right the first time, WBC asks for tenant feedback

to track this rather than looking at it from a catagorized perspective.

iii. There were questions around meeting the demands of tenants within the

decent homes standard. Annalisa noted that there will be a Decent

Homes Part 2 policy in the future which will give tenants a say over the

expected standard of decent homes.

iv. A point was raised about assessing tenants' homes for safety and health,

especially in cases of hoarding or living conditions that may require

assistance. Annalisa reassured Members that the stock condition surveys

were actively identifying and signposting individuals with safeguarding,

health and safety and hoarding concerns.

A few points were raised around the Transparency, Influence, and Accountability

Standard;

i. The idea of haring senior officers' roles and responsibilities and their salaries

transparently was mentioned and how this might be put in context

proportioned to the Landlord service and tenant’s rent, to be open and

transparent.

ii. Tenant involvement was highlighted and the Chair thanked Jeanette

Englefied for her years of service as Tenant’s Involvement Officer. He

noted some of her achievements. It was noted the Joesph Warriner had

successfully been recruited to role of Tenant Involvement Officer. The

Chair suggested that a representative of the Tenants Panel should have

involvement within the recruitment process of specific housing service

officers. Annalisa Howson noted that the service was looking into this

through the correct legal channels. This could be added to the

consultation feedback to ensure tenant views are taken into account

through the recruitment process.

iii. Questions were asked about ensuring tenant involvement within decisionmaking

processes. Terry Daubney highlighted the importance of learning

from other  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

The Q1 Corporate Performance Report, Annexe 1, provides an analysis of the Council’s performance for the first quarter of 2023/24.

The Housing Service performance information has been extracted for the LSAB. The full performance report can be found on the Council website.

The report to be presented to the Board for comment and recommendations to be made to the Executive or Joint Management Team.

Annalisa Howson addressed the Board and discussed the Q1 Corporate Performance Report (2023-24), acknowledging improvements in gas safety, stock condition surveys, carbon monoxide detectors, and security for senior living schemes. It was also noted earlier in the meeting, that the impact of changes within the Responsive Repairs and Voids service would be seen in the Q2 Performance Report. The Vice Chair, Terry Daubney, noted that he was pleased with the performance in gas safety checks, but noted the case of a tenant who issued a complaint as the inspector only spent several minutes performing the gas safety check and there was a concern about its validity.

There were no further comments on the Performance Report.

Board to consider the Asset Management System Procurement report and annexes.

Formal Decision to be taken by Cllr Paul Rivers, Co-Portfolio Holder for Housing (Services & Operations) in the meeting to follow.

The Board were happy to endorse the recommendations highlighted in the report.

Board to consider proposal to undertake major adaptations to a Council property, as set out in the report.

Formal Decision to be taken by Cllr Paul Rivers, the Co-Portfolio Holder for Housing (Services & Operations), in the meeting to follow.

The Board were happy to endorse the recommendations highlighted in the report.

Board to receive report and annexes for note and comment.

Formal Decision to be made by Paul Rivers, Co-Portfolio Holder for Housing (Services & Operations), in the meeting to follow.

The Board were happy to endorse the recommendations highlighted in the report.

Work programme to follow.

Annalisa Howson noted that the following items were expected at the next meeting:

-        A 6 month update from Smith and Byford ltd – gas safety checks and provisions for the winter.

-        Aids and Adaptations Service Review and action plan

-        Senior Living fire alarms procurement

-        Asset Review on St. James Court.

The next meeting of the LSAB will be held on 19^th OCTOBER 2023.

The next meeting will be held on the 19^th of October 2023.