Agenda item

The Housing Review Board were presented with the key performance indicator (KPI)

dashboard and the compliance dashboard for quarter 4. The Interim Assistant Director (Regulatory Services) and the Responsive Repairs and Voids Service Manager introduced themselves and gave a presentation which summarised the performance and actions being taken to improve performance where targets were not being achieved. Performance targets were set annually, but during the 2023/24 year the framework began part way through the year so targets were not set for all the indicators. Figures were benchmarked against the previous financial years’ performance and HouseMark was used to benchmark performance and set targets for the KPIs against performance of other social housing landlords.

Discussion and clarification included the following points:

·        Members observed that a lot of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) appeared to evidence improvement, and voids were falling, but Year to Date figures in most cases replicate the Quarter 4 figures, and this is not correct.

·        The KPIs are non-financial and the Housing Review Board needs financial indicators with which to monitor and scrutinise the Housing Revenue Account and the capital performance within that.  Members asked that the Board receives financial key performance indicators at least quarterly, based on the latest quarter’s figures.

·        Members were keen that tenants have the opportunity to speak with someone from the Council in person, when staffing allows.   The Interim Assistant Director for Housing commented that the need to connect with tenants needs to be balanced with the tenants right to live peacefully in their home.  The Council takes an intelligence and risk-based approach to tenant visits, intervening where there is evidence which suggests a tenant is vulnerable or in need of support.  

·        Due to the high volume of responsive repairs carried out by the contractor Ian Williams and its subcontractors, it is not possible for the Council to post-inspect every job and an audit-based approach is used whereby the Council inspects a sample of jobs completed, with the audit used to inform the Councils approach going forward.

·        The contractor’s internal staff and their sub-contractors are subject to a rigorous process of safeguarding measures including DBS checks and regular safeguarding training.  Some members were concerned that sub-contractors use vans with no signage to indicate that they are working on behalf of Ian Williams or EDDC, and some vulnerable residents will therefore not answer the door to them.  Officers will explore with Ian Williams how best to address this issue.

·        Whilst the KPIs appear to evidence improvement, feedback from residents and staff is that the service is poor and Members sought to understand the apparent disconnect.  The Interim Director for Housing and Health commented that the number of complaints was small relative to repairs completed.  She added that there was a need to manage expectations, since customers’ expectations on what they would like to be completed and what they are entitled to have completed can differ.

·        The Housing service is working with the Council’s Communications team to introduce a transactional customer satisfaction service whereby the Council use email, SMS or telephone to survey every tenant that has a repair completed, with a view to gathering feedback.  It was suggested to seek feedback from some tenants via a letter in the post.

RESOLVED that the Housing Review Board will be presented with timely key performance information including financial and non-financial indicators on at least a quarterly basis.