Minutes:
The Chairman welcomed those present to the meeting and gave particular welcome to two newly co-opted tenant/leaseholder representatives, Pat Gore and Cat Summers. She then invited those around the table to introduce themselves.
The Housing Needs and Strategy Manager drew the Board’s attention to a mailing error that took place in December 2019. He apologised for the error and reassured the Board that it had been taken very seriously. He explained how the error had occurred, and that despite checks being made, they failed and the error was not picked up. Once the error was identified immediate investigations began and it was identified that the records affected were wrongly transferred when the computer system changed in 2015. This error had since been checked against recent records and the Housing Needs and Strategy Manager confirmed that the processes in the new system could not allow this to happen again and that he was confident that the matter was now resolved. All large-scale letter communications would be appropriately checked and signed off by senior management, prior to the letters being sent.
All affected tenants had received a written apology and extra staff were immediately available to talk to tenants over the phone. An article would also be placed in the next Housing Matters magazine to extend apologies.
Tenants and members present thanked the Housing Needs and Strategy Manager for his apology and were satisfied with the measures and systems now in place.
The Acting Housing Service Lead reported that on Monday 14 January she was alerted by the Council’s communications team to the local media running a story in relation to one of EDDC’s properties; a two-bedroom ground floor flat in Ottery St Mary. The tenants were a family with two children.
The pictures and the video footage highlighted that the property was suffering from damp problems, with the family having growing concerns at the living conditions and the health effects this could be having on their household. The Council’s immediate response was to resolve the problems urgently. Officers would be looking closely to understand how these issues had been managed and if there were any learning points.
In order to resolve the problems urgently the household had been moved into temporary accommodation and contractors instructed accordingly. The Senior Technical Officer for responsive repairs was overseeing the case and keeping the family informed of progress. It was envisaged that the family would be back home within a few days and investigations so far had not found any fundamental issues that could not be resolved.
The Acting Housing Service Lead confirmed that officers were aware of the issues in the property prior to the press interest. It appeared that the Council’s contractors had made attempts to get into the property but contact had failed on a number of occasions. She was undertaking an internal investigation to understand exactly how the situation had occurred and assured the Board that if the Council had not undertaken its duties as expected, in line with processes and procedures, officers would be held accountable.
It was noted that a team of maintenance surveyors dealt with issues surrounding damp and mould in Council properties. Commonly these were often caused through lifestyle issues such as not heating or ventilating the property correctly. Surveyors spent a large amount of their time giving advice and helping tenants. Various articles were run through both social media and the tenant’s magazine to highlight the issues. This negative publicity was disappointing and damaging and once the property was rectified the press would be invited back to the property to demonstrate the immediate actions the Council had taken and the support offered to the family.