Agenda item

The Service Lead – Housing presented the draft Service Plan for the Housing Service covering the period 2022-2023, for consideration by the Board.

The Service Plan was a working document produced annually by all EDDC services and set out the key achievements over the past year and the forthcoming issues to be faced by the service.  It linked closely with the Council Plan and the aim of the process was to produce a work plan for the coming year with a realistic view of the challenges and risks ahead.  Producing a Service Plan presented a good opportunity to look back and reflect and also the ability to forward plan.  Performance should be monitored constantly against the ‘live’ document.  The Service Plan was coordinated annually with budget planning.

This year the plan reflected continuing service interruptions due to the pandemic.  The plan also considered service challenges and pressures over the next three years, including climate change implications, tenant safety measures, the implications of the Social Housing White Paper, the new Building Safety Act and the ambitions to increase the supply of social housing.

A range of service improvements were identified through a number of SMART objectives (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time bound).  The plan linked closely with the Housing Strategy and was designed to complement a number of other housing plans and policies as part of how the Council managed its own housing stock and the services it delivered.  There was also a strong link with the Council’s Public Health Strategic Plan to ensure more people were helped to be and stay healthy, enhance self-care and community resilience and integrate and improve support for people in their own homes.  There was also a strong link to both the Poverty Strategy and the Council’s climate change aspirations.

Headlines from the Housing Service Plan were:

·           A focus on delivering our housing purpose(s).

·           A commitment to tackle homelessness.

·           Recognition of poverty as a significant factor in people’s lives.

·           Revision of the HRA Business plan with updated stock condition data.

·           Delivering the stock condition survey.

·           A focus on new development opportunities with the need to review the current acquisition programme.

·           The recruitment and implementation of the new social housing task force.

·           Emphasis on the importance of compliance and keeping tenants safe in their homes.

·           A focus on mental health and how we are addressing the challenges this is presenting us as a landlord.

·           Robustly managing the Integrated Asset Management Contract.

·           Continuing with the future proofing of Home Safeguard with a realistic view of risks ahead including the next phase of digital switchover, refresh of the marketing strategy and growth plans.

·           An emphasis on evidencing value for money with the need to scrutinise some areas to satisfy ourselves that we are achieving what matters most to the customer, in line with our systems thinking purpose.

·           Acting on the climate change agenda and building towards a carbon neutral council.

·           Delivering the next phase of the carbon reduction programme for the housing stock.

The Housing Service Lead outlined the over-arching priorities:

·        More affordable homes – A decent home for all.

·        Homelessness and rough sleeping.

·        Council homes fit for purpose and satisfied tenants.

A key objective was the stock condition survey.  Other key objectives which had been carried over from the 2021/22 housing service plan included dealing with recruitment challenges, establishing a compliance team, dealing with the risk of service failure (need the right people in the team for operational service delivery), dealing with the risk of increasing poverty and ensuring the asset management contract was delivering what it was set out to achieve.

Opportunities within the 2022-23 service plan included:

·        Housing Task Force – looking creatively at opportunities for new housing.

·        Data from stock condition survey would start to feed into the ability to update planned programmes/investment in the stock.

·        Emphasis on climate change.

·        Review of the Home Safeguard Service.

·        Meeting the demands of the recently launched Social Housing White Paper.

·        Mental Health Strategy – prioritising the wellbeing agenda.

Concern was expressed over the general lack of tenant participation and that satisfaction surveys and contractor feedback forms no longer seemed to be being used.   A plea was made not to disband the Designated Complaints Panel.  The Strategic Lead – Housing, Health and Environment responded that the housing service used the corporate complaints procedure and that this had been carefully considered.  The Designated Complaints Panel was used to compliment this as well as attempting to resolve complaints prior to referral to the Housing Ombudsmen.    A number of other issues were raised by a tenant representative and it was agreed that officers would look into these and that the written responses would be circulated to HRB members by the Housing Service Lead.

The draft Service Plan would be presented to the tenant groups over the next few months and cascade to housing staff through team meetings and service briefings.  The Board’s input into the Service Plan was welcomed and gave tenants an additional opportunity to comment, before it was finalised and reported to Cabinet.

Consideration was then given to the Housing Accountant’s report which presented the draft Housing Revenue Account (HRA) revenue and capital budgets for 2022/23.  Draft Service Plans had been prepared and aligned at the same time as preparing the draft budget.

The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) was underpinned and influenced by the HRA Business Plan.  The Housing Accountant explained that this plan needed to be refreshed, but this had been delayed by other work commitments.  The revised plan needed to:

• Take into consideration a full stock conditions survey findings to inform future programme and works to stock costs.
• Consider the implications of the integrated asset maintenance contract.
• Reflect additional work on asset management planning and compliance requirements.
• Consider the end of rent reductions.
• Consider the implication of Universal Credit.
• Reconsider the debt level and use of Right to Buy Receipts linked to future development ambitions, and
• Consider the implications of the climate change action plan.

It was noted that the budget was in effect a ‘stand still’ budget based on existing stock data, whilst the updated stock condition survey data was awaited.  The budget continued to invest into existing properties at a similar level, although it did set aside £880,000 for climate reduction investment.

The Housing Accountant highlighted:

·        Income – annual regulated rent increase assumed at being 4.1%, giving an increase of £0.778million.

·        Expenditure – supervision and management: increase in staffing costs and premises costs.

·        Financing – contribution to capital funding: £880,000 towards decarbonisation projects.

The HRA budget currently showed a healthy surplus of £0.208million.

In response to a question about the number of empty homes within the council housing stock, the Acting Housing Service Lead explained that there was a myriad of reasons why there were a number of vacant properties and outlined the main reasons with properties awaiting letting and undergoing work the main reason.  There were also a number of ‘hard to let’ properties and a few with structural issues where extensive works were required.  It was noted that a future garage review would be undertaken in an attempt to identify sites suitable for redevelopment.

RECOMMENDED:

1.     that the Housing Review Board recommends to Cabinet that the Housing Service Plan 2022-23 is approved.

2.     that the Housing Review Board recommends to Cabinet that the draft revenue and capital budgets for 2022/23 are approved.