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Decision Maker: Executive Councillor for Housing
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
To note current performance across the Councils housing provision against 24/25 targets with updates on key activity.
Matter for Decision
The report
provided:
· An update Housing Scrutiny Committee
on the progress towards meeting performance against indicator targets that
support the delivery of the Council’s vision: ‘‘One Cambridge, Fair for All’
(Appendix A).
· Briefed Members on the regular
programme of statutory and regulatory returns currently being submitted by the
Housing Service (Appendix B)
· An update on damp, condensation and
mould recorded in HRA stock (Appendix C)
· An update on the rent review project
(Appendix D)
Decision
of Executive Councillor for Housing
ii.
Noted the recent reports of damp, condensation
and mould received by the service, and the measures being put in place to help
combat DCM in tenant’s homes.
iii.
Noted the update on the rent regulation project
iv.
Considered any further measures of performance
that would be beneficial to be included in these reports, going forward.
Reason for the Decision
As set out in the Officer’s report.
Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected
Not applicable.
Scrutiny Considerations
The Committee received a report from the Communities Director.
The Communities Director, Assistant Director of Housing and
Homelessness and Strategic Delivery Manager said the following in response to
Members’ questions:
i.
Advised that Housing Officers were allocated
particular parts of the city as their ‘patch’ and tenancy audits were
undertaken on properties within their patch. Each Housing Officer was
responsible for approximately 1200-1300 properties.
ii.
Acknowledged that it was important for tenants
to update the Council regarding any change in their circumstances which could
impact their needs. Customer Service Advisors always checked contact details
when Tenants called the Council. The Council was going to undertake a ‘Tenant
Census’ and would undertake a procurement exercise to appointment a company to
carry out this work.
iii.
Officers noted Tenant Representative’s concerns
regarding the Council’s new Governance proposals and noted that a decision
hadn’t been made on the proposals yet. Officers believed that transparency
would be enhanced by the proposals as there would be a dedicated focus on
housing under the proposals and more timely reporting to Members.
iv.
Advised that the number in brackets contained
within agenda item 10 page 50 of the agenda referred to the number of damp,
condensation and mould (DCM) reports and not the number of dwellings due for
retrofitting at Ekin Road.
v.
The Council was 100% compliant in undertaking
fire risk assessments in accordance with the Housing Regulator’s standards.
Officers would look at how information could be reported to the Committee
regarding fire risk actions (for e.g. what items had had to be removed from
certain areas).
vi.
Would provide outside of the meeting the
percentage figure for the number of people who were awaiting a refund under the
Rent Regulation project who were on Universal Credit. Officers were currently
testing systems to ensure that payments could be made to tenants who were on
other benefits such as Housing Benefits. A recruitment exercise was being
undertaken to recruit officers to undertake the Rent Regulation work; a Project
Manager was now in post. An online form was also being created to assist tenants
to contact the Council about the Rent Regulation project. Officers were mindful
that not all tenants wanted to use online forms and tenants were still able to
contact the Customer Services Centre for assistance. This work would need to be
done in stages to manage the workload and the plan was to contact current
tenants first. Further communication with tenants would follow in due course.
viii.
Officers would also pick up the point previously
raised at the September meeting regarding DCM figures and their accuracy.
ix.
Noted concerns raised that residents didn’t
understand the DCM process. Advised that the Council’s website had recently
been updated to provide timescales for each individual process for DCM for
tenants. A video providing guidance on DCM was also due to be published on the
council’s website.
x.
Tenancy Audits covered a range of issues
including checking that properties weren’t being sub-let, picking up on
additional support needs of tenants and also picking up on repairs which hadn’t
been reported.
xi.
Encouraged tenants to report instances of bikes blocking
doorways so that Enforcement Officers could investigate. Concerns could be
reported by emailing HousingOfficers@cambridge.gov.uk
or by calling the Customer Service Centre and asking to be put through to a
Housing Officer.
xiii.
In response to Councillor Thittala’s comments
regarding his personal experience regarding an emergency repair and bathroom
repair; Officers apologised for the level of service received from the Council
and advised that there was an emergency repairs process in place which appeared
to have failed. Advised that as part of the complaint process compensation
could be payable to recognise the inconvenience experienced due to service
failure. The Council would not always get the process right and that was why
this report was important. Would investigate the matter after the meeting.
xiv.
Noted Member concern regarding target setting
below the lower benchmark quartile (referred to Appendix A on page 42 of the
agenda and the graph titled ‘Satisfaction with most recent repair).
Acknowledged the target could be higher; there was a balance to be struck
between setting a target and it being achievable, it was likely that the target
would be set higher in the coming year.
xv.
Agreed to investigate whether the data included
within Appendix C DCM report, Table 3, Category ‘Other’ could be broken down
further.
The Committee unanimously resolved to endorse the
recommendations.
The
Executive Councillor for Housing approved the recommendations.
Conflicts
of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any Dispensations
Granted)
No
conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor.
Publication date: 13/03/2025
Date of decision: 04/02/2025