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STAR Survey Update / Tenant & Leaseholder Survey & Focus Groups Results

Meeting: 08/03/2016 - Housing Scrutiny Committee (Item 16)

16 Tenant & Leaseholder Survey & Focus Groups Results pdf icon PDF 159 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

This item was chaired by Diana Minns (Vice Chair / Tenant Representative).

 

Matter for Decision

As housing services continue to adapt to changes, it will become increasingly important to have effective methods for gathering feedback and making sure that services are making best use of available resources.

 

Recent satisfaction surveys and follow-up focus groups had proved an effective method for gathering customer satisfaction data – the results of which (appendix A of the Officer’s reports) had been developed into an Action Plan (appendix B of the Officer’s report).

 

Decision of Executive Councillor for Housing

          i.        Agreed the Action Plan (appendix B of the Officer’s report)

         ii.        Agreed the suggested methodology for gathering ongoing customer feedback from tenants and leaseholders

 

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 Resident Involvement Facilitator regarding recent satisfaction surveys.

 

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

     i.        Welcomed the very thorough and professional report.

    ii.        Expressed concerns about the future need to prioritise actions as the funding shrinks. How would priorities be agreed?

   iii.        Suggested that support services could be under threat at a time when welfare reforms began to impact on tenants.

  iv.        Expressed concerns about communication problems experienced by leaseholders. Factual communications regarding repairs and contractors often contained error.

   v.        Leaseholders had expressed concerns about a lack of consultation prior to expensive repairs.

  vi.        The timing of communications was questioned and it was suggested that information was not shared in a timely fashion. It could be too early to be relevant or too late for proper consultation.

 

In response to Members’ questions the Director of Customer and Community Services stated that:

     i.        Initiatives were already in place to improving the tenants and leaseholders experience of the housing service and this would not necessarily increase costs. The action plan was achievable.

    ii.        A follow up report later in the year would look at future priorities once more information was available from central government.

 

In response to Members’ questions the Resident Involvement Facilitator acknowledged that response rates in some areas of the survey were low. He outlined the approach now taken to gathering information. On alternate years a survey was carried out and in the intervening year, more targeted work was undertaken. This might include in depth work with hard to reach groups or work targeting new tenants.

 

The Executive Councillor for Housing stated that in the past leaseholders had enjoyed services that had not been re-charged to them. The Council was duty bound to recover expenditure on leaseholder properties. Such matters were addressed on a case by case basis.

 

The Committee unanimously resolved to endorse the recommendations.

 

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendation.

 

Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any Dispensations Granted)

 

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor.