Agenda item

Councillor Andrew Smith (Cabinet Member for Housing Services) to update the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in his portfolio.

Report to follow.

5.1      Councillor Andrew Smith (Cabinet Member for Housing Services) introduced the report and advised that there had been improvements in performance in respect of the Contact Centre. Changes had also been made in respect of billing for leaseholders, following suggestions by the Committee and this was due to take effect from 1 April 2020. A new adviser had also been appointed in the Homeless Prevention Team.

5.2      The Committee commented that some leaseholders were still confused about service charges for major works and protection works and sought details as to what steps were being taken to explain to leaseholders what was being asked of them. It was remarked that residents preferred evening surgeries to discuss this. The importance of explaining the financial terms of payment of these works was emphasised and it was asked whether different financial terms depending on the type of leaseholder were offered. Members welcomed the achievements of the Housing Solutions Service, however it was commented that there were capacity issues and it was queried if any additional resources could be made available. An explanation was also sought as to why there had been a drop in the number of full homelessness duty acceptances.

5.3      Members welcomed the progress made in implementing traffic management orders (TMOs) on housing estates and they asked when this was likely to be completed. An update on fire safety works was also sought and it was asked whether the Council was satisfied that there were no buildings that had flammable cladding.

5.3      In reply to issues raised by the Committee, Councillor Smith advised that improvements were being made in respect of Section 20 explanations to leaseholders concerning major works and protection works, however more effort could to made to ensure the information was clearer in future and resident surgeries on this matter were also available. There were also a range of payment options available for leaseholders. Councillor Smith acknowledged that the Housing Solutions Services were dealing with a number of cases and discussions needed to take place with regard to resource pressures. There was a substantial focus on fire safety and Councillor Smith felt reassured that there were no flammable cladding or materials on Council homes. In respect of implementation of TMOs, Councillor Smith stated that further details could be made available. In some of the remaining areas where the TMOs were yet to be implemented, some residents had stated that they were preserving parking spaces by using bollards, however in such cases they had been advised that this was not legally enforceable without a TMO being in place.

5.4      Jon Lock (Acting Head of Housing Operations) added that 60 sites had gone through the process of TMO implementation to date and there had been a re-consultation in some areas. He confirmed that enforcement was taking place where TMOs had been implemented.

5.5      Neil Wightman (Director of Housing) stated that evening surgeries for   leaseholders in respect of major works and protection works could be offered. There had also been consultation with leaseholders on this matter and a YouTube feature explaining how it worked and the options available was shortly to be released. Neil Wightman stated that there had not been significant negative feedback from residents on this issue. Steps were being taken to improve the Housing Solutions Service and there were some temporary additional resources available. With regards to the drop in full homelessness duty acceptances, Neil Wightman stated that no particular reason for this had been identified, however this could be looked at in more detail and it was possible that the drop may be partly attributable to the effectiveness of frontline homelessness prevention services. Neil Wightman also stated that checks could be undertaken to ensure there was no flammable cladding on new developments.

5.6      ACTIONS:

1.     Investigate as to why there had been a drop in full homelessness duty acceptances (Action for: Neil Wightman, Director of Housing).

2.     Provide information on what has been done to ensure that new developments do not have flammable cladding and are complying with fire safety regulations (Action for: James Green, Director of Development).

3.     Update in early 2020 to be provided on the rollout of TMOs and enforcement where this has been undertaken (Action for: Jon Lock, Acting Head of Housing Operations and Kevin Goad, Director of City Highways).