Agenda and draft minutes

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2023 as an accurate record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2023 were agreed as an accurate record, considering the clarifications proposed by the Chair. 

Members are invited to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and other registrable and non-registrable interests they may have in relation to any item(s) of business on today’s agenda.

There were no disclosures of interest made at the meeting.

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

There was no urgent business for the consideration of the Homes Sub-Committee at this meeting.

For the reasons set out in the report, the Scrutiny Homes Sub-Committee is recommended: 

1.     to note the Housing Revenue Account P7 outturn position  

2.     to note the Housing Revenue Account Budget 2024-25 

3.     to note the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan key headlines 

4.     to note the Housing General Fund P7 outturn position 

5.     to note the Housing General Fund Budget 2024-25

The Homes Sub-Committee is also asked to review the information provided on the identified budget proposals and reach a conclusion on the following:

1.     Are the savings deliverable, sustainable and not an unacceptable risk?

2.     Is the impact on service users and the wider community understood?

3.     Have all reasonable alternative options been explored and do no better options exist?

The Sub-Committed considered a report set out on pages 17 to 33 of the agenda, which provided the Housing Revenue Account and Housing General Fund budgets for the years 2024-25.

The item was introduced by Cllr Lynne Hale, the Cabinet Member for Housing, and the officers. It was highlighted that the Cabinet would be requested to approve a 7.7% increase to social tenant rent and tenant service charges. Reassurance was given that the proposed increase had been discussed at the Tenant and Leaseholder Panel, and while its members understood the rationale behind the request, they had stressed that they would like to see the improvements as soon as possible.

·       Councillor Lynne Hale – Cabinet Member for Housing

·       Susmita Sen – Corporate Director of Housing

·       Sue Hanlon – Director of Assets

·       Orlagh Guarnori – Finance Manager

·       Sarah Attwood – Finance Manager

During the introduction, it was noted that: -

·       It was highlighted that the forecasted overspend in the 2023-24 budget had been well managed and was necessary to address the repair backlog.

·       The 2024-25 budget would be informed by the four priorities identified in the survey responses from November 2023.

·       It was highlighted that the budget would be reviewed in July when there would be more information arising from the stock condition survey.

·       The stock condition survey findings would also be used to inform Croydon’s Asset Management Strategy that was due to go to Cabinet this summer.

Following the introduction the Sub-Committee proceeded to question the information provided in the report, initially focusing on the Period 7 update. the first question asked for further information on the number of voids existing in Croydon and the number of completions. The officer explained that the Council expected to complete 700 voids during this financial year, and by the end of December, had completed 641. It was also added that the high number of voids was caused by the considerable backlog.

The following question asked about the £3.4m overspending on disrepair, legal and settlement costs, and how the Council planned to mitigate these costs in the future. It was explained that this was an overspend against the budgeted figure. It was stressed that the focus going forward would be on prevention, including ensuring repairs were completed correctly which was closely connected with the cultural change workstreams. Regarding compensation and disrepair costs, it was explained that the data was being validated, but there were around 5550 disrepair cases, which had been taken account of in the budget setting process.

In response to a question about the timeframe for clearing the backlog of legacy repairs and voids, it was advised that the Council was committed to completing the legacy repairs and voids within 18 months.

The Sub-Committee asked a question about the savings included in last year’s budget across the directorate, particularly what the savings targets were and what savings were achieved. It was explained by the officers that the HRA had not had savings targets for the last couple of years, due to the rent  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31/24

The Homes Sub-Committee is asked to receive a presentation providing an update on the Responsive Repairs Contracts.

The Sub-Committed considered a report set out on pages 35 to 51 of the agenda, which provided an update on repairs performance and procurement process, damp and mould overview and asset management update.

·       Councillor Lynne Hale – Cabinet Member for Housing

·       Susmita Sen – Corporate Director of Housing

·       Orlagh Guarnori – Finance Manager

·       Sarah Attwood – Finance Manager

·       Beatrice Cingtho-Taylor – Director of Housing, Homelessness Prevention & Accommodation

·       Mark Billings – Housing Solutions Transformation Lead

The item was introduced by Cllr Lynne Hale, the Cabinet Member for Housing and the officers. During the introduction the following was noted: -

·       Since August 2023, when the three new repair contracts went live, there had been a significant increase in the call volume – around 2000 calls per month, and in the additional repair orders – around 1500 per month.

·       Although the procurement was based on the data shared by the previous contractor, there had been a notion that there might have been some repairs suppression.

·       There had been issues in the contact centre, mainly in relation to a high level of sickness absence among the temporary staff.

·       Although the service was not work as well as it would be desired, due to the significant increase in the number of calls and the contractor’s capacity to deliver the higher than anticipated level of service, it was assured that the Council was aware of this and had plans to mitigate the impact. These included a refresh of the contact centre and a new training programme for staff.

Following the introduction, the Sub-Committee asked questions on the information provided. The first question asked for an explanation of the poor performance of the call centre in November 2023. Officers advised that the lower performance was caused predominantly by sicknesses amongst the temporary staff. It was also added that a similar situation occurred on the 2nd of January when a considerable number of staff were unwell. This had an impact on the overall performance for January. It was highlighted that over the next six to eight weeks, considerable changes would be implemented, which were expected to result in shorter wait times, with five minutes targeted by the end of March and four minutes by the end of May.

It was questioned whether, once the recruitment was completed, the staffing levels for the contact centre would be right or whether performance issues caused by staff shortages would be a reoccurring issue. It was explained by the officer that staffing levels had been informed by intelligence gathered over the last six months, so the level of provision should be correct. However, it was stressed that they would target part-time staff to support the team during peak periods. In addition to that, it was mentioned that in most contact centres, there would be a relatively high staff turnover – around 20% to 25% a year. Therefore, it was crucial to account for such a level of turnover in the plans.

The next question asked by the Sub-Committee mentioned the heating repair  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32/24

The Homes Sub-Committee is presented with the most recent Cabinet responses to its past recommendations.

The Sub-Committee noted the report.

To consider any additions, amendments or changes to the agreed work programme for the Sub-Committee in 2023/24.

The Sub-Committee noted the report.