Agenda item

Verbal Update from Alison Knight, Interim Executive Director of Housing

The Director of Housing, Resident Engagement & Allocations informed the Panel that there was an ongoing restructure of the senior leadership within the Council, from the Chief Executive to the Heads of Service. This was being consulted on and the Council was at the recruitment stage of the restructure. There had been a permanent appointment in the Chief Executive position and they were now looking to fill other positions in senior leadership within the Council. The Director of Housing, Resident Engagement & Allocations explained that in the current structure at the Council, there were Executive Directors in place but once the restructure had taken place they would be addressed as Corporate Directors.

The Director of Housing, Resident Engagement & Allocations then went on to explain that there was now a Housing Director to monitor the new structure and that the recruitment process for the Corporate Director of Housing position had begun and this would be a permanent appointment.

The Director of Housing, Resident Engagement & Allocations informed the Panel that there were currently two Directors of Housing and a new Director of Housing, Estates and Improvement had been appointed.

The new Director of Housing, Estates and Improvement would have three Heads of Service reporting to him: these would be the Head of Responsive Repairs, Planned Maintenance & Safety; the Head of Household Services, Planning & Delivery and the Head of Policy and Performance.

The Director of Housing, Resident Engagement & Allocations stated that there would be three Heads of Service reporting to her, these being: the Head of Allocations, Lettings, Income and Collection; the Head of Homelessness & Assessment; and the Head of Tenancy & Resident Engagement. The Council had recently made an appointment to the Head of Homelessness & Assessment post, and the position had gone to an individual who was previously a Head of Service in a different department within the Council. The recruitment process had begun for the Head of Allocations, Lettings, Income and Collection and the Head of Tenancy & Resident Engagement positions.

Across the Council, the recruitment process for all of the Director and Corporate Director positions were being supported by an external organisation. Once the Council had recruited to all of the Heads of Service positions, attention would then turn to the teams that were reporting into them and those departments would be redesigned to improve the service that was being delivered.

In response to a question from a resident the Director of Housing, Resident Engagement & Allocations informed the Panel that prior to the restructure the Council did not have a Housing department. The coverage of the Regina Road incident, the Housing Improvement Plan, the Ark Report and staff feedback led to the introduction of the Housing department in the new structure within the Council. This had brought all of the housing services back together under one directorate. 

In response to a Councillor[MC1] , the Director of Housing, Resident Engagement & Allocations stated that the ‘estate walkabouts’ had been ongoing for years but they had been reduced due to lockdown during the pandemic. The Cabinet Member for Homes and the Interim Head of Tenancy & Resident Engagement had continued to do ‘estate walkabouts’ alongside other officers. The service was to be redesigned once new appointments for the Heads of Service positions were made to give an improved service to residents and the restructure was being conducted with that in mind. The Director of Housing, Resident Engagement & Allocations informed the Panel that they were implementing Performance Indicators to assess performance and they would use the feedback from customer surveys to shape the service moving forward.

In response to a question from the Chair, the Director of Housing Resident Engagement & Allocations informed the Panel that the residents would be kept up to date on the redesign. There had been many challenges faced by the Council and the interim appointments were a short term solution which helped to stabilise the service before the Council looked to make permanent appointments. The Director of Housing Resident Engagement & Allocations explained that Croydon Council had a policy of training staff so that they have the skills to apply for more senior positions as they appear. The Council had initially looked fill the vacancies within the department by redeploying existing staff however they had begun to look externally as they were unable to recruit to all of the vacant posts at senior level internally.

In response to the Chair, the Director of Housing, Resident Engagement & Allocations informed the Panel that the Council did consult with residents in regards to the removal of the Neighbourhood Warden Service. However, the Director of Housing, Resident Engagement & Allocations did accept that the Council could have consulted further. In terms of the redesign of services the Director of Housing, Resident Engagement & Allocations assured the Panel that this did not mean that there would be a reduction in services provided but assessing how teams were delivering their services.

In response to a resident, the Director of Housing agreed to inform those in senior leadership that Members of the Panel expected to be consulted in all changes to services and expect their suggestions to be considered in a constructive way.

In response to a comment from a resident the Interim Head of Tenancy & Resident Engagement stated that she understands the concerns from residents in regards to the lack of consultation and recognised that it was necessary for the Council to engage with residents when making decisions. The Interim Head of Tenancy & Resident Engagement then went on to explain that the Council often has to assess how they can best spend their budget and unfortunately this can lead to cuts being made to services. The Interim Head of Tenancy & Resident Engagement acknowledged that the Council should have consulted with residents much more effectively in order to prepare them for the cuts that were made to the service and accepted that the council could improve their consultation moving forwards.

RESOLVED – That the Panel agreed to note the verbal update.