Verbal update by Stephen Tate, Director of Growth Employment and Regeneration.
Minutes:
The Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement explained to the panel that his role was responsible for the responsive repairs service, the planned maintenance into the capital works and how the Council maintains its resident’s homes.
The Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement then provided and update of Regina road. In terms of integral repairs, the Interim Head of Tenancy & Resident Engagement had worked hard to open a tenancy office on Regina Road. This office was open between 10am and 2pm every day and there were two tenancy officers there who act as a point of contact for residents in that area. The Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement did acknowledge that the opening hours of the office may not be ideal for some residents and stated that his department would have to consider how to solve this issue.
The Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement went on to explain that there was an inspector on site two days a week, so if a resident had a particular issue that needed to be resolved they can come to the office without an appointment and an inspector would go out immediately to assess the problem.
The Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement also mentioned that Axis, the Councils contractor, would also be present on site from the following week and that there would be a Resident Liaison Officer on site in order to discuss any issues with the service with the residents.
In regards to the back office the Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement acknowledged that the Council needed to be able to identify problems before they get escalate and outlined how the Council would be more proactive with their repairs service.
The Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement explained that in order to gain a better understanding of their housing stock and determine the work required to improve their properties, the Council has conducted a number of surveys across various sites. The information gathered from these surveys would then be collected and be fed into future capital works programmes.
The Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement stated that the Council were already aware of a number of issues within their properties which was being collated into a programme. These repairs would not be immediate as they would require planning before work to resolve these issues can be carried out. However, the Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement acknowledged that residents cannot be left in poor conditions which is why reactive maintenance was being conducted ahead of the major works which were required.
In response to question from a resident, the Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement stated that part of the reason for doing the additional surveys across the 26 tall buildings across the borough was to get a clearer understanding of the issues within the Councils housing estates, this would then enable him to provide residents with accurate information about what the capital programme would consist of in the coming years.
The Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement went on to explain that while the focus was on Regina road as the conditions in those blocks were very bad, he was aware that there were other properties that may need immediate attention.
In response to question from a resident, the Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement agreed that the Council needed to do tighter contract management on Axis (Contractor) and he would be willing to consult with members of the Tenant & Leaseholder Panel about how this could be achieved.
In response to a question from a resident, the Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement informed the panel that there were 80 outstanding repairs at Regina road, he also welcomed members of the panel to notify him about the repairs stats they would be like him to provide which he would deliver on a quarterly basis.
In response to a resident, the Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement stated that brick by brick should have carried out the repairs on the resident’s neighbourhood where there are a number of health and safety issues. The Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement assured the resident that he would look into this issue and update him on the situation.
In response to a resident the Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement acknowledged that the scheduling of work that is carried out by Axis was not always ideal for residents and informed the panel that he was planning to see whether it was possible to co-locate Council staff with Axis call centre staff to improve communication.
The Interim Director of Commercial Investment informed the panel that he was the lead responsible officer for Brick by Brick and he stated that if there were any issues then residents should go through the help desk. Residents could then escalate their issues to the Interim Director of Commercial Investment or the Director of Housing, Estates & Improvement and they would get them a response.
RESOLVED: That the Panel agreed to note the verbal update.