Agenda and minutes

To sign as a correct record the minutes of the following meetings:

AGREED:

a)    That both the public minutes (at agenda item 2a) and the restricted minute (at agenda item 19) of the Performance Monitoring Panel meeting held on 11 December 2024, be signed by the Chairman as a correct record; and

b)    That the minutes of the Joint Performance Monitoring Panel and Policy Development Panel meeting held on 21 January 2025 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

An update on actions that arose at the 11 December 2024 Performance Monitoring Panel meeting and the tracking of outstanding actions (enclosed).

AGREED:

That the responses to actions be noted.

Where a Councillor has a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest the Councillor must declare the interest to the meeting and leave the room without participating in any discussion or making a statement on the item, except where a councillor is permitted to remain as a result of a grant of dispensation.

There were none

There were none

There were none.

There were none.

Consideration was given to the Key Decision Plan dated 4 March 2025.

In respect of the decision ‘Destination Lincolnshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership Destination Management Plan and SELCP Destination Management Plan’:

Members stated that the commencement of the Performance Monitoring Panel Visitor Economy/Tourism Task group, formed at the 22 May 2024 meeting, had been postponed pending the wider committee’s satisfaction with the contents of the ‘Destination Lincolnshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership Destination Management Plan and SELCP Destination Management Plan’ report, prior to the decision being made at a meeting of the Cabinet on 10 June 2025. Although the item was to be scrutinised by the Policy Development Panel, the Leader of the Council had agreed with the request that the report also be presented to the Performance Monitoring Panel for scrutiny prior to the decision being made. The request was also noted by the Chairman of the Policy Development Panel who was present at the current meeting in his capacity as committee member of the Performance Monitoring Panel.

AGREED:

That the Key Decision Plan be noted.

To provide an update on how the Council is performing for the period 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2024 (report of the Assistant Director – Corporate enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Corporate which provided an update on how the Council had performed for the period 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2024.

The Assistant Director – Strategic Growth and Development presented the report to members on behalf of the Business Intelligence and Change Manager who had given his apologies, and the following points were highlighted:

• Performance had improved since the Q2 position with 81% of performance metrics in a positive position for Q3;
• Performance under pressure included:
  • Homelessness prevention;
  • Recycling contamination and composting;
  • Corporate complaints;
  • Business rates collection;
  • Housing benefits speed of processing; and
  • Average answer rates for Revenues and Benefits.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Members were concerned by the negative performance trend relating to the homelessness prevention duty. Were sufficient resources in place to ensure that improvements were possible.
  • The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing, who was in attendance at the meeting for items 11, 12 and 13, responded that:
    • 50% of prevention cases were domestic abuse cases where the council had little or no notice period to act prior to the prevention duty being required;
    • A recent service review had concluded that the council’s ambitious target for prevention had resulted in a distorted impression of achievements and progress made and that the council had performed well when benchmarked against average regional and national performances;
    • The service review report was also extremely supportive of the work undertaken by the homelessness team and the current Homelessness Reduction and Housing Solution Manager had made significant improvements and progress within the service area;
    • The Portfolio Holder had recognised the need for extra resource. A service review, which had resulted in the creation of a Life Skills Officer post to assist individuals to improve their position, had recently been agreed at Full Council; and
    • Prevention work would also involve working with the private sector.
  • Members welcomed the response which had provided a greater context for the ‘underperformance’ (red) status of the Prevention Duty performance indicator. Members suggested that such explanations be provided within future reports to provide a greater understanding of the performance information to satisfy the panel. The Portfolio Holder agreed that more information was required for future reports.

• Members were concerned by the underperformance of the percentage of household waste collected for recycling and composting and agreed that a recommendation go forward from the committee that improved publicity be provided to educate the public of the issue including the financial implications to the council of contaminated recyclable waste.

• Members requested an explanation of the performance regarding the following:
  • ‘Percentage of Corporate Complaints responded to within corporately set timescales’: what are the challenges and what is being done to resolve the challenges;
  • ‘Housing Benefit Changes speed of processing (Year to Date)’: with clarification within future reports of the unit being reported (days?);
  • ‘Revenue and Benefits answer rate’: members requested assurance of how the underperformance was being addressed.; and
  • ‘Number of Business registered via Grants4Growth’ where  ...  view the full minutes text for item 67.

To receive the Task Group’s report and recommendations following scrutiny of the Partnership Enviro Crime Enforcement Contract (report of the Partnership Scrutiny Task Group enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Partnership Scrutiny Task Group which asked the Performance Monitoring Panel to receive the Task Group’s report and recommendations following scrutiny of the Partnership Enviro Crime Enforcement Contract.

The Chairman of the Partnership Task Group, Councillor E Mossop (East Lindsey District Council), and the Scrutiny and Policy Officer attended virtually to present the report. The item was also supported by attendance at the meeting from the Assistant Director – Regulatory and the SHDC Portfolio Holder for Public Protection.

Councillor Mossop introduced the report and highlighted the following main points:

• Members of the task group had been drawn from across the partnership area with the majority of appointed members attending every session;
• Appointed members were thanked for their input and major contributions had been received from SHDC Performance Monitoring Panel members Cllr Barnes and Cllr Woolf;
• The report of the Task and Finish was at Appendix A which outlined the following:
  • Participants: including Task Group membership, officers, the contractor (Kingdom) and other guest witnesses;
  • Background and context: notably that the partnership contract agreed in 2022 had grown from an existing Enviro Crime contract set up by Boston Borough Council and to this effect,  members acknowledged that Boston Borough Council had taken a lead and key role;
  • Key facts and information of the contract;
  • Research and evidence gathering;
  • Task Group review and analysis; and
  • Recommendations: including police support, community engagement, publicity, consistency of advice and working methods, level of Fixed Penalty Notices, improved use of covert CCTV and contract sustainability; and
• The agreed Project Scoping document was at Appendix B.

Cllr Mossop summarised the task group’s findings by stating that the contract had provided results however it was recognised that future improvements in performance could be achieved.

Task Group member Councillor Barnes stated that:

• The task group discussions had been in depth;
• Boston was leading the way with a dedicated officer to publicise the contract and an alignment of working practices would be beneficial to SHDC and ELDC;
• The Fixed Penalty Notices needed to align across districts; and
• The pairing up of contract workers limited the areas that could be patrolled and impacted negatively on rural areas. Nonetheless, Kingdom had confirmed that dual staffing was in place for safety reasons in South Holland as the police were not able to provide support should a problem be encountered.

Task Group member Councillor Andrew Woolf stated that:

• The aspect of whether councils were receiving ‘best value’ had been questioned;
• The high turnover of contract staff was identified and the challenges relating to the required tasks were acknowledged;
• Members had suggested that Kingdom provided job specific training for new employees rather than induction training being carried out by council staff;
• There was a requirement for the contract staff to be active and visible in the wider reaches of the district;
• The main findings were that:
  • Community education and engagement would lead to prevention;
  • That Boston had benefitted significantly from a dedicated individual. Could a resource be in place/shared  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68.

To note the initial findings of the housing stock condition surveys (report of the Assistant Director – Housing enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Housing which asked the Performance Monitoring Panel to note the initial findings of housing stock condition surveys.

The Housing Property and Repairs Manager, the Assistant Director – Housing and the Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing were in attendance for this item.

In addition, two representatives from the Regulator of Social Housing, Rachael Walsh and James Brookfield, observed the item via Teams.

The Housing Property and Repairs Manager introduced the report which included information relating to the following areas:

• Background, including that:
  • The Regulator of Social Housing had mandated, through approved Consumer Standards, that Registered Providers held an accurate evidenced-based understanding of the condition of their properties to ensure the provision of good quality, well maintained and safe homes for tenants; and
  • The services of a contractor had been procured to undertake comprehensive and detailed surveys of all residential council dwellings and associated assets within the HRA;
• That 2133 properties had been surveyed, from a total of 3927 issued to the contractor. Since the report had been published, a further 281 surveys had been completed;
• Initial stock survey findings and survey representation by area are set out in the report;
• Decent Homes, the Housing, Health and Safety rating system and energy efficiency are all areas of focus within the surveys;
• The report highlighted the following themes: damp, condensation and mould (DCM); a proactive approach to identify issues was being taken;
• Fire safety;
• Energy Performance;
• Utilisation of data to inform planning and prioritisation of works;
• A future programme for assessing the condition of homes would need to be  considered and agreed;
• Interim findings; and
• That a final report summarising the findings and next steps would be presented to the panel in due course.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Members noted the report summary which stated that the Regulator for Social Housing adopted a co-regulatory approach. In this respect Councillors were held responsible for ensuring that the Council, in its role as a registered provider of social housing, was delivering the outcomes of consumer standards. Members stated that such responsibilities were usually held corporately, and that the approach taken by the regulator clearly alerted Councillors to their responsibilities.   

• Members queried whether affordability was a factor regarding dealing with damp and mould.

o   The Housing Property and Repairs Manager responded that likely causes of damp and mould would be assessed. Any causation issues relating to the structure of the building would be addressed. In addition, the Cost Of Living team offered damp and mould prevention and remedial guidance to tenants.

• Members queried point 2 of the report regarding the procurement of MLCS3 to conduct stock condition surveys. Who were the company and on basis was the contract awarded?
  • The Housing Property and Repairs Manager responded that MLCS3 was an organisation which carried out stock condition surveys throughout the housing sector. With support from the procurement team, a full tender programme had been undertaken which had resulted in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.

To consider how the Housing Landlord Service is performing against key statutory compliance measures (report of the Assistant Director - Housing enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Housing which asked members to consider how the Housing Landlord Service was performing against key statutory compliance measures.

The Housing Property and Repairs Manager, the Assistant Director – Housing and the Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing were in attendance for this item.

In addition, two representatives from the Regulator of Social Housing, Rachael Walsh and James Brookfield, observed the item via Teams.

The Housing Property and Repairs Manager introduced the report which included details relating to the following points:

• Background to the report; the report solely focussed on the relevant statutory compliance relating to the Housing Landlord Service.
• Key compliance measures;
• Annual reporting on compliance performance;
• Compliance position as of 31 January 2025;
• Asbestos management (communal areas);
• Gas safety;
• Legionella safety (communal areas);
• Electrical safety; a further five properties had received electrical safety checks since the report had been published with no changes to the reported remedial actions;
• Fire safety (communal areas);
• Passenger lift safety checks (communal areas);
• Damp, condensation and mould (DCM);
• Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC);
• Servicing of off-gas heating systems;
• Quality assurance; and
• Keeping tenants informed.

Increased transparency and scrutiny of the Housing Landlord Service was underway, and as part of this, members would receive a Tenant Satisfaction report in May 2025 and compliance data, including remedial actions, on a six-monthly basis.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Members noted that gas safety checks were undertaken annually and queried why electrical safety checks were only undertaken on a five-yearly basis.
  • The Housing Property and Repairs Manager responded that council properties were subject to a five-year periodical electrical safety check. In addition, a landlord safety check was carried out when there was a change of tenancy.

• Members queried how long the legionella safety checks had been overdue.
  • The Housing Property and Repairs Manager responded that the legionella assessment had identified three actions in September 2024. These had related to issues regarding ‘access’, specifically lighting and boardwalk in attic spaces and heavy loft hatches. A remedial action was incorporated into, and therefore awaited, the undertaking of major capital works.

• Members queried the reason for the 26 overdue electrical safety checks.
  • The Housing Property and Repairs Manager responded that all overdue cases had resulted from access issues. The team worked closely with the tenant and estate management team to secure access to carry out required tasks, with an injunction being pursued as a last resort. All overdue cases were at a certain point within the process to obtain access.

• Members requested information regarding the Housing Compliance Clinic.
  • The Housing Property and Repairs Manager responded that, the Housing Compliance Clinic, which comprised relevant senior managers including the Assistant Director for Housing and the Portfolio Holder, met monthly to scrutinise the performance metrics which were included within the report.

• Members referred to point 11.4 of the report which stated that the management of DCM was ‘a complex challenge for the service’ and responded that the council  ...  view the full minutes text for item 70.

To consider how the Housing Landlord Service is performing on responsive repairs and planned maintenance (report of the Assistant Director – Housing enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Housing which asked members to consider how the Housing Landlord Service was performing on responsive repairs and planned maintenance.

The Housing Property and Repairs Manager, the Assistant Director – Housing and the Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing were in attendance for this item.

In addition, two representatives from the Regulator of Social Housing, Rachael Walsh and James Brookfield, observed the item via Teams.

The report was introduced by the Housing Property and Repairs Manager, and included the following main areas:

• Background and approach to covering the repairs service;
• Responsive repairs: including the number of repairs completed to end of January 2025 by the in-house team and external contractors, and performance against target timeframes;
• Voids: including performance against the targets for void days;
• Planned repairs and maintenance: performance of the capital program had been identified as an area of priority;
• Benchmarking performance;
• Tenant satisfaction;
• Continuous improvement and learning;
• Tenant oversight;
• The link between the stock condition survey and the compliance information and how these informed service improvement and business planning.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Members were encouraged by that 100 % of emergency repairs had been attended within target times but queried the target differential of 8 hours if reported within a working day to 4 hours if reported outside of office hours.
  • The Housing Property and Repairs Manager responded that the targets were a legacy issue from existing/previous policies however, alongside other targets, these would be reviewed as part of the transformational work.

• Members welcomed the improved voids performance and the results of the associated benchmarking exercise.

• Members queried when a void period commenced. Was this when the property was vacated or when the council was made aware that the property was to be vacated.
  • The Housing Property and Repairs Manager responded that the property became void when the keys were handed back however preparatory work commenced during the ‘notice to quit’ stage.

• Members referred to the table at point 2.7 and queried the lower performance of external contractors.
  • The Housing Property and Repairs Manager responded that external contractors dealt with the more major repairs, such as roofing repairs. As such, these repairs often involved complex processes, such as the installation of scaffold, completion of which was beyond the control of the contractor. Nonetheless, the performance monitoring processes of external contractors was to be reviewed.

• Members referred to the improvements planned for 2025/26, outlined at point 7.6 of the report, and queried the human resource cost implications that would be required to undertake the work. A number of vacancies existed in key areas.
  • The Assistant Director – Housing responded that:
    • Three additional posts (a Tenant Engagement and Influence Lead, an Anti-social Behaviour Lead and a Data and Insight Lead) had been accounted for and were due to commence at the start of the 2025/26 financial year:;
    • The extension of the Housing Transformation Programme had been supported which included dedicated posts (a Housing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.

To present the South Holland Centre budget (report of the Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture enclosed).

This item and associated agenda item 18 was deferred to the 20 May 2025 Performance Monitoring Panel meeting due to the absence of a representative from Finance (PSPS) to present the report to members at the current meeting.

There were none.

To set out the Work Programme of the Performance Monitoring Panel (report of the Assistant Director – Governance enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Governance which set out the Work Programme of the Performance Monitoring Panel.

AGREED:

That the Performance Monitoring Panel Work Programme be noted.