Agenda item

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 needed to ensure that sufficient financial and human resources were in place to enable the work to be undertaken and maintained.

• In respect of support for vulnerable persons, members queried the expected content and timeline for when the Equality, Diversion and Inclusion Strategy would be coming forward.
  • The Assistant Director Housing responded that the strategy was in draft form and was due to go forward to an upcoming Policy Development Panel meeting. The strategy was to take a broad approach to ensure that tenants had fair access to services. 

• Members referred to point 9 of the report in respect of the 87 actions required ‘within three months’, and queried when the three-month deadline would elapse.
  • The Housing Property and Repairs Manager responded that the action must be commenced with three months of the receipt of the fire risk assessment. Although the deadline relating to the specific query was not known at the meeting, all actions had been commenced within the specified time period.

AGREED:

a)    That the Housing Landlord Service’s performance against key statutory compliance measures be noted; and

b)    Performance Indicators were required so that the Performance Monitoring Panel could scrutinise performance against the compliance measures on an ongoing basis.

Cllr Slade left the meeting at the end of this item at 20:09