Agenda item

To provide Cabinet with assurance on the performance of the Housing Landlord Service including compliance with the Housing Ombudsman Service Complaint Handling Code (report of the Assistant Director – Housing enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Housing which provided Cabinet with assurance on the performance of the Housing Landlord Service, including compliance with the Housing Ombudsman Service Complaint Handling Code.

The Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Operational Housing presented the report which fed back from Scrutiny on:

·       Statutory compliance

·       Damp, condensation and mould

·       Responsive repairs and planned maintenance; and

·       Complaints Performance and Service Improvement (including compliance with the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code). 

The Service had maintained high levels of statutory compliance with robust processes in place to address outstanding remedial actions.

The management of damp, condensation and mould remained a key priority with additional resources deployed to support delivery.

Responsive repairs and planned maintenance services had continued to perform well. Void turnaround times remained significantly better than national averages, and investment in the housing stock continued.

The increase in complaints received during the year reflected a positive cultural shift toward transparency and tenant engagement.

Section 3 of the report summarised scrutiny’s comments.  Performance Monitoring Panel specifically requested that Cabinet was:

1)    Informed about concerns regarding the volume of 'no access' cases for damp, condensation, and mould.  While the Panel had confidence in the approach to gaining access, they were still concerned about the volume of cases and potential long term impact to the properties if the damp was not addressed.

2)      Informed of the Panel's support for ensuring that the department was adequately resourced to effectively address issues related to damp, condensation, and mould, as well as fulfilling the Council’s repair obligations as a social landlord.

Consideration was given to the report and the following issues were raised:

·       In order to comply with legislation, the Team had undertaken a huge amount of work which was commendable.  Members asked that their thanks be passed on to the Team.

DECISION:

1)    That the Housing Landlord Service’s performance against key areas be noted, accepting the report as assurance of the Service’s performance in:

·       Delivering the outcomes of the Safety & Quality standard;

·       Meeting statutory Health & Safety responsibilities

2)    That feedback from Performance Monitoring Panel regarding the year-end performance reports scrutinised on 20 May 2025 (included as appendices to the report) be noted;

3)    That the Council’s Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report for 2024/25 (Appendix 4) be approved;

4)    That the response to the Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report for 2024/25 be approved as the official response from the ‘governing body’, in accordance with the requirements of the Housing Ombudsman Service Complaint Handling Code.

(Other options considered:

·       Do nothing – to not consider information presented regarding the performance of the Service.  This option was not recommended;

·       To not consider the Council’s annual complaints performance and service improvement report.  If the Council did not complete its annual submission, a complaint handling failure order may be issued.  If the Council failed to comply with this order, a referral may be made to the governing body or Regulator of Social Housing.  This option was not recommended;

Reasons for decision:

·       To monitor performance and to provide assurance and confidence to Members that the Housing Landlord Service continues to prioritise tenant safety and satisfaction;

·       It is a statutory requirement that the Council complies with the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code and the requirement to provide an annual submission, including an Annual Complaint Handling and Service Improvement Report and annual self-assessment).