Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1. Note the outcome of the review work undertaken to date.
   
   
2. Note the intention to complete a viability study on future models of delivery and report back to Cabinet in Spring 2027, for a decision post 2030.
    
3. Approves the extension of the Repairs and Maintenance contracts to 2030.
   
   
4. Delegate authority to the Assistant Director of Housing to undertake a 12-week public consultation on the outcomes of the feasibility study.

Consideration was given to the report which provided an update on the continued work to scope the future delivery model for Repairs and Maintenance Services in Rotherham. The Council’s Housing Repairs and Maintenance Service, contracted out since 2010, continued to deliver strong performance and value for money. The current contracts with Mears and Equans had been extended to March 2027, allowing time to assess future delivery options while keeping tenant needs central to decision-making.

This report outlined the work undertaken in 2025 to evaluate long-term delivery models, including an options appraisal and performance review. The findings supported maintaining current arrangements while exploring future possibilities, ensuring continuity and alignment with strategic goals. The intention, therefore, was to extend the contracts to 2030 as permitted within the existing contractual agreements. A further Cabinet report on options for arrangements post-2030 would come be submitted in the spring of 2027, allowing 3 years to implement Cabinet’s preferred option.

In early 2025, Housing Property Services commissioned Lumensol, a multi-disciplinary consultancy specialising in social housing repairs and maintenance, to complete an Options Appraisal on the current repairs, maintenance and investment delivery model to assess its ability to meet service users’ and the Council’s needs in both the medium (2027-2030) and long term (2030+). It concluded that the current partnerships with Equans and Mears worked well in all available cost and quality metrics, performed more positively than most contracts and services in the current market that they had assessed, and should be extended to full term. The Options Appraisal also recommended several improvements to support investment planning, service delivery, value for money and assurance. These included considering the future of the capital investment programme and its delivery, the delivery of the Caretaking Service and modernising the Repairs and Maintenance Service through improved performance, assurance and governance mechanisms. It also explored options for the longer-term delivery of the Repairs and Maintenance Service. These would continue to be investigated in more detail, with updates provided as more information became available.

Awaab’s Law was implemented in October 2025 which placed new legal duties for social landlords to respond swiftly and effectively to health hazards in tenants’ homes particularly damp and mould, with further hazards being introduced in 2026 and 2027. The implementation of any new delivery model in the medium term could impact the Council’s performance and preparation for the legislative changes set out in the report. Therefore, it was imperative that the next steps were considered carefully and with wider reforms of the Housing Service in mind.

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

1. Note the outcome of the review work undertaken to date.

2. Note the intention to complete a viability study on future models of delivery and report back to Cabinet in Spring 2027, for a decision post-2030.

3. Approve the extension of the Repairs and Maintenance contracts to 2030.

4. Delegate authority to the Assistant Director of Housing to undertake a 12 week public consultation on the outcomes of the feasibility study.