Minutes:
The Head of Housing Services gave a presentation on the Audit Commission’s re-inspection of the Repairs and Maintenance Service.
The Inspectors had found that tenants in Rotherham had seen a marked improvement in their housing repairs service over the past 18 months and, although the Council still faced significant challenges, the trend in improvement should continue. Their findings were as follows:-
General Issues
- Service rating: Fair – one star; promising prospects for improvement
- ‘ Exceptional progress’ and ‘step change’ in most areas
- Still areas for improvement and critical issues that must be addressed
- Issues for dispute
- Not a ‘like for like’ assessment
- Action already taken
Positive Features
- Accessible services; user friendly offices
- Use of partnerships
- Decent Homes
- KPIs (step change)
- Customer satisfaction
- Accompanied viewings
- Right first time and multi-skilling
- Tenants repair responsibilities and recharge procedures
- Tenant involvement in setting service standards
- Voids turnround and standards
To Improve
- Availability/effectiveness of translation service
- Rotherham Connect database/vulnerable tenants
- Appointments after 6.00 p.m./weekends
- Diversity and equality issues
- Budget management
- Decoration allowance procedures
- Voids refusal rates
- Insufficient/unrepresentative tenant involvement
Prospects
Positive Features
- Service Improvement Plan linked to Council’s key themes via Programme Area Performance Plan
- Decent Homes
- Work with strategic partners
- Commitment from Members and senior managers
- Customer feedback used to improve services
To Improve
- Housing Revenue Account balances low
- Higher levels of stock not decent
- Database updating
- No alternatives to ALMO strategy
- No strategy for diversity and equality issues
- Progress on procurement
- Management of sickness
- Inconsistent application of personal development review process
- Bonus replacement
Recommendations
- Rotherham Connect – vulnerable tenants
- Evening/weekend appointments
- Diversity strategy and awareness
- Better budget management
- Review – gas procedures, decoration allowance policy, voids refusal rates, tenant representation, personal development review process, sickness levels
- Develop TP to support wider Council objectives
- Implement new pay system
- Procurement to ensure value for money
Conclusion
“Overall we believe the Council has moved on since our last inspection from what was a poor service to a much improved and customer focused service”.
Next Steps
- Inform stakeholders
- Respond to Audit Commission – 31st July
- Continue implementation of Service Improvement Plan and ALMO Excellence Plan before and after ALMO Indicative Inspection – 20th September
- Prepare service to be ‘fit for purpose’ by 1st April, 2005.
A copy of the full report would be circulated to all Members with a formal report submitted to the next meeting of this Scrutiny Panel.
Current customer satisfaction results were approximately 92%. A customer survey was carried out by BT on a monthly basis as well as tenants contacted in writing asking them to respond by post regarding their customer satisfaction level. The Audit Commission had singled out the Service’s “Learning from Customers Forum” and the video diaries provided for tenants to record their experiences during the first 3 months of their tenancy.
Resolved:- That the report be received with a further report being submitted to the next meeting.