Minutes:
Further to Minute No. 14 of the meeting of the Improving Places Select Commission held on 23rd July, 2014, the Select Commission received a presentation from Mr. David Potts (Programme Manager, Strategic Housing and Investment Service) and Mr. Andy Lumb (Partnering Manager, Contract and Service Delivery) concerning this Council’s draft Housing Asset Management Strategy.
The presentation highlighted the following issues:-
- the purpose of the Housing Asset Management Strategy is to set out how the Council will deliver housing asset management services in Rotherham;
- the strategy prioritises how investment is made and how to achieve greater value for money;
- the hierarchy of strategies, relating to asset management;
- key principles of the strategy (eg: reducing ‘void’ times and provision of energy efficient properties);
- key priorities of the strategy (eg: to ensure that Council housing properties meet and exceed the Decent Homes Standard);
- Housing stock – maintaining data on all housing stock and the proposed re-survey of properties (future implementation of the Keystone computerised asset management system);
- striving to achieve 70% planned and 30% reactive repairs to Council housing;
- timescale for approval of the strategy by the Council (or by the Government-appointed Commissioners) and eventual implementation;
- the next steps – other housing estate investment plans; implementation of a ‘scoring’ system, identifying priorities important to tenants and to elected members;
- the Strategy is intended to last for thirty years and will be subject to regular review
- the repairs and maintenance service, provided by means of the Council’s contractors;
- the annual budget for housing repairs is approximately £19 millions;
- performance indicators and the current performance of the repairs and maintenance service;
- priorities for the future, eg: to develop a Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy; and planning a future procurement strategy for Repairs and Maintenance, post year 2020;
- implementation of the Integrated Housing Management System for repairs and maintenance.
After the presentation, Members’ discussion raised the following issues:-
: the effectiveness and fitness for purpose of district heating schemes; it was noted that there will be further investment in such schemes in the future, although a number of schemes have been problematical in the past, they have been decommissioned;
: the annual safety inspection of gas appliances; ensuring that any required remedial works and/or repairs are promptly notified; recent improvements to the repairs service were noted, although it was acknowledged that sometimes delays would occur because of the need to order spare parts;
: the importance of heating repairs being carried out promptly during periods of very cold weather; the use of temporary heating is offered to tenants;
: the occasional business use of the garages on Council-owned garage sites; this issue is being reviewed;
: a suggestion that the Council Housing Asset Management Strategy should be the subject of a scrutiny review;
: reference to previous scrutiny reviews on (i) Council-owned garage sites; (ii) void properties; and (iii) district heating; and whether such issues should be reviewed again in the future;
: monitoring the cost of parts supplied as part of the repairs and maintenance contracts; it was noted that quantity surveyors undertake the bench-marking, comparison and scrutiny of such costs; there is also the use of a schedule of rates by local housing authorities on a national basis; large contracts (eg: roofing schemes) are procured separately on an individual basis; Members will be informed individually of specific items raised.
Resolved:- (1) That the contents of the presentation be noted.
(2) That a further report be submitted to a future meeting of the Improving Places Select Commission concerning the eventual implementation of the Council’s Housing Asset Management Strategy.
(During the course of this item, Members placed on record their sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues of Housing Officer Mr. John Brayshaw, who had recently passed away. Mr. Brayshaw had worked extensively on the preparation of the Council’s draft Housing Asset Management Strategy).