Issue - meetings

East Kent Housing Q1 Performance Report for 2019/20

Meeting: 17/10/2019 - Cabinet (Item 607)

607 East Kent Housing Q1 Performance Report for 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 99 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members considered the performance of East Kent Housing (EKH) during the first quarter of the financial year 2019/20. The information provided in the report had also been considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel, at its meeting on 25 September 2019 and it covered three main areas of performance, which were:

 

·  Performance against agreed key indicators;

·  Progress against the Improvement Plan agreed in January 2019; and

·  Action in relation to tenant and leaseholder health and safety.

 

A number of areas of concern, particularly in relation to the delivery of the council’s capital programme and the recovery actions linked to tenants and leaseholders’ health and safety, were raised in the report and by Members at the meeting. Although the Improvement Plan was set up for an 18 month period, running from 1 April 2019 to 30 September 2020, it was very disappointing to see such slow progress over the first reporting period.

 

These issues were explored in greater detail in the EKH options report that was also considered separately at this meeting. Cabinet indicated that the continued poor performance in these critical areas added weight to the reasons for the preferred option to return the management of council housing to the council’s direct control.

 

Councillor Campbell spoke under Council Procedure Rule 20.1.

 

Councillor Whitehead proposed, Councillor Albon seconded and Members noted the contents of the EKH performance report.


Meeting: 01/10/2019 - Overview & Scrutiny Panel (Item 193)

193 East Kent Housing Q1 Performance Report for 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 203 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Deborah Upton, Chief Executive of East Kent Housing introduced the item and made the following points:

 

  • The performance are that was challenging for the organisation was the capital programme;
  • The minor works/major works voids were within set targets;
  • The major challenge posed by the major works voids was due to the 14 days mandatory moratorium before any work could be done to empty property where asbestos had been detected;
  • With regards to universal credit and income collection, the overall performance was within target;
  • Staff were picking up cases were rent arrears were increasing over the year. Rent support for those individuals who were moving to universal credit was about 5-8 weeks and this was contributing to rent arrears;
  • In the ;last quarter, TDC gave additional funding and this helped residents to stay in their accommodation without being in arrears;
  • Staff were mildly confident that the targets would be achieved by the end of the financial year.

 

Members of the Panel made comments and asked questions as detailed below:

 

  • What specific measures were being taken to address slippage regarding the capital programme delivery?
  • EKH had shown limited or no assurance after the gas inspection was conducted;
  • EKH had let down the council and exposed residents to health risks;
  • Did EKH have plans for environmental consideration like installing solar panels?
  • There were some businesses that were installing these panels for free. Had EKH considered approaching these providers?
  • EKH performance was totally unacceptable. The sooner the housing stock was brought back into council control, the better;
  • This was a massive failure by EKH, especially in view of the Greenvale fire incident;
  • The failures put TDC into an illegal position as a landlord.

 

In response Ms Upton and Mr Matt Gough, Director of Customer Services said the following:

 

  • Staff were monitoring very closely the performance of the capital programme;
  • Agreed that this was not a good position for EKH to be in. Senior management had asked for the audit to be conducted and they were now acting on the issues raised by the audit;
  • Significant changes had been made by the Chief Executive to the management structure;
  • There was a small budget for insulation of the properties as part of the environmental improvements;
  • There were no financial incentives for installing solar panels as this was expensive.

 

Councillor Game, Cabinet Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods added that cabinet was in the process of preparing an options report that was to be considered on 17 October.

 

Thereafter Members noted the report.