housing service

16 Pages·2015·2.68 MB·English

HOUSING SERVICE
Annual Report 2014 - 2015
Our vision: To provide well maintained homes and estates where people choose to live
WE GIVE YOU A CHOICE ON HOW YOU CAN ACCESS OUR SERVICES
We have our office at: Barrow Borough Council - Housing Department, Town Hall, Duke Street, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria LA14 2LD.
Our office complies with the requirements of the Equality Act
Our office hours are: Monday to Friday: 9am - 4pm
Telephone enquiries: Monday to Thursday: 8:30am to 5pm, Friday: 8:30am to 4:30pm
You can telephone us: Customer Services 876491 or call a specific member of staff using the contact numbers
we publish on our website, in our Newsletter and at the back of our Annual Report
Our 24 Emergency No. For Homelessness or Repairs Tel. 833311
You can email us at: [email protected]
We have a website at: www.barrowbc.gov.uk
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taip patogiau
We will do what is reasonable to provide information in alternative
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formats on request, including tape, Braille, large print and translations.
systemie audio badz innym jezyku, prosze przeslac swoja prosbe na
If we encounter difficulties meeting your request, we will discuss the
adres e-mail: [email protected]. Jesli preferujesz, mozesz
best solution with you.
uzyc swojego jezyka
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You may use your own language if you prefer.
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dilde, baflka dilde, Elekronik posta ile arafltirma yapa bilirsiniz
[email protected] [email protected]. Istersen kendi dilinle konufla bilirsiniz.
HOUSING SERVICE Annual Report 2014 - 2015
Welcome
We welcome you to the Housing Department’s Annual Report to Tenants, for the period of April 2014 to March 2015.
This report gives a summary of performance in the key housing service areas together with our plans going forward and has
been produced with the guidance of the Tenants’ Forum who gave feedback on style, layout and content.
At the request of the Tenants’ Forum, we have again presented the report in a calendar form as this was well received by tenants.
As in previous years, we have reported in categories to show performance in the following areas:
n Tenant Involvement and Empowerment
n Home (quality of accommodation)
n Tenancy (including anti-social behaviour)
Pauline Charnley Councillor Kevin Hamilton
n Neighbourhood and Community Chair of Tenants’ Forum Chair of Housing Management Forum
n Value for Money
We hope you enjoy reading this report and as always we welcome your feedback both on the report and our performance.
FEEDBACK STAR SURVEY
Your questions and comments regarding
This summer, we are carrying out a large postal survey which will randomly select tenants, to find out how satisfied you are with your home
this Annual Report are very welcome.
and the services you receive from the Housing Department. We will use this important information to help us plan improvements in our
Please send your feedback to:
services and will report back to you on progress.
u Housing Department,
We have asked BMG Research, an independent research company, to carry the survey on our behalf. This is to ensure that all your answers
FREEPOST RTLL-XUYS-JHZT,
are treated in the strictest confidence and used for research purposes only. The Housing Department will not be able to identify the
Barrow-in-Furness,
answers from any individual person or address.
Cumbria
Everyone completing the survey will be entered into a prize draw for the chance
u Email: [email protected]
to win one of three cash prizes of £100 each.
u Tel: [phone]
Please take time to complete the survey and help us to keep improving our services.
HOUSING SERVICE Annual Report 2014 - 2015
SEPTEMBER 2015 TENANT INVOLVEMENT & EMPOWERMENT
M T W T F Sa Su
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK AND

INVOLVEMENT Our Priority
1 2 3 4 5 6
We are committed to working with tenants to deliver our services To increase the number of Street Voices who are
and we continue to offer a number of ways that tenants can be individuals as opposed to groups who represent the
involved. During April 2014 to March 2015 our tenants were views of tenants living in their area.
involved at different levels which have been categorised below.
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Information
UNDERSTANDING AND
We produce written information for our tenants in many forms
including: RESPONDING TO DIVERSE NEEDS
n Three Housing Matters newsletters a year.
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 n Annual Performance Report.
n Housing website pages. We continue to collect and update profiling information which
n Leaflets, posters, flyers. has enabled us to:
n Letters, policies and procedures.
n Identify tenants with special communication needs –
Consultation and Involvement we use large print and audio to enable tenants who have a
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
We consult and involve tenants in a number of ways: sight impairment to access our information.
n Service specific and STATUS Surveys. n Identify those tenants who need home visits– this
n Comments, complaints and compliments. means we can go to people with poor mobility so that they
n Estate walkabouts. can access our services.
n Focus groups. n Identify the need to use translation– we have
28 29 30 tenants whose first language is not English so we make
Influence arrangements when necessary to provide information in
Our tenants influence the service at a high level by being different languages.
involved in the following: n Identify disabled tenants– this helps us to consider our
Notes n Tenants’ Forum. budget for the provision of aids and adaptations
n Housing Management Forum. requirements each year.
n Tenants’ and Residents’ Associations.
We continue to promote equality and diversity by:
n Street Voices.
......................................................................................................
n Asset management decisions – contractor selection,
procurement. n Regular training for staff and involved tenants.
...................................................................................................... n Tenant Inspections. n Accreditation with the Equality for Local Government Scheme.
n Scrutiny Panel. n We are a third party “Hate Crime” reporting centre.
n Complaints Panel. n We provide information in different languages, mediums
(audio/DVD) and formats (large print/Braille).
...................................................................................................... Our more involved tenants received training in:
n Complaints Handling. n We support disabled tenants through our Aids and
Adaptations budget.
n Equality and Diversity.
HOUSING SERVICE Annual Report 2014 - 2015
TENANT INVOLVEMENT & EMPOWERMENT OCTOBER 2015
COUNCIL’S COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE M T W T F Sa Su
Did you know?

INITIAL (INFORMAL) STAGE
Complaint/request for action/information or reporting a problem. Can be
The Barrow Borough Council website can now be
made in person, by telephone or in writing. Passed to relevant officer who will 1 2 3 4
translated into eight of the most commonly used languages aim to provide information/arrange action to resolve this initial enquiry.
in the Cumbria area.
Enquiry unresolved. Enquiry resolved.
FORMAL COMPLAINT - Stage 1 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
COMPLAINTS Tenants dissatisfied with the Council’s response can make a formal complaint.
Formal Complaints Form are passed to the Democratic Services Dept. who
will acknowledge receipt of formal complaints within 5 working days.
We treat all complaints seriously and we follow a clear process The complaint is passed to the relevant Section Manager who
for dealing with them. We view complaints positively as they will respond to the complaint within 10 working days.
help to identify service failures which we can then learn from 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
and put measures in place to improve the service. A table of
Complaint unresolved. Complaint resolved.
the Council’s Complaints Procedure is shown for information.
FORMAL COMPLAINT - Stage 2
From April 2014 to March 2015, eight formal complaints were
The complaint is reviewed by the appropriate Managerwho will respond
received about the housing service. Of these, one was upheld. within 20 days of the tenant registering continued dissatisfaction. 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
As the table shows, tenants can complain to the Housing
Complaint unresolved. Complaint resolved.
Ombudsman if they remain dissatisfied with the outcome of a
complaint dealt with through the Council procedure.
FORMAL COMPLAINT - Stage 3
26 27 28 29 30 31
There were no complaints to the Housing Ombudsman about the The complaint is reviewed by the Director of Resources orExecutive
Directorwho will decide what further action needs to be taken to resolve
Housing Service in the period April 2014 to March 2015.
the complaint. (Complaint will be acknowledged within 5 working days
and a full response within 20 days.
Notes
Complaint unresolved. Complaint resolved.
DESIGNATED PERSON
After Stage 3 you have the right to appoint a Designated person. This can be ......................................................................................................
Our Priority an MP, a local councillor or the Tenants’ Complaints Panel. This is optional
but if you do not choose to refer your complaint to the Designated Person you
To continue to use comments, complaints and general will have to wait eight weeks before you can approach the Housing Ombudsman. ......................................................................................................
feedback to improve our services.
Complaint unresolved. Complaint resolved.
......................................................................................................
HOUSING OMBUDSMAN - AN INDEPENDENT VIEW
A formal complaint is made to the Housing Ombudsman.
HOUSING SERVICE Annual Report 2014 - 2015
NOVEMBER 2015 HOME
M T W T F Sa Su
ADDING VALUE FOR YOU

Keith Wilson supported six
AND YOUR COMMUNITY
apprentices from across CHP;
30 1 11
AB Mitchell supported three
Barrow Borough Council together with other housing and DLP supported two
associations and local authorities across Cumbria, has been a apprentices. All of these are
member of Cumbria Housing Partners (CHP) since 2008. contractors used by Barrow
Borough Council. Moving one
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CHP help member landlords save time and money by young person not in
buying materials and contractors in bulk to carry out similar education, employment or
repair and maintenance work on their homes. As a result of apprentices training into work contributes
combined buying power, savings for members are made that to a public sector saving of
can be reinvested to improve the lives and futures of people £4,637. Applying this to the
placed with
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 living in their communities. 11 apprentices supported by
Barrow Borough Council’s
contractors
contractors supply chain
SAVINGS IN THE PROCUREMENT results in a £51,007 saving to
the public purse.
SUPPLY CHAIN
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Since becoming a member of CHP in 2008, we have benefited
from the following:
Average cost of:
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Bathroom £1,562
Kitchen £2,372
Notes Total savings on standard
works since 2008: Central Heating £2,530
......................................................................................................
£1.8m
...................................................................................................... (19.44
%)
......................................................................................................
HOUSING SERVICE Annual Report 2014 - 2015
HOME DECEMBER 2015
M T W T F Sa Su
REPAIRS SAFETY IN THE HOME

We carried out 10,296 responsive repairs last year, costing
£1,291,313. The average cost of a repair was £125.41. Gas Servicing 1 2 3 4 5 6
Ensuring the health and safety of our tenants and the
Repairs to our properties neighbouring community is of high importance to us.
We make every effort to complete this area 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Category of repair No. jobs % on time
of work by offering an out-of-hours service
to our tenants. We also put a flag on our
Emergency 780 96% repairs system which acts as an alert to
staff who will not input any new repairs
until a gas safety check has been arranged. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Urgent 5237 79%
Key Facts
Routine 4279 74%
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
u In 2014, 100% of properties had valid gas
certificates.
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
u In 2014 we had to seek warrants to gain access
The 2014/15 customer satisfaction survey shows that overall into 77 homes where tenants refused to 28 29 30 31
satisfaction for tenants receiving works was: provide access for gas servicing.
u Routine repairs: 94.9% u Gas repairs: 97.5% u We estimate each warrant to cost around £140.
That equates to around £10,780 per year that
The contractor carrying out the has to be spent due to our tenants not co- Notes
work was Vinci. operating with our contractor.
u This figure has increased by 37.5% from the
previous year. ......................................................................................................
Key Facts
......................................................................................................
Electrical Testing
u There are presently 76 properties that fail the
Decent Homes Standard. We are working to We carried out around 600 periodic electrical tests to your ......................................................................................................
reduce this to none by the end of March 2016. homes to make sure they comply with the current wiring
regulations.
HOUSING SERVICE Annual Report 2014 - 2015
JANUARY 2016 HOME
M T W T F Sa Su
PLANNED INVESTMENTS: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

IMPROVEMENTS
Results for Planned Maintenance Satisfaction Survey
1 2 3 for 2014/15.
Every year we plan to spend around 70% of our planned
investments via Cumbria The table below shows tenants’ overall satisfaction with the
Housing Partners to ensure quality of the improvement, by the contractors carrying out the
we deliver value for money. work. We ask contractors who work less well to improve
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 performance before carrying out further work.
Our Priorities
CONTRACTOR Overall score
We plan to do the following works
in 2015/16
K Wilson (rewires) J
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 100%
Kitchens: £125,000 - 48 properties
AB Mitchell (kitchens) J
100%
Bathrooms: £180,000 - 120 properties
AB Mitchell (bathrooms) J
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 99%
Wiring/Rewiring: £225,000 - 150 properties
AB Mitchell (heating) J
\ Central heating: £455,000 - 221 properties 100%
TOTAL: £1,015,000 Average J
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 99%
WORKS TO PROPERTIES Wiring/rewiring: £258,000 = 112 properties
Notes
Central heating: £495,000 = 181 properties
Key Facts
...................................................................................................... External painting: £149,000 = 650 properties
u Last year £1,951,000 was spent on planned works
u 747 properties had major improvements Roofing: £563,000 = 56 properties
......................................................................................................
Kitchens: £205,000 = 77 properties If you wish to view examples of improvements we deliver, eg:
kitchens/bathrooms/heating/adaptations, you can visit AB
......................................................................................................
Bathrooms: £365,000 = 220 properties Mitchell’s showroom at 182 Roose Road, Barrow. To arrange
an appointment, please contact Helen on [phone].
HOUSING SERVICE Annual Report 2014 - 2015
HOME FEBRUARY 2016
M T W T F Sa Su
AIDS & ADAPTATIONS EMPTY HOMES

Some of our tenants needed aids and adaptations like walk-in We had 340 empty homes and our cost to repair these empty
showers, ramps and handrails fitted to their homes. Social homes before they could be relet was £504,985 which is an 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Services ask an Occupational Therapist to assess individual average of £1,485 for each home.
tenant’s needs and then make a referral to us.
Last year we put 162 aids and adaptations into tenants’ homes
at an average cost per home of £850.60. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Key Facts
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
u £137,797.79: The amount we
spent on aids and adaptations
u 93: The number of minor
adaptations we completed
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
u 69: The number of major
adaptations we completed
u Customer satisfaction results
29
for AB Mitchell Ltd who
carry out adaptation work
is 100% satisfied
Notes
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
HOUSING SERVICE Annual Report 2014 - 2015
MARCH 2016 TENANCY
M T W T F Sa Su
Are you ready for We are committed to working with our customers to prevent

them getting into arrears and also assist customers who are in
Universal Credit?
arrears reduce their debt. We have specialist officers to help our
1 2 3 4 5 6 customers:
Our biggest concern is the increasing financial challenges to our
tenants. We are already working with our tenants to get u Appointments or home visits by our dedicated Housing
everyone ready for the changes with Universal Credit. Universal Benefit Liaison Officer, Amanda Morris, who is available to
Credit is a new single monthly payment for people in or out of assist with completion of housing benefit forms and a liaison
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 work, which merges together some of the benefits and tax role with our contractor, Liberata . For an appointment
credits that you might be getting now. please call 876581.
Get ready for Universal Credit now u Our Money Management Advisor, Jo Hughes, is able to
with our five-point Action Plan offer support to help manage your tenancy, including
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 rent and water charges etc.. by assessing your income and
1 Make sure you have a bank account– you will helping you budget. To speak to Jo please call 876534
need a bank account to receive Universal Credit.
2 Decide whether you need a joint bank account u We also have a specialist Money Advice Surgery held here
in the Housing Department every week. For an appointment
Check whether you can set up automated bill with a specialist CAB Advisor call 876397.
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 3
payments from your bank account– your
Universal Credit payment will include your housing benefit
which you will need to arrange to pay to us by direct debit
otherwise your rent account will go into arrears.
28 29 30 31 4 Draw up a monthly budget– our Money Our Priority
Management Advisor, Jo Hughes can be contacted
on 876534.
Working with customers to ensure the relevant advice
5 Internet Access– You’ll be expected to claim and assistance is given to prevent debt and assist
Notes Universal Credit and manage your account online. customers to reduce their debt.
To ensure we provide an excellent service to our customers we
......................................................................................................
have recently restructured the way we work to a more ‘generic
Security of Tenure
housing officer role’. In practice this means rather than having
visits from lots of different members of staff to maybe discuss
......................................................................................................
rent, neighbour problems, repairs or housing options, all our We provide all new tenants with an Introductory Tenancy for an
housing officers are now carrying out a generic role so they can initial period of 12 months. Provided the tenancy is conducted
deal with all tenancy-related issues. The aim of this change in satisfactorily, tenants are then granted a secure tenancy. This
......................................................................................................
working practice will benefit customers who may have different type of tenancy provides the most secure form of tenure you can
issues with their tenancy. be granted by the Housing Service.
HOUSING SERVICE Annual Report 2014 - 2015