Agenda item

To receive a report, Good Landlord Plan Progress Update, noting the progress and status of the Good Landlord Plan.

The Chair invited officers and the Cabinet Member, Councillor Michael Situ, to relay progress on the Good Landlord Plan.

Councillor Situ started by outlining the background to the Good Landlord Plan, from the Council’s self-referral to the Regulator for Social Housing in June 2024 to a planned inspection by the Regulator and announcement of a C3 judgement in November 2024. The Plan was developed as the Council’s response to the Regulator’s concerns and to wider issues raised by residents and Councillors.

Ryan Collymore, Director of Repairs and Maintenance, then updated the Commission on the Plan’s progress within his areas of responsibility, reporting that:

• good progress had been made on electrical testing compliance and smoke alarm compliance
• the stock condition survey started at the end of September and was progressing well
• Plentific – a system for sub-contractor procurement and management was expected to go live later in October or in early November – helping with managing resource externally and in-house

Abi Oguntokun, Director of Landlord Services (Acting), provided the Commission with developments on:

• estate surgeries and particularly regarding increasing the visibility of officers on estates
• moves to broaden the location of surgeries, using libraries and leisure centres in addition to estates
• revised Anti-Social Behaviour procedures in response to resident feedback
• work and training to improve relationships with residents
• the backlog on housing complaints, now cleared, and reduction in number of complaints
• Bournemouth Road in-person assistance being behind schedule but with alternative arrangements in place
• providing online breakdowns of service charges for leaseholders
• increased information-provision including the annual report on Housing performance and tenant satisfaction measures
• the resident engagement strategy which has been revised and scheduled for Cabinet review in December

Stuart Davis, Director of New Homes, reported:

• the Council’s ongoing commitment to delivering new council homes
• the first tranche of new homes (2,500) would be nearing completion by April 2026
• work had started on 700 of the 1,000 homes in the second tranche

The Chair then invited Commission members to ask questions. These included:

• understanding how the Council intended to help leaseholders and others blocked from selling or buying because the compliance documentation (e.g. EWS1 and “letters of comfort”) for properties in buildings over 5 stories was not available
• what percentage of the backlog of complaints had been dealt with
• how residents and leaseholders would receive training without the training officers previously provided
• the availability of alternatives to Bournemouth Road for housing enquiry appointments
• when every home would have up-to-date electrical certification and fire alarms
• how much of the HRA (Housing Revenue Account) has been used to fund compliance work
• how the new IT systems would deliver better outcomes and not just more bureaucracy
• how residents could trust the Good Landlord Plan while the Council’s performance as a landlord was judged to be poor
• how and when resident surgeries would take place and fit with wider engagement activities
• whether TRA groups and residents could create their own surgeries with ward councillors and with officer support
• the assistance available for staff to clear their workloads and to feel supported
• how Stock Condition Survey was tracking against its target of 40% by March 2026
• performance data for Damp and Mould responses and preventative measures to reduce incidences over the coming winter period
• whether, for security, RSOs (Resident Services Officers) could work in pairs at the monthly on-site meetings
• the means to penalise contractors for non-compliance
• whether a back-up existed during the introduction of Plentific

Officers and the Cabinet Member for Council Homes responded to the questions, informing the Commission that:

• not all buildings required EWS1’s and, for those that did, a programme of inspections was in place
• where cladding was not compliant, there were at least 5 mortgage lenders available and the Council could advise on a case-by-case basis
• there were no outstanding Stage 1 complaints
• data on complaint response times would be added soon (likely within 3 weeks) and updated on a quarterly basis thereafter
• procurement of a training partner was underway
• in addition to Bournemouth Road, appointments with officers were available at two other office sites and work was in progress to enable appointments at leisure centres and libraries
• subject to access, all homes should have up-to-date electrical certification and fire alarms by end of March 2026
• the Housing Revenue Account’s role in managing Council homes included allocating resources depending on needs, and the primary needs here were issues involving health and safety
• while the C3 judgement from the Regulator was a cause for concern, both the Council’s identification of its own weaknesses and the work programmed as part of the Good Landlord Plan to counter these were already in progress before the inspection
• feedback from the Regulator’s own questions showed increased resident satisfaction with the housing services being delivered
• technology had the capacity to deliver wide-ranging improvements from the repairs side (e.g. Plentific, discussed earlier) to leaseholders being able to access breakdowns of their charges online
• completed training needs-analysis of all frontline staff allowed for a more tailored provision of support
• RSOs would have monthly, scheduled housing surgeries in e.g. a TRA Hall or library
• as the surgeries are rolled out, TRAs will be more closely involved with the work and there will be a focus on empowering RSOs so they can action and track more of the issues directly
• the Stock Condition Survey began later than originally planned with 20% completion now expected by March 2026 (40% by September 2026)
• the data showed improvements in responding to Damp and Mould – in the future, with the introduction of Awaab’s Law, the data would be updated more frequently
• resource has been provided to deal with the increase in cases of Damp and Mould expected with the colder, wetter months and from the increased level of reporting happening because of the Stock Condition Survey
• in cases where contractors failed to comply with contracts, break clauses existed
• as previously acknowledged, contracts hadn’t always been managed as strongly as they should have – the Council’s contract management team has been reinforced and new procedures have been adopted
• the nationwide reach of Plentific meant that supply shortages of contractors shouldn’t be an issue and the Council’s own 170 operatives would anyway be called on first

The Chair recommended that publicly available versions of the Plan be updated to reflect the revised timetables for Stock Condition Survey completion.