Council housing performance

Quarter 1 2022/23 (Apr to Jun 2022)

Receiver with solid fill 

100%

Gas safety compliance

88%

Repairs calls answered

93 days

Empty home

re-let time

City with solid fill

Call center with solid fill

Renovation (House With Sparkles) with solid fill

95.9%

Dwellings meeting Decent Homes standard

83%

Customer services calls answered

86%

Tenancies sustained

Tools with solid fill

Monthly calendar with solid fill

65%

Complaint responses within 10 working days

98%

Emergency repairs within 24 hours

71 days

Average time to complete routine repairs

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Quarter 1 2022/23 council housing performance – key trends


Top scores (compared to target)

 

1.    Major adaptations – average weeks taken to approve applications and commence works            (4.9 weeks vs 10 week target)

2.    Calls answered by Repairs Helpdesk (88% vs 85% target)

3.    Lifts restored to service within 24 hours (100% vs 95% target)

4.    Surveyed tenants satisfied with standard of repair work (96% vs 96% target)

5.    Council homes with a valid Landlord's Gas Safety Record (100% vs 100% target)

Bottom scores (compared to target)

 

1.    Average time to complete routine repairs (71 days vs 15 day target)

2.    Average re-let time excluding time spent in major works (93 days vs 21 day target)

3.    Stage two complaints upheld (41% vs 18% target)

4.    Routine repairs completed within 28 calendar days (45% vs 92% target)

5.    Stage one complaints responded to within 10 working days (65% vs 80% target)

Biggest improvements (since previous quarter)

 

1.    Major adaptations – average weeks taken to approve applications and commence works            (9.8 to 4.9 weeks)

2.    Stage two complaints upheld (63% to 41%)

3.    Average re-let time excluding time spent in major works (132 to 93 days)

4.    Calls answered by Repairs Helpdesk (80% to 88%)

5.    Emergency repairs completed within 24 hours (95% to 98%)

Biggest drops (since previous quarter)

1.    Stage one complaints responded to within 10 working days (86% to 65%)

2.    Average time to complete routine repairs (55 to 71 days)

3.    Routine repairs completed within 28 calendar days (54% to 45%)

4.    Tenancies sustained following difficulties (97% to 86%)

5.    Surveyed tenants satisfied with repairs: overall customer service (99% to 95%)

DRAFT Committee workplan progress update and Housing performance report

Quarter 1 2022/23

 

This report provides updates on the Housing Committee priorities and work plan for 2019 to 2023, as well as a range of performance indicators. Delivery of a complex housing service during the Covid-19 pandemic and recovery phase had been a challenge, and gratitude is expressed to residents for the patience and understanding they have shown.

 

While there continue to be areas of strong performance, with 21 Housing Committee Work Plan objectives on track for delivery and 7 performance indicators on target, some delivery challenges remain. The report highlights actions being taken to improve services where performance has been adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and recovery phase, and resource capacity issues

 

Performance areas

Page

Housing Committee priorities and work plan

Additional council homes

 

6, 8, 21

Other additional affordable homes

7

Council home buy backs

6, 10, 11, 22

Right to Buy sales

8, 21

Sites identified for Community Land Trust development 

8

Private sector housing ‘requests for assistance’ received

9

Rough sleepers

10

Housing First placements

10

Energy efficiency rating of council homes

12, 26

Private sector empty homes returned to use

14, 18

Compliments and complaints – all Housing Services

17

 

 

Private sector housing

 

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing

18

Private sector vacant dwellings returned to use

18

Housing major adaptations

18

Private housing – time to approve applications

18

Council housing – time to approve applications

18

Housing Options and allocations

 

Homelessness preventions

19

Homelessness acceptances

19

Social housing waiting list

19

Temporary and emergency accommodation

 

Households placed

20

Rent collected

20

Empty homes

20

Gas safety compliance (Seaside Homes and leased)

20

Council housing supply

 

Additional homes by rent level

21

Council housing management

 

Rent collected

23

Universal Credit

23

Tenants evicted

23

Anti-social behaviour (ASB)

23

Calls answered (Housing Customer Services)

23

Tenancies sustained

23

Re-let times

24

Empty homes

24

Council housing repairs and maintenance

 

Repairs completed in time

25

Satisfaction with completed repairs

25

Calls answered (Repairs Helpdesk)

25

Council housing investment and asset management

 

Decent Homes Standard

26

Gas safety compliance (council homes)

26

Lift breakdowns

26

Leaseholder disputes

27

 

 

 

 

 


 

This housing performance report covers Quarter 1 (Q1) of the 2022/23 financial year. It uses red, amber and green ratings to provide an indication of performance.

 

Part one provides an update of performance against the Housing Committee work plan objectives for 2019 – 2023:

Part two presents results for a range of performance indicators across Housing and similarly uses red, amber and green ratings, as well as trend arrows. Commentary has been included for indicators which are red. During Quarter 1, the ratings and trends were as follows:

 

G

Green – on target

(7 indicators)

Improved since last time

(9 indicators)

A

Amber – near target

(10 indicators)

Same as last time

(2 indicators)

R

Red – off target

(8 indicators)

Poorer than last time

(15 indicators)

 

Part one: Housing Committee priorities and work plan 2019-23

 

1.    Provide additional affordable homes

1.1 Off track: Achieve 800 additional council homes (including develop the existing Hidden Homes strategy)

Regular updates on progress are provided to Housing Supply Member Board.

 

A total of 497 homes are projected for completion between April 2019 and March 2023, including 343 already completed:

 

·         2019/20: 77 homes – buy backs (43), Hidden Homes (6), Kensington Street (12), Tilbury Place (15) and Devon Lodge (1 lease handed back)

 

·         2020/21: 144 homes – buy backs (64), Buckley Close (12), Hartington Road (38) and Hawkridge Court (30)

 

 

·         2021/22: 108 homes – buy backs (66 general needs and 24 Housing First), Hidden Homes (8) and Oxford Street (10)

 

 

·         2022/23: 168 homes – buy backs (107 general needs and 12 Rough Sleepers Accommodation Programme, Hidden Homes (7) and Victoria Road (42)

 

 

·         Although outside of the timescale of the Housing Committee workplan, there are a further 227 homes projected for completion during 2023/24 (including 176 Homes for Brighton & Hove dwellings)

 

 

 

1.2 On track: Achieve 700 other additional homes (registered provider, affordable rented, shared ownership)

A total of 857 homes (274 rent and 583 shared ownership) are projected for completion between April 2019 and March 2023, including 210 already completed:

 

·         2019/20: 87 homes – Montpelier Place (5), Kingsway (54) and Circus Street (28)

·         2020/21: 48 homes – Freehold Terrace (8), Plumpton Road (2), Nevill Road (4) and Preston Road (34 from two providers)

·         2021/22: 75 homes – Preston Barracks (19), Falmer Avenue (13), Hangleton Way (33) and Lions Gardens (10)

·         2022/23: 647 homes – Edward Street (33), School Road (104), Preston Barracks (226), Graham Avenue (125), Sackville Hotel (7), New Church Road (5), King’s House (92), Ovingdean Road (18) and St Aubyn’s (37)

 

 

1.3 On track: Review the rent policy to maximise the number of council homes replaced at social or living wage rents (especially those at 27.5% Living Wage)

15% of new general needs (GN) council homes delivered during 2022/23 to date are at social or 27.5% Living Wage rents (2 of 13) and the remaining 85% (11 of 13) are at 37.5% Living Wage rents. The 2 new temporary accommodation (TA) council homes are at Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates.

1.4 On track: Develop a policy for the council to take the role of developer on major sites

·         Homes for Brighton & Hove Joint Venture is now a delivery company

1.5 Slightly off track: Bring a report to committee identifying suitable sites to work in partnership with Community Land Trust (CLT) for development

·         7 out of 10 sites so far identified for Community Land Trust development

·         Planning applications are regularly reviewed to seek opportunities for self-build plots on large private development sites, but this has not yet yielded suitable plots

 

2. Improving private rented housing

2.1 Slightly off track: Review and resubmit selective licensing scheme proposal to improve the management and standards of private rented sector homes in the city

·         Private Sector Housing Update went to Housing Committee in March 2022

2.2 Off track: Research and review an ethical loan scheme

 

·         This work has been deferred due to Covid-19 recovery priorities and resource capacity issues

2.3 Off track: Develop or commission an information or advice hub for private renters and consider options for a private tenants’ forum

 

·         This work has been deferred due to Covid-19 recovery priorities and resource capacity issues

2.4 On track: Research and develop a social lettings agency

·         Report taken to Housing Committee in September 2021, which agreed to re-brand ‘Direct Lets’ work which places households into the private rented sector

2.5 On track: Develop the enforcement approach to private sector housing to reflect the full range of potential options available to improve management and standards

·         Request for assistance top categories during Q1: 36 disrepair (31%), 16 HMO noise nuisance (14%) and 9 dampness (8%)

                                                                                                                                                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Alleviating homeless and rough sleeping

3.1 On track: Develop a rough sleeping strategy (to include partnerships with community homeless and faith projects and delivery of homeless enterprise projects)

·         Homeless & Rough Sleeper Strategy approved by Housing Cttee in June 2020

·         Homelessness and Rough Sleeping update went to Housing Cttee in March 2022

The November 2020 figure used a blended methodology of an estimate with a spotlight count. Please note that estimates have only been carried out at times when counts have not been. While it would have been desirable to do both simultaneously and compare them, staff capacity has not allowed this over the last few years

3.2 On track: Review/consult/adopt the Homeless Bill of Rights

·         Values of the Homeless & Rough Sleeper Strategy approved by Housing Committee in June 2020 align to the Homeless Bill of Rights. Strategy states that ’The Homeless Bill of Rights should be viewed as a standard against which the Council and its partners judge our policies and practices’

·         The Homeless Bill of Rights was adopted by Full Council in March 2021 and is an aspirational document against which to measure services and progress

3.3  No longer applicable: Provide a 365 day night shelter

·         Night shelter was closed in early April 2020 on the advice of what was then the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) and Public Health England due to Covid-19 restrictions, as it had congregate sleep sites

3.4 On track: Expand Housing First

 

·         60 homes are currently used for Housing First, including buy backs

·         2 homes have been bought for Housing First during 2022/23 to date

3.5 On track: Develop a strategy for the provision of council run temporary accommodation including Seaside Homes

·         Hartington Road – 38 homes became ready in February 2021

·         Oxford Street – 10 homes completed in March 2022

·         Buy backs – 78 of 226 homes purchased are for temporary accommodation

3.6 On track: Develop a homeless strategy, ensuring homeless people are involved in the design and development of services which directly affect them

·         Homelessness & Rough Sleeper Strategy approved by Housing Committee in June 2020

·         Homeless Reduction Board has been meeting since September 2020 and its role includes monitoring progress of the aspirations contained in the Homeless Bill of Rights and making recommendations to Housing Committee

·         Homeless Reduction Operational Board has been meeting quarterly since July 2021 and includes people with a lived experience of homelessness. It reports to the Homeless Reduction Board

 

 

 

 

 


 



4. Achieving carbon reductions and sustainability in housing including address fuel poverty

4.1 On track: Develop an action plan to set out how we will work collaboratively to ensure housing contributes to making the city carbon neutral by 2030

·         ‘Housing action towards carbon neutral 2030’ report was approved at Housing Committee (HC) in January 2021

·         ‘Carbon Reduction in Housing’ report was considered at HC in November 2021, with a costed retrofit plan towards carbon neutral by 2030 to follow in 2022

·         ‘Carbon Reduction in Housing Update’ report went to HC in June 2022

·         Energy modelling software currently being used to enable costed retrofit plans to be developed for council homes

·         Work progressing with the Retrofit Taskforce, led by Lewes and Eastbourne and University of Brighton to identify regional approach to retrofitting council homes

4.2 Slightly off track: Develop a new PV and energy efficiency strategy for council homes to include standards for new homes

·         Standards for new council homes are guided by the revised new build specification – minimum Energy Performance Certificate rating of A

·         Procurement of domestic solar PV programme on council homes (1,000 by 2023) expected to start in 2022 once additional project management support recruited

4.3  On track: Review the energy efficiency and provision on all new developments

·         A report providing an ‘Update on Sustainability Measures for New Homes and Housing Supply Sustainability Policy’ went to Housing Committee in January 2021 and the committee endorsed a draft New Build Housing Sustainability Policy

·         Victoria Road new build scheme will pilot a low energy ‘microgrid’ heating and electricity solution integrating ground source heat pumps and solar panels to reduce residents’ bills

4.4 On track: Investigate and report the possibility of bulk buying PV panels and other energy saving resources

·         Round 1 of the Solar Together Sussex (STS) scheme was launched in Autumn 2020, to date approximately 70 installations have been completed

·         Round 2 of STS was launched in September 2021. Over 7,000 homes registered across Sussex and a local supplier has been appointed to begin installations, remaining installations being complete through summer 2022

·         Options for Round 3 of the scheme currently being considered by the partnership of Sussex local authorities

 


5. Improving council housing and community involvement

5.1 Slightly off track: Work with tenants to develop a ‘decent environment’ standard

·         This was delayed due to service pressures and Covid-19 recovery priorities

·         A twelve-week pilot of estate walkabouts started in May 2022: these will help establish a schedule of improvements and budget allocation. The information from the review of the pilot will be used to establish a decent environment standard. The Estates Walkabout schedule will be published for the year and promoted with ward councillors, lead councillors and residents

5.2 On track: Develop a fire safety programme in conjunction with tenants and residents

·         Sprinklers are now fitted as standard in all council new build homes

·         Building Safety Bill is now confirmed as an act and consultants are now in place to provide a road map to support the council’s responsibilities under the new act, which has links to a proposed Social Housing White Paper

·         Fire Risk Assessments are carried out regularly to council housing buildings

·         A full Fire, Health & Safety and Compliance report is currently being undertaken on council housing stock and the requirements on the council. This will detail the current arrangements and the resources needed to meet future arrangements

·         Meetings with East Sussex Fire and Rescue (ESFR) take place every four weeks and they are fully engaged with the council processes

5.3 On track: Review and develop a new tenant and community involvement policy/strategy for housing, ensuring we learn from the lived experience of our clients, meet the ‘Involvement and Empowerment’ standard and that co-production is at the heart of our tenant and resident involvement work

·         New Tenant and Leaseholder Engagement Strategy was approved at Housing Committee in March 2021

5.4 On track: Extend participatory budgeting

·         Report approved at March 2021 Housing Committee including development of a policy for extending participatory budgeting

5.5 On track: Develop the work undertaken with leaseholders to develop a new leasehold involvement policy, setting out how leaseholders can be supported to be more

proactively involved in capital works and other leasehold matters

·         New Tenant and Leaseholder Engagement Strategy was approved at Housing Committee in March 2021

·         Consultation with leaseholders on new planned maintenance and improvement programme contracts has concluded and contracts are now operating

·         Leaseholders are being consulted where the council has plans to undertake works under these contracts on a block-by-block basis

·         A procedure for engagement with tenants and leaseholders for proposed projects that will be tendered through the major works framework


 

6. Enabling more affordable home ownership

6.1 On track: Work with Community Land Trust (CLT) to develop self-build opportunities

·         CLT focus is on affordable rented homes which are likely to be self-build

6.2 On track: Work with Homes for Brighton & Hove and registered providers in the city to develop 500 shared ownership properties for essential workers who live and work in the city

 

·         583 shared ownership homes are projected for development between April 2019 and March 2023

·         The Living Wage Joint Venture, Homes for Brighton & Hove, has started construction on its first two sites totalling 346 homes

·         Homes for Brighton & Hove is becoming a delivery company, with 168 Hyde shared ownership homes and 178 rented homes (176 council and 2 Hyde) expected for completion in 2023/24

 

 


 

7. Make fuller use of shared housing capacity

7.1 Slightly off track: Review our empty homes policy to ensure 650 empty homes are brought back into use

·         440 private sector vacant dwellings occupation (empty for more than six months) were returned into occupation within the first three years of the timescale of the Housing Committee workplan, with one year remaining

 

7.2 Slightly off track: Develop a policy to incentivise households to relinquish council tenancies as an alternative to right to buy

·         Report to Committee deferred due to service pressures and Covid-19 recovery priorities, including returning empty council homes to use

·         However, research and scoping work relating to this has started and this is hoped to be delivered by December 2022

7.3 Off track: Investigate the possibility of supporting a ‘lodger’ scheme and report to Committee

·         Committee report due for March 2021 – deferred due to service pressures and Covid-19 recovery priorities

7.4 On track: Undertake an impact assessment of short-term holiday lets and Air BnB in the city and consider options that may inform an approach to alleviate the most detrimental issues arising

·         Report on Regulation of Short-Term Holiday Lets was agreed at Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture and Housing committees in March 2020. It included using existing powers to deal with complaints, ensuring coordinated approach to enforcement between services and lobbying central government for enhanced enforcement powers and a national registration scheme

·         A system is in place for the public to report issues with short term holiday lets, so that relevant council teams can take appropriate enforcement action where possible

 


 

8. Alleviating poverty

8.1 Slightly off track: Ensure the in house repairs services include measures to: provide opportunities for young people to develop skills for example through apprenticeships; maximise community benefits, including through use of local firms and labour for supply chain as well as planned and major works; and, develop pathways to employment that are inclusive in offering opportunities to all the communities we serve

·         Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the planned and major works procurement was paused as were other areas of the programme, including taking on apprentices

·         Some existing apprentices were moved to empty property works so they could physically distance while working, but it has not yet been possible to recruit many additional apprentices

·         However, the service has recruited three electrical apprentices and further apprenticeship opportunities will be advertised later in the year

8.2 Slightly off track: Review arrears policy to ensure all action is taken at the earliest stage, support given and eviction is used as a last resort

·         Business Process Review of income collection, including arrears policies, has been delayed while resources have been diverted to other service pressures and Covid-19 recovery priorities

8.3 On track: Develop an arrears policy for temporary accommodation, which gives tenants the same level of support and assistance as those in permanent accommodation

·         Policy is in place for long term temporary accommodation which matches that in council owned housing

 


Part two: Performance indicators

 

The council is responsible for managing 11,745 council owned homes and 2,294 leaseholder homes, as well as providing temporary accommodation for 1,806 households.

 

Customer feedback – all Housing services

Target

Q4

2021/22

Q1

2022/23

Status against target

Trend since Q4

9.1

 

Compliments received from customers

Info

112

126

n/a

n/a

9.2

Stage one complaints responded to within 10 working days

80%

86%

(133 of

155)

65%

(124 of 191)

R

The Corporate Customer Feedback team are due to hold detailed conversations with Housing services managers imminently, to investiate this decline in performance, and a further update willl be provided in this report before it goes to Housing Committee in September.

9.3

Stage one complaints upheld

Info

40%

(62 of

155)

40%

(76 of

191)

n/a

n/a

9.4

Stage two complaints upheld

18%

63%

(5 of

8)

41%

(7 of

17)

R

Although performance has improved compared to the previous quarter, this is likely in part to relate to the performance issue highlighted above. Stage one complaints are investigated by Housing service managers and stage two complaints are investigated by the Corporate Customer Feedback team. There has been an increased focus on how complaints are handled across the council, especially on improving the overall quality of complaint responses at stage one, in order to reduce the need for cases to be escalated to stage two.

 


 

Private sector housing

Target

Q4

2021/22

Q1

2022/23

Status against target

Trend since Q4

10.1

Total licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)

Info

3,460

3,503

n/a

n/a

10.2

Corporate KPI: HMOs where all special conditions have been met (for licences issued over 12 months ago)

57%

56.50%

(1,112 of

1,968)

59.59%

(1,156 of

1,940)

G

The target of 57% for the end of Q1 is set as a step towards a target of 60% at the end of Q4. The indicator above measures cases where the council has verified that conditions have been completed and it is anticipated this figure will contiue to rise over the course of the year.

10.3

Corporate KPI: Private sector vacant dwellings returned into occupation (empty for more than two years)

9

12

5

R

This indicator used to apply to properties empty for longer than six months but has now changed to focus on properties empty for more than two years that require more intensive casework. Most properties empty for less than two years do not require intensive casework and may often come back in to use without intervention.

 

NB Additional indicators relating to private sector housing are being developed with the aim of including them in the final version of this report when it goes to Housing Committee in September.

 

Housing adaptations

Target

Q4

2021/22

Q1

2022/23

Status against target

Trend since Q4

11.1

Private housing – average weeks taken to approve Disabled Facilities Grant applications

10

14.9

17.2

A

The amber threshold for this indicator is set at 26 weeks based on historic guidance timescales, with the target of 10 weeks reflecting revised guidance timescales.

11.2

Council housing – average weeks taken to approve applications and commence works

10

9.8

4.9

G

The indicator above is available again as a result of the development of new reporting systems following the switchover of our main housing management IT system. This will now move on to providing additional indicators measuring the average time taken to complete adaptations works, as requested at Housing Committee.

 


 

 

Housing Needs – Housing Options and allocations

Target

Q4

2021/22

Q1

2022/23

Status against target

Trend since Q4

12.1

Corporate KPI: Households where homelessness was prevented due to casework by the council and partner agencies

424

416

414

A

12.2

New households accepted as homeless

Info

113

95

n/a

n/a

The Q1 figures above are provisional and may change slightly after the council’s homelessness casework data is validated as part of a statutory return to central government, along with data for other local authorities, which is due for submission in mid-August 2022.

12.3

Number of households on the housing register

Info

7,686

7,592

n/a

n/a

 


 

Housing Needs – temporary accommodation (including emergency accommodation)

Target

Q4

2021/22

Q1

2022/23

Status against target

Trend since Q4

13.1

Corporate KPI: Total households in temporary accommodation

1,850

or fewer

1,890

1,806

G

The target of 1,850 for the end of Q1 is set as a step towards a target of 1,700 at the end of Q4.

13.2

Rent collected for emergency accommodation (year to date including loss from empty homes)

89.21%

80.41%

(£4.9m of

£6.1m)

TBC

TBC

TBC

13.3

… as above but excluding rent loss from empty homes

For info

97.19%

(£4.9m of

£5.0m)

TBC

n/a

n/a

The monitoring of rent collection for emergency accommodation is due to move from an older IT system to the same system used for the temporary accommodation indicators below. July is expected to be the last month the older system will be used and the Q1 result will be available after the switchover, by the time the final version of this report goes to Housing Committee.

13.4

Rent collected for leased properties (year to date including loss from empty homes)

96.96%

85.59%

(£6.7m of

£7.8m)

89.82%

(£1.5m of

£1.7m)

A

13.5

… as above but excluding rent loss from empty homes

For info

92.91%

(£6.7m of

£7.2m)

97.01%

(£1.5m of

£1.54m)

n/a

n/a

13.6

Rent collected for Seaside Homes (year to date including loss from empty homes)

 91.00%

89.50%

(£5.2m of

£5.8m)

89.41%

(£1.1 of

£1.3)

A

13.7

… as above but excluding rent loss from empty homes

For info

96.22%

(£5.2 of

£5.4m)

95.60%

(£1.1m of

£1.2m)

n/a

n/a

13.8

Empty temporary accommodation homes

For info

99

95

n/a

n/a

The indicator above incudes 55 block booked dwellings, 24 leased dwellings and 16 Seaside Homes dwellings. These are dwellings available to let as temporary accommodation.

13.9

Seaside Homes properties with a valid Landlord’s Gas Safety Record

100%

100%

(426 of

426)

99.8%

(425 of

426)

A

13.10

Leased properties with a valid Landlord’s Gas Safety Record

For info

87.8%

(535 of

609)

86.4%

(514 of

595)

n/a

n/a

The indicator above does not have a target because when it comes to leased properties the council’s role is to monitor progress and remind landlords to arrange gas safety checks, whereas the council’s gas contractor carries out checks in Seaside and council owned temporary accommodation homes. The calculation has been revised to account for dwellings confirmed as empty, following a query at Housing Committee.

 

Council housing – supply

Q4 2021/22

Q1 2022/23

14.1

Additional council homes

37

15

14.2

… at Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rents

46%

(17 of 37)

13%

(2 of 15)

All homes at LHA rates delivered during Q1 were for use as temporary housing

14.3

… at 37.5% Living Wage rents

27%

(10 of 37)

73%

(11 of 15)

14.4

… at 27.5% Living Wage rents

5%

(2 of 37)

13%

(2 of 15)

14.5

…at social rents

22%

(8 of 37)

0%

(0 of 15)

14.6

Council homes sold through the Right to Buy

13

16

Of the 16 homes sold during Q1, 12 were leasehold (flats) and 4 were freehold (houses)

14.7

Net change in the number of council homes – all rent levels

+24

-1

14.8

Net change in the number of council homes – social and 27.5% Living Wage rent homes only

-3

-14

14.9

Total council owned homes

11,746

11,745

Total council owned dwelling stock of 11,745 includes 10,711 general needs, 877 seniors housing and 157 temporary housing (including dwellings not yet handed over)


14.10 Council housing – buy backs (Home Purchase and Next Steps / Housing First)

Buy backs by application date

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23 to date

Total

Total applications

5

53

88

157

158

29

490

Of which, became purchases

2

32

53

88

51

0

226

Council declined

1

13

11

16

10

2

53

Owner declined offer

1

5

12

15

14

0

47

Owner withdrew

1

3

12

33

51

8

108

Outcome pending

0

0

0

5

32

19

56

 

Completed buy backs by rent level

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23 to date

Total

Completed purchases

1

13

43

64

90

15

226

…  general needs social rent

0

0

1

4

0

0

5

… general needs 27.5% Living Wage

0

0

5

17

21

2

45

… general needs 37.5% Living Wage

1

5

24

14

43

11

98

… temporary housing at LHA rates

0

8

13

29

26

2

78

 

Summary of all buy backs since start of programmes, September 2017

Total purchases

Social rent

27.5% LWR

37.5% LWR

LHA rate

No. rent reserve applied

Total rent reserve applied

Net modelled subsidy (surplus) over all properties to date (£)

226*

5

45

98

78

46 **

£1.973m ***

£232,000

* Of which 203 are flats (6 studio, 70 one bed, 110 two bed, 17 three beds plus) and 23 are houses (3 two bed, 20 three beds plus)

** Following Housing Committee decision to use rent reserve to keep rents as low as possible

*** Applied during 2020/21 – a further £830k is anticipated to be used during 2022/23


Council housing – management

Target

Q4

2021/22

Q1

2022/23

Status against target

Trend since Q4

15.1

Corporate KPI: Rent collected as proportion of rent due (current tenants)

96.65%

95.66%

(£52.3m of

£54.7m)

95.32%

(£56.6m of

£5.9m)

A

The Q1 figure above is a forecast for the whole of the 2022/23 financial year, and the Q4 figure is the actual result for the 2021/22 financial year. The methodology excludes rent loss from empty properties and includes arrears from the end of the previous financial year.

15.2

Tenants on Universal Credit (UC)

Info

26%

(2,933 of

11,340)

28%

(3,229 of

11,385)

n/a

n/a

15.3

Tenants on UC who are in arrears and have an Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA)

50%

51%

(838 of

1,646)

52%

(972 of

1,881)

n/a

n/a

Of the 3,229 tenants on UC there were 1,881 who also had rent arrears. Of the latter, 972 had an APA in place, whereby housing costs of UC are paid direct to the council as their landlord.

15.4

Arrears of UC tenants as a proportion of total arrears

Info

61%

(£1.4m of

£2.4m)

60%

(£1.7m of

£2.8m)

n/a

n/a

15.5

Tenants evicted due to rent arrears

Info

0

0

n/a

n/a

15.6

Tenants evicted due to anti-social behaviour (ASB)

Info

0

0

n/a

n/a

15.7

New reports of ASB from victims and witnesses

Info

183

200

n/a

n/a

15.8

ASB perpetrator cases opened

Info

140

146

n/a

n/a

15.9

ASB perpetrator cases closed

Info

151

136

n/a

n/a

15.10

Average days to close ASB perpetrator cases

Info

76

81

n/a

n/a

15.11

Active ASB perpetrator cases at quarter end

Info

162

172

n/a

n/a

The anti-social behaviour (ASB) indicators in this section have been developed to reflect the way ASB is recorded on the new housing management IT system, which includes reports from victims and witnesses as well as linked cases dealt with in relation to the perpetrators. There are often multiple victims and witnesses linked to a single perpetrator.

15.12

Receiver with solid fill

Calls answered by Housing Customer Services

85%

86%

(5,010 of

5,826)

83%

(5,137 of

6,159)

A

15.13

Tenancies sustained following difficulties (Tenancy Sustainment Team cases)

90%

97%

(28 of

29)

86%

(18 of

21)

A


 

Please note the indicators in the table below and their targets are being reviewed as part of a project across Housing focused on reducing the number of empty council homes.

 

Key with solid fill

Council housing – empty homes

Target

Q4

2021/22

Q1

2022/23

Status against target

Trend since Q4

15.14

Average re-let time in calendar days excluding time spent in major works

21

132

93

R

Re-let times are high while recovery efforts remain underway to tackle the backlog of empty council homes, which includes many homes which have been empty for long periods of time. However, the number of re-lets during 2021/22 (472) was up on 2020/21 (213) and above pre-pandemic levels seen during 2019/20 (445). Furthermore, the number of re-lets during Q1 2022/23 (176) is significantly above 2021/22 levels (which averaged 118 per quarter) and the number of empty homes has decreased from 251 to 204 during the quarter.

15.15

Average ‘key to key’ re-let time in calendar days including time spent in major works

Info

211

163

n/a

n/a

15.16

Number of previously occupied council homes re-let (general needs and seniors)

Info

140

176

n/a

n/a

15.17

Number of new council homes let for the first time (general needs and seniors)

Info

8

22

n/a

n/a

15.18

Empty general needs and seniors council homes (includes new homes)

Info

251

204

n/a

n/a

15.19

Empty council owned temporary accommodation homes (includes new homes)

Info

21

24

n/a

n/a

 


 

Please note the figures for the first three indicators in the table below are provisional as there are currently issues with reporting of repairs data arising from the switchover of our main housing management IT system since the start of July 2021. At present two IT systems are being used and it is not possible to integrate reporting between them, meaning that performance data is currently being extracted and manually combined from the two systems, which is likely to be less accurate than automatic system reporting (due to the volume and multiple stages of the jobs managed by the Repairs & Maintenance service). We are in the process of procuring a new works management system. Once we have this new system, we should be able to report on all jobs automatically.

 


Council housing – repairs and maintenance

Target

Q4

2021/22

Q1

2022/23

Status against target

Trend since Q4

16.1

Hammer

Emergency repairs completed within 24 hours

99%

95.0%

(2,494 of

2,626)

98.1%

(2,120 of

2,160)

A

16.2

Corporate KPI: Routine repairs completed within 28 calendar days

70%

53.8%

(2,076 of

3,861)

44.9%

(1,773 of

3,952)

R

Recently completed routine repairs have included jobs from a backlog which has built up since the start of the pandemic and due to reduced staffing levels and availability of contractors. This means that these jobs took longer than their target timescales once they were completed. The Repairs & Maintenance service continue to make progress recruiting to positions across trade and office-based roles and is currently exploring options for additional fixed term positions as part of a plan to clear the backlog.

16.3

Average time to complete routine repairs (calendar days)

15

55

71

R

As above.

16.4

Receiver with solid fill

Calls answered by Repairs Helpdesk

85%

80%

(18,415 of

22,891)

88%

(16,497 of

18,692)

G

Although the indicator is on target and has improved, performance is expected to improve further into Q2. This is because the Repairs Helpdesk had vacancies for three call agents which have since been recruited to. The new agents started in June and are being mentored by experienced staff, which should soon result in at least 90% of calls being answered.

16.5

Surveyed tenants satisfied with repairs: standard of work

96%

97%

(107 of 110)

96%

(207 of

216)

G

16.6

Surveyed tenants satisfied with repairs: overall customer service

96%

99%

(109 of 110)

95%

(206 of

216)

A

 


 

 


Council housing – investment and asset management

Target

Q4

2021/22

Q1

2022/23

Status against target

Trend since Q4

16.6

Corporate KPI: Dwellings meeting Decent Homes Standard

100%

95.6%

(11,229 of

11,746)

95.9%

(11,263 of

11,745)

R

The stock condition survey in 2019/20 identified many dwellings which did not meet the standard, and there had been a lack of planned installations of new kitchens and bathrooms throughout much of 2020/21 and 2021/22 due to Covid restrictions, shortages of supplies and components, and until planned works resumed through new contractors. Performance was 91.9% at the same time a year ago and so has improved considerably since then.

16.7

Corporate KPI: Energy efficiency rating of homes (out of 100)

72.3

68.2

68.2

R

An ambitious corporate target has been set for 2022/23 in line with a trajectory towards Band A by 2024 (from Band D). Please see the workplan updates for ‘Achieving carbon reductions and sustainability in housing including address fuel poverty’ (page 12) for more information about these objectives, including improving energy efficiency of council homes. 

16.8

Council properties with a valid Landlord's Gas Safety Record

100%

100%

(10,044 of

10,044)

100%

(10,012 of

10,012)

G

16.9

Lifts restored to service within 24 hours

95%

94%

(159 of 169)

100%

(87 of

87

G

The Q1 figure for the indicator above is provisional for April and May 2022 combined. The June result will be available imminently and then the Q1 result will be confirmed. At the time of writing, it is known that there were 133 lift breakdowns during the full quarter.

Following a request at Area Panel in February 2022, a summary of the capital works programme will be included as an accompaniment to future versions of this report.

Contract RTL

Leaseholder disputes

Q4 2021/22

Q1 2022/23

17.1

Stage one disputes opened

4

1

17.2

Stage one disputes closed

1

3

17.3

Active stage one disputes (end quarter)

24

22

17.4

Stage two disputes opened

1

4

17.5

Stage two disputes closed

1

0

17.6

Active stage two disputes (end quarter)

3

7

17.7

Stage three disputes opened

0

0

17.8

Stage three disputes closed

0

0

17.9

Active stage three disputes (end quarter)

1

1