Issue - items at meetings - Future Repairs & Maintenance to Council Housing Stock

Report of Executive Director Housing, Neighbourhoods & Communities

Resolved: That the Committee notes the progress with the programme which is outlined in the body of the report.

65.1    The Committee considered the report presented by David Canham (Senior Programme Manager).

65.2    The report updated the committee on the progress of the programme to set up the future delivery of responsive repairs, empty property refurbishments, planned maintenance and improvement programmes, and major capital projects to council housing stock post April 2020.

65.3    Councillor Peter Atkinson was informed that the apprenticeship programme will need a larger budget to be expanded. The repairs log is being currently tested by IT and has proved successful so far. The repair call centre will be covered by Mears for the next six months and then be handed over to the Council. It was noted that local small businesses will be contracted to the authority and then used for repair works. Installations, particularly electrical, are being reviewed to ensure safety. Individual tenders will be carried out next year by procurement for major capital works. A 140 staff have been employed, those who are agency will be employed full time after 1 April 2020.

65.4    Councillor Mary Mears was informed that the Mears vehicle rebranding will be completed within a couple of weeks and any existing disputes will be transferred from Mears to the Council. The legal costs of which are being looked at to mitigate the impact. It was noted that the costs between agency and full time staff would not be significant before the transfer on 1 April 2020. The figures for the out-of-hours short term costings will be provided to the Councillor separately. Councillor Mears requested that a financial report be submitted to the committee for clarification of transfer costs.

65.5    Councillor David Gibson supported the request.

65.6    Councillor Alan Robins was informed that the current works are carried out by small contractors, not subcontractors and this would continue after the transfer.

65.7    Resolved: The Committee noted the progress with the programme which is outlined in the body of the report.