Councillor Lynn Worrall, Cabinet Member for Housing, introduced the report and, in doing so, highlighted some of the key achievements of the Portfolio, which included:

·         The improvement in quality of repairs and voids and the reduction of the turnaround of void properties from 100 days to 30 days.

·         The success of the transforming homes programme and that 38% of homes had been transformed.

·         The work that had been achieved to reduce damp and mould, which included the completion of 1500 damp and mould surveys.

·         The improvement of private sector homes through the Well Homes Programme.

·         That tenancies were being managed well and 96% of tenants paid rent regularly.

·         That 141 residents were working on programmes through the social value initiative, 25 apprenticeships had been completed or underway and 50 young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET’s) had completed pathway programmes.

Members questioned the Portfolio Holder and received responses on the following matters:

·         Councillor Gledhill commended the work that had achieved but was concerned that although the statistics looked positive it meant that there were still 1 in 5 residents not happy with a repair and 1 in 4 not happy with the Transforming Homes programme. He asked the Portfolio Holder what was being done to improve satisfaction levels.

The Cabinet Member advised that she met with officers on a weekly basis to discuss repairs and examine what needed to be improved. Members were advised that an extensive customer slip system logged enquiries and a strong team was in place to respond to any issues.

·         Councillor Aker raised concerns about a homeless resident who required additional support and had no access to a computer.

The Cabinet Member advised that staff would always assist a resident who required help, which included providing assistance to the resident at the Council Offices in order to complete paperwork.

·         Councillor Halden asked the Portfolio Holder whether tenants were allowed to carry out repair and maintenance work themselves and not be bound by health and safety myths.

The Cabinet Member advised that she worked hard to dispel inaccuracies regarding health and safety rules.

·         Councillor G. Rice congratulated the Portfolio Holder on the work around Gloriana and asked whether additional support could be offered to elderly and vulnerable tenants in Chadwell to ensure that repairs and decoration works were carried out.

The Cabinet Member provided assurances that appropriate support would be provided.

·         Councillor Purkiss highlighted concerns with regard to the reporting of complaints and remarked that an individual case had come to his attention of a local resident who suffered from Damp and Mould despite all the appropriate remedial action being taken.

The Cabinet Member observed that the correct reporting of repairs was vital and stated that she would speak to the Member outside of the meeting in relation to the specific case.

In summing up the report the Cabinet Member informed the Chamber that:

·         A new process for the reporting of repairs was expected to be introduced on 2 March 2015 which meant that the calls would be directed straight to Mears, rather than the Council call centre.

·         It was anticipated that this change would invoke stricter controls and set tighter targets, which would enable for performance to be regularly monitored.

·         A performance meeting would be held every fortnight to evaluate progress with repairs and maintenance.

·         Improvements to the telephone reporting system included 20 seconds to answer calls and a direct dial number for Members to record and track complaints.