Agenda item

7.1     This item was moved forward on the agenda to be discussed directly after agenda item 8 (Select Committee work programme) and agenda item 4 (Lewisham Homes Management Agreement Update).

7.2     Adam Barrett introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

·      The report outlines the progress Lewisham Homes has made against their business plan.

·      Targets for customer satisfaction are set out in business plan and are being monitored under the key performance indicators. The longer term target for customer satisfaction is 85%, which is outlined in the business plan. All staff of Lewisham Homes are asked to sign up to a commitment to deliver excellent services. Lewisham Homes has run ‘a big conversation programme’, where every manager in the organisation has spent a day calling residents to carry out a satisfaction survey. 

7.3     Adam Barrett, Andrew Potter and Genevieve Macklin answered questions from the Committee. The following key points were noted:

·      Lewisham Homes has links with staff with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Staff receive considerable mandatory training on dealing with vulnerable residents and on safe guarding residents. Residents with suspected mental health conditions are sign posted to other organisation that can provide support. Lewisham Homes is also aware that people with mental health problems are more likely to fall into rent arrears, so has worked with the Council’s welfare team when tenants are at risk of falling into arrears.

·      The Decent Homes programme consisted of central government funding to upgrade homes to a decent homes standard. The programme had to be implemented quickly as the grant could otherwise have been removed.

·      Some leaseholders have been concerned about the charges levied, and some tenants overall experienced some problems with the contractors. Lewisham Homes provides a leaseholders forum, but there are also mechanism to engage with the organisation via its website. Lewisham Homes has about 5,000 leaseholders.

·      Disagreements with leaseholders about charges for maintenance or major works tend to revolve around the question: ‘who gets to decide that maintenance or major work is needed and by what date?’. Lewisham Homes hires surveyors to identify what is needed in terms of maintenance and what is needed immediately. Some maintenance is obviously needed, such as replacing windows that are broken. Environmental improvements and hard landscaping tend to be more difficult to definitively establish.

·      Big buildings works such as the Building Homes for the Future Programme are done by contractors, and the Decent Homes Programme has now been completed. However, there will still be situations where individual homes need their kitchens or bathrooms replaced. For those circumstances Lewisham is developing an in-house service. It is hoped this would lead to better customer satisfaction.

·      There are always some residents that somehow fall through the gaps in terms of paying their rent. Some even deliberately not pay. Lewisham Homes provides support to people with difficulty paying their rents to reduce the number of potential evictions.

·      Voids between April and November have moved from an average of 71 days in 2013-14 to 45 days in 2014-15. Voids do not just delay access to housing for residents, but they also mean Lewisham Homes loses out on rent it could otherwise charge. Lewisham Homes uses a definition of voids that includes the times properties are empty due to major works, while some social housing providers exclude those from their averages for voids.

·      Across the country, there is a demand for sheltered accommodation but existing provision often doesn’t meet the current requirements. Residents tend to feel some provision is out-dated, so it’s difficult to let such properties creating long periods of voids. Some accommodation is also planned for redevelopment so empty properties are not being let while residents are moving out over time. This also creates lengthy voids. The Council is formulating a plan of action for the sheltered accommodation schemes across the borough. Part of this work consists of assessing whether the accommodation is suitable according to current standards.

·      Some voids are longer because of structural issues with the property. It can take an average of around 30 days to complete minor works in properties that have become void. Lewisham Homes is working to get this average down to 22 days.

·      Half of the income team at Lewisham Homes works on welfare reform and its impacts on residents. When people’s circumstances change, this can create an issue, especially when the new payment has to be backdated to the moment the change took place. Lewisham Homes works very closely with the Council’s welfare team. Bills do get adjusted if a mistake has been made, or officers would explain what has happened to the tenant faced with an unexpected bill where no mistake has been made. 

·      Lewisham Homes and the Council agreed a loan to Lewisham Homes of £22m for which interest has to be paid. Lewisham Homes used this loan to purchase properties which are used to alleviate the need for temporary accommodation across the borough. If the loan would not be repaid in time, the ownership of the properties would revert to the Council. Once the loan runs out, there can be a conversation about the Council should enter into another loan.

7.4     The Committee made a number of comments:

·      The average length of voids means that some properties must stand empty for much more than 45 days.

·      There are concerns that some resident are suddenly presented with substantial bills due to backdated changes in their welfare.

·      Leaseholder satisfaction has dropped to 35%. The Committee wanted to information about the number of leaseholders whose properties are undergoing major works, both as a percentage and as an absolute number. They requested this information for properties that are undergoing major works as well as special works.

7.5    RESOLVED: that the Committee noted the report, that the Committee be provided with the information on numbers of leaseholders whose properties are undergoing works as in paragraph 7.4 above, that the Committee be provided with information on the number and type of temporary accommodation that is provided with the Council’s loan to Lewisham Homes, and that a report on the Council’s plans for sheltered accommodation is added to next year’s work programme.