Agenda item

To receive an update from the Housing Management Board.

Councillor Richard Overton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Highways, Housing and Enforcement, presented a report, which provided an update on the work carried out since the formation of the Housing Management Board (HMB) to ensure that the management of properties owned by the Council under its Registered Provider status (RP), was responsive, consistent and supported a positive tenancy and accorded with the requirements of the Regulator of Social Housing.

The HMB also considered and advised on other aspects of the Council’s role as a Local Housing Authority (LHA), for example, development of policy and strategy where these did not form key decisions and/or ahead of these coming forward to Cabinet for consideration and decisions.

The update highlighted the progress of achievements of the Council’s housing service over the past year, as well as its ongoing commitment to providing high quality responsive and inclusive housing for the residents of Telford and Wrekin.  The HMB had been established to ensure robust oversight of the Council's responsibilities both as an RP and as LHA. Councillor Overton said the Council’s aim was to deliver consistent, high quality housing management with a particular focus on supporting the borough’s most vulnerable residents.

Since becoming an RP in 2020, the Council's housing portfolio had grown to 230 properties, which included both owned and leased homes.  He said these properties were primarily used to meet homelessness needs and provided specialist accommodation for adults and young people with complex needs.  He added that this targeted approach ensured the Council was addressing the most pressing housing challenges in the community.

The report indicated that the Council’s tenant satisfaction rate stood at 82%, which was significantly above the national average of 71.8%.  Council’s tenants felt safe in their homes and the Council’s repairs service was performing strongly with 96% of emergency repairs completed on time.  These results, he said, reflected the Council’s commitment to putting tenants at the heart of its service.

The report showed that, through improved nomination processes and close partnership working with local housing providers, the Council had successfully placed 417 families into social housing in the past year, which included 142 households who were previously homeless. This not only provided families with long-term stable accommodation but also delivered substantial savings by reducing reliance on costly emergency accommodation.

The HMB had implemented a comprehensive suite of policies, which covered all aspects of management from tenant involvement and complaints to antisocial behaviour and rent-setting.  The Council was committed to meeting and exceeding the standards set by the regulator of social housing and to ensure that all of the Council’s properties were managed to the highest standards.  Looking forward, the HMB would continue to monitor housing needs and gaps in the local market and ensure that housing activities remained aligned with the Council's strategic priorities.   In conclusion, the Council remained committed to providing safe, high-quality homes for supporting its most vulnerable residents to live well in their communities.

RESOLVED, that:

(a)  The work of the Housing Management Board, which provided oversight of the Council’s responsibilities as a Registered Provider of housing and Local Housing Authority, be welcomed;

(b)  The fact that the Board had opted to carry out annual tenant perception surveys to ensure best service for tenant and oversight of performance, although Registered Providers of social housing with fewer than 1,000 properties were only required to carry out tenant perception surveys once every two years, be acknowledged; and

(c)  The fact that the proportion of tenants who reported they were satisfied with the overall service from Telford and Wrekin Council was 82%, compared to the National average of 71.8%, be acknowledged.