Committee workplan progress update and Housing performance
report
Quarter 1
2021/22
This report
provides updates on the Housing Committee priorities and work plan
for 2019-23, as well as a range of performance indicators. Delivery
of a complex Housing service during the Covid-19 crisis has been,
and continues to be, a challenge, but staff have worked very hard
in difficult circumstances to continue to deliver vital services
for council tenants, leaseholders and other residents across the
city.
While there continue to be areas of good
performance, with 50% (17) of Housing Committee Work Plan
objectives on track for delivery and 8 performance indicators on or
above target, the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the
additional work burdens and priorities this has placed on Housing
has inevitably resulted in a drop in performance against some
indicators. These include functions such as lettings and routine
(non-emergency) repairs which need be delivered differently and are
taking longer. The service is keeping under regular review its
plans to rectify areas where performance has been adversely
impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
|
Performance areas
|
Page
|
|
Housing Committee priorities and work
plan
Additional council homes
|
|
|
4, 5, 17
|
|
Other additional affordable
homes
|
6
|
|
Council home buy backs
|
4, 8, 18
|
|
Right to Buy sales
|
5, 17
|
|
Sites identified for Community Land Trust
development
|
5
|
|
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)
licensing
|
6, 15
|
|
Private sector housing ‘requests
for assistance’ received
|
6
|
|
Rough sleepers and Covid-19
placements
|
7
|
|
Housing First placements
|
8
|
|
Energy efficiency rating of council
homes
|
9, 21
|
|
Private sector empty homes returned to
use
|
12, 15
|
|
Performance indicators
Customer feedback
|
|
|
Compliments and complaints – all
Housing Services
|
14
|
|
Housing major adaptations
|
|
|
Private sector housing
adaptations
|
15
|
|
Council housing adaptations
|
15
|
|
Housing Options and
allocations
|
|
|
Homelessness preventions
|
15
|
|
Homelessness acceptances
|
15
|
|
Social housing waiting list
|
15
|
|
Temporary accommodation
|
|
|
Households placed
|
16
|
|
Rent collected
|
16
|
|
Gas safety compliance (Seaside Homes and
leased)
|
16
|
|
Council housing supply
|
|
|
Additional homes by rent level
|
17
|
|
Council housing management
|
|
|
Rent collected
|
19
|
|
Universal Credit
|
19
|
|
Tenants evicted
|
19
|
|
Anti-social behaviour
|
19
|
|
Calls answered (Housing Customer
Services)
|
19
|
|
Tenancies sustained
|
20
|
|
Empty homes and re-let times
|
20
|
|
Council housing repairs and
maintenance
|
|
|
Repairs completion times
|
21
|
|
Repairs appointments kept
|
21
|
|
Tenants satisfied with repairs
|
21
|
|
Repairs completed at first
visit
|
21
|
|
Calls answered (Repairs
Helpdesk)
|
21
|
|
Decent Homes Standard
|
22
|
|
Gas safety compliance (council
homes)
|
22
|
|
Lift breakdowns
|
22
|
|
Leaseholder disputes
|
23
|
This housing performance report covers Quarter 1 (Q1)
of 2021/22 alongside end of year results. 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 2019-23:
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:
|
|
Green – on or above target
(10
indicators)
|
|
Improved since last time
(8
indicators)
|
|
|
Amber – near target
(6 indicators)
|
|
Same as last time
(5
indicators)
|
|
|
Red – below target
(12
indicators)
|
|
Poorer than last time
(15
indicators)
|
Part two: Performance indicators
The council is responsible for managing
11,700 council owned homes and 2,355 leaseholder homes, as well as
providing temporary accommodation for 2,113 households including
rough sleepers and others accommodated as a result of the Covid-19
response
|
|
Customer feedback – all Housing
services
|
Target
|
Q4 2020/21
|
Q1
2021/22
|
Status against
target
|
Trend since
Q4
|
|
9.1
|
|
Compliments received
from customers
|
Info
|
82
|
73
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
9.2
|
|
Stage one complaints
responded to within 10 working days
|
80%
|
71%
(77 of
108)
|
81%
(83 of
102)
|
|
|
|
9.3
|
Stage one complaints
upheld
|
Info
|
50%
(54 of
108)
|
58%
(59 of
102)
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
9.4
|
Stage two complaints
upheld
|
18%
|
7%
(1 of
14)
|
9%
(1 of
11)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 
|
Private sector housing
|
Target
|
Q4 2020/21
|
Q1
2021/22
|
Status against
target
|
Trend since
Q4
|
|
10.1
|
New licences issued
for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
|
Info
|
144
|
56
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
10.2
|
HMOs where all
special conditions have been met (for licences issued over 12
months ago)
|
47%
|
49.8%
(821 of
1,649)
|
52.38%
(1,069 of
2,041)
|
|
|
|
10.3
|
Private sector empty
homes returned to use
|
32
|
35
|
28
|
|
|
|
The Q4 figure above
has increased from 26 to 35 since last reported. This is because
Council Tax records have identified more homes brought back in use
during this period, and there is a reporting lag between the date
they were back in use and the date this could be
confirmed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Housing Needs – Housing Options and
allocations
|
Target
|
Q4 2020/21
|
Q1
2021/22
|
Status against
target
|
Trend since
Q4
|
|
12.1
|
Households prevented from becoming homeless (by
council and partner agencies)
|
424
|
394
|
397
|
|
|
|
12.2
|
New households accepted as homeless
|
Info
|
40
|
49
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
12.3
|
Number of households
on the social housing waiting list
|
Info
|
6,982
|
4,800
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Housing Needs – temporary
accommodation
|
Target
|
Q4 2020/21
|
Q1
2021/22
|
Status against
target
|
Trend since
Q4
|
|
|
13.1
|
Total households in
temporary accommodation (homeless and through service level
agreements)
|
Info
|
2,111
|
2,113
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
13.2
|
Rent collected for
emergency accommodation (year to date including loss from empty
homes)
|
89.21%
|
78.35%
(£4.5m of
£5.7m)
|
73.90%
(£1.2m of
£1.6m)
|
|
|
|
This indicator
includes rent loss from empty emergency accommodation dwellings,
which is higher than usual while people who were placed in response
to Covid-19 are moved on from ‘block booked’
accommodation such as hotels and hostels, ahead of handing some of
them back. The collection rate excluding this type of rent loss is
92.56% which is above target.
|
|
13.3
|
… as above
but excluding rent loss from empty homes
|
Info
|
87.30%
(£4.5m of
£5.2m
|
92.56%
(£1.2m of
£1.2m)
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
13.4
|
Rent collected for
leased temporary accommodation properties
|
96.10%
|
96.96%
(£7.3m of
£7.5m)
|
94.57%
(£1.6m of
£1.6m)
|
|
|
|
13.5
|
… as above
but excluding rent loss from empty homes
|
Info
|
102.21%
(£7.3m of
£7.1m)
|
99.60%
(£1.6m of
£1.6m)
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
The indicator above
(like the other rent collection indicators in this table) measures
the actual amount of rent collected during the year to date
compared to the amount due within the same period. It is sometimes
possible for the former to be larger, thereby producing results
over 100%.
|
|
13.6
|
|
Rent collected for
Seaside Homes
|
91.00%
|
89.81%
(£4.5m of
£5.0m)
|
90.31%
(£1.1m of
£1.3m)
|
|
|
|
13.7
|
… as above
but excluding rent loss from empty homes
|
Info
|
95.46%
(4.5m of
4.7m)
|
94.30%
(£1.1m of
£1.2m)
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
13.8
|
Empty temporary
accommodation homes (all types)
|
For info
|
112
|
135
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
13.9
|
Seaside Homes with a
valid Landlord’s Gas Safety Record
|
100%
|
99.8%
(425 of
426)
|
99.3%
(423 of
426)
|
|
|
|
13.10
|
Leased properties
with a valid Landlord’s Gas Safety Record
|
For info
|
96.9%
(625 of 645)
|
91.4%
(571 of
625)
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
The indicator above
no longer has a target given that the role of the council when it
comes to leased properties 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
homes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Council housing – supply
|
Q4 2020/21
|
Q1 2021/22
|
|
14.1
|
|
Additional council
homes
|
31
|
24
|
|
14.2
|
… at Local
Housing Allowance (LHA) rents
|
61%
(19 of 31)
|
33%
(8 of 24)
|
|
*All eight homes at
LHA rates from Q1 were buy backs for use as temporary
housing
|
|
14.3
|
… at 37.5%
Living Wage rents
|
19%
(6 of 31)
|
42%
(10 of 24)
|
|
14.4
|
… at 27.5%
Living Wage rents
|
13%
(4 of 31)
|
25%
(6 of 24)
|
|
14.5
|
…at social
rents
|
6%
(2 of 31)
|
0%
(0 of 24)
|
|
14.6
|
Council homes sold
through the Right to Buy
|
7
|
10
|
|
Of the 10 homes sold during Quarter 1, 5 were flats
(2 one bed, 3 two bed) and 5 were houses (1 two bed, 4 three
bed).
|
|
14.7
|
Net change in the
number of council homes – all rent levels
|
+24
|
+14
|
|
14.8
|
Net change in the
number of council homes – social and 27.5% Living Wage rent
homes only
|
-1
|
-4
|
|
14.9
|
|
Total council owned
homes
|
11,686
|
11,700
|
|
The figures in the
row above have been adjusted to exclude 11 long term leases to
housing assoocations, which are no longer categorised as council
owned. Total stock of 11,700 includes 10,696 general needs, 877 seniors housing and 127
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 to date
|
Total
|
|
Total applications
|
5
|
53
|
88
|
159
|
56
|
361
|
|
Of which, became purchases
|
2
|
32
|
53
|
58
|
0
|
145
|
|
Council
declined
|
1
|
13
|
11
|
15
|
3
|
43
|
|
Owner declined
offer
|
1
|
5
|
12
|
14
|
1
|
33
|
|
Owner
withdrew
|
1
|
3
|
12
|
31
|
5
|
52
|
|
Outcome
pending
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
41
|
47
|
88
|
|
Completed buy backs by rent
level
|
2017/18
|
2018/19
|
2019/20
|
2020/21
|
2021/22 to date
|
Total
|
|
Completed purchases
|
1
|
13
|
43
|
64
|
24
|
145
|
|
... general needs social
rent
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
0
|
4
|
|
… general needs 27.5% Living
Wage
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
18
|
6
|
29
|
|
… general needs 37.5% Living
Wage
|
1
|
5
|
24
|
14
|
10
|
54
|
|
… temporary housing at LHA
rates
|
0
|
8
|
13
|
29
|
8
|
58
|
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 (£)
|
|
145*
|
4
|
29
|
54
|
58
|
26 **
|
£1.233m ***
|
£104,000
|
* Of which 127 are
flats (4 studio, 52 one bed, 61 two bed, 10 three bed) and 18 are
houses (3 two bed, 14 three bed, 1 four bed)
** Following Housing
Committee decision to use rent reserve to keep rents as low as
possible
*** Applied during
2019/20 – a further £827k is anticipated to be used
during 2021/22
