Meeting documents
Regeneration & Housing Overview & Scrutiny Panel
Monday, 18th March, 2013 10.00 am
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APPENDIX A - SLHD 2012-13 Delivery Plan Quarter 3 Headline Report Report Type: Actions
Report Report Author: Julie Dobson Generated on: 01 February 2013 |
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St Leger
Homes Delivery Plan 2012-13 THEME 1 -
VALUE FOR MONEY |
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Performance |
Status |
Objective |
Latest Note |
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On Target |
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SLHD DP
12/13 1a Driving and delivering Value for Money |
Of the four milestones
relating to this strategic objective (Appendix B), all are on track. The 2011/12 HouseMark
core benchmarking report was published and received at the end of September
2012, analysis and action points are being worked on. Resident Involvement - Based on the
outcomes of the external assessment that was made of the service in April
2012, the service is now undertaking a full review, which involves creating a
new, fit for purpose model of delivery that meets the legal requirement of
the service, as set out in the Regulatory Framework and the Localism Bill.
The new model for delivery is due to be in place by the end of March 2013. Additionally, SLHD has
come out in the top quartile in the 2011/12 HouseMark benchmark for direct
cost per property in resident involvement. Voids – System changes
continue to be piloted showing continued improvement in void rent loss
performance during quarter 3. The voids section of HouseMark data has been
split into repairs and lettings with scenario modelling taking place to
understand the potential impact on both cost and performance. Office Premises - The accommodation
review is ongoing. Rossington office closed at the end of July 2012 and SLHD
now share premises at the Holmescarr Centre. Mexborough and Bentley Cash
Offices closed at the end of September - customers can now go to Mexborough
and Bentley libraries for enquires. Adwick and Stainforth cash offices were
closed in quarter 3. The provisional estimated savings from these closures is
£20k. In addition, Property
Services have been given the go ahead to move to new premises on Shaw Lane.
This will result in the closure of Conisbrough, Adwick and Armthorpe depots
and moving to a single site around May 2013, it is anticipated that this will
result in £100k savings each year. Central overheads – Benchmarking group
established end of Q3 and data submitted. Awaiting results for further
analysis and action. ASB – Broken down into key
elements of ASB and working with other organisations to develop a better
understanding of costs and performance. Major and Cyclical works - A major
service review is underway to increase VFM by improving the planning of
scheduled works. The phasing in of this is planned for April 2013 |
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Measure |
Traffic Light |
Current Value |
Current Target |
Last Value |
Latest Note |
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SLH KPI 1 %
Of Current Rent Arrears against Annual debit |
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2.22% |
1.8% |
2.1% |
Rent recovery
performance was 2.22% at the end of December. This is a 0.11% improvement
from the previous month, however performance has not
varied significantly during the quarter as a whole. Compared with the same
time last year, we have seen a fairly significant increase in arrears, in
December 2011 the arrears figure was 1.80%. The reasons
behind the increase are a combination of factors; however, the primary cause
given by tenants in arrears, is the additional
difficulty in juggling priority payments, when inflation on essentials such
as utilities and food is higher than the increase in household income. It is
worthy to note, that other authorities in the area are experiencing the same
difficulties, a recent study undertaken by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in
Bradford highlighted the impact of the recession on low income families and
the problems created by rising fuel costs, food prices, job losses and
reduced working hours. This study
confirms what our income management staff are
hearing from our tenants when they call at their homes. When we look at
tenant’s income and expenditure they often have multiple debt problems. The
payment of rent is often not being seen as the highest priority, because the
penalty for non payment can be more extreme and immediate if they fail to pay
other debts, despite the fact that they could eventually get evicted and lose
their home. The rent
arrears cases include "hit and miss" payers who might pay for a few
weeks and then miss a week to pay another debt, the
end result is their arrears total creeps up. The number of serious cases over
£1500 has increased from 44 in December 2011 to the present total of 81. We
are working to a plan to improve both the long term and short term situation.
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SLH KPI 13
(a) Value for Money Quarterly Budget Monitoring - Capital Expenditure |
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0% |
0% |
-1.48% |
The Public
Sector Housing Capital Programme for 2012-2013, for which SLHD are
responsible, shows an overall projected spend of £42.748m against a budget
provision of £42.748m. This would
result in a break-even budget position. |
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SLH KPI 13
(b) Value for Money Quarterly Budget Monitoring - Revenue Expenditure |
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-4.51% |
0% |
-7.41% |
The current
projected outturn forecast for 2012-2013 is a surplus of £1,622k this is
against a budget of £36m. The
projected surplus is 4.51% of the total expenditure budget. |
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SLH KPI 2 %
of Rent Collected against Annual Debit |
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96.80% |
98.23% |
96.66% |
Performance
for December (96.80%) is very similar to November (96.99%) and has not varied
significantly during the quarter as a whole. Performance is following the
trend seen in previous years. As expected, performance is down on the same
time last year, because it is affected by the same factors that have also
contributed to the increase in rent arrears, such as tenants not paying rent
due to other debt priorities. We have
introduced a plan to improve performance up to the year end and beyond. This
is proving to be a very positive initiative and now includes 14 short term
and 11 long term actions. Some of the
key actions are:- • Changing
the role of the Senior Income Management Officer, so they perform more of a
hands on role when it comes to serious case management •
Introducing overtime for a three month period and increasing the number of staff
chasing arrears and assisting tenants with benefit advice • Maximise
publicity on rent recovery issues for example paying on the rent free week • Reviewing
the staffing structure • Liaising
with other organisations over performance and target setting •
Organising staff training Although it
will be a challenge to meet the target at the end of the year, the above
actions should see an improvement on performance for the last quarter. |
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SLH KPI 3
Void Rent Loss % of rent loss through vacant dwellings |
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0.95% |
0.95% |
1.08% |
Performance
has improved significantly since the end of quarter 2 when performance was
1.08%, and we have reached the end of year target for the first time this
year. Quarter 3, also sees an improvement of 0.05% compared to the same time
last year. We will
continue to monitor performance weekly and continue with regular meetings
between Housing Services and Property Services to ensure that performance
remains within target. |
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St Leger
Homes Delivery Plan 2012-13 THEME 2 -
WELFARE BENEFIT REFORM |
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Performance |
Status |
Objective |
Latest Note |
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On Target |
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SLHD DP
12/13 2a Being prepared and helping tenants prepare for Welfare Benefit
Reform |
Of the five milestones,
all are progressing to target A
strategic partnership group has been established with partner members
including DMBC Housing Benefits, Strategic Housing, Stronger Families,
Children’s and Adult Services. The group is chaired by SLHD’s CEO and meets
monthly and has a strategic plan for members. Visits
to customers affected by the size criteria (commonly known as bedroom tax) have
begun and a number of agency staff have been
employed to assist with the visits. We estimate around 3,500 tenants will be
affected. Ongoing publications in HouseProud and in conjunction with DMBC to
raise the profile with those affected. Visits are focusing on those at
greatest risk i.e ·
Those
with difficulties such as learning, language, mental health issues or
problems with literacy ·
Those
who with the greatest financial impact (25% for 2+ bedrooms) ·
Those
affected being advised of implications and supported in decision making e.g.
Mutual Exchange, lowering barriers to work, assistance dealing with debts and
budgets, assistance with moving to more size appropriate accommodation including
moving costs SLHD
Officers have been speaking to SYCU regarding products and the Government are investigating suitable products to assist the delivery
of Universal Credit. |
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Measure |
Traffic Light |
Current Value |
Current Target |
Last Value |
Latest Note |
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SLH KPI 4
Number of Evictions Due to Rent Arrears |
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26 |
19 |
19 |
There were
no evictions in December 2012; however, we had a big spike in November when
there were 6. The cumulative figure for the year is now 26,
against a year end target of 25 therefore we cannot meet the target. However,
the evictions don’t follow a seasonal trend and last year there were only 4
in the period January to March 2012. If we use that as a guide, the year end
total is estimated to be above 30 We recently
held the first meeting of senior officers to review and make decisions on the
future of serious arrears cases. The options were further recovery work,
application to court for possession orders or eviction. In many cases the
Income Management Officers had done everything they could to recover the
arrears, but we were left with no option but court action. A high number of
our evictions are single people. |
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St Leger
Homes Delivery Plan 2012-13 THEME 3 -
CRIME AND ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR |
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Performance |
Status |
Objective |
Latest Note |
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On Target |
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SLHD DP
12/13 3a Continued focus on ASB - including new innovations/enhancements |
The
partnership working at a local level remains strong, the case identification
meetings commonly known as CIM's are particularly productive, this is where
the front line staff from the different agencies get together to discuss
their cases and share information. They then work out action plans. The
strength of the process is tackling ASB offenders early. The serious ASB
cases are presented to the Anti-Social Behaviour Panel on a monthly
basis so that a group of senior officers from a number of agencies can
complete a review and make recommendations regarding future action. The
majority of cases involve the protection of vulnerable residents. There
have been very few ASB cases involving introductory tenants, the vast
majority of cases concern secure tenants. The Police statistics
show a consistent fall in the number of ASB cases across Doncaster. SLHD have
experienced the same, however there is a growing trend of more serious
cases and the need for legal action. Many of the perpetrators have
drug, alcohol or mental health problems. This complicates the legal
process because of the issues surrounding the Equalities Act. Most
of the ASB cases presented in court for possession and injunctions have been
related to the usual issues, however there were a couple of actions
which were unusual. In the North area a number of injunctions have
been obtained against tenants who have erected fencing in the front gardens
of the properties in the Woodland Squares conservation area which have a
detrimental effect on the appearance of the estate. In the Central
area possession proceedings are going ahead against a tenant caught stealing
metal from one of our properties. At
the end of December there was an average satisfaction rate of 89% with
the way we handle ASB cases, we continue to investigate any cases where
the tenant has expressed dissatisfaction. |
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Measure |
Traffic Light |
Current Value |
Current Target |
Last Value |
Latest Note |
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SLH KPI 5
Customer satisfaction with the handling of ASB |
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89% |
93% |
89% |
This KPI is
provided one month in arrears. There were
10 satisfied customers and 1 dissatisfied customer in November. The one dissatisfied case is being investigated, to see if we
handled the case correctly and find out if there is anything more we can do
for the complainant. Viewpoint
(an independent social enterprise organisation) now carry out the surveys, with the intention of increasing
the rate of return and introducing a more sophisticated IT system (Voluntas)
for collecting data. The
cumulative satisfaction rate for the year is currently 89%,
this is 4% behind the year end target. |
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SLH KPI 6 %
of introductory tenancies not converted due to ASB |
Data Only |
0.51% |
Data Only |
0.82% |
During the
three month period October – December 2012, there were no introductory
tenancy cases not converted into secure tenancies as a result of ASB. This
switch from introductory tenancy to secure tenancy normally occurs after 12
months, but it can be 18 months if we extend the introductory period. This figure
does not mean there is no ASB in introductory tenancies, because there is,
and we have ongoing cases. However, the problems can usually be resolved by
other enforcement action like letters, verbal warnings and intervention by
our partners, for example the Environmental Health Department (mainly noise
problems). |
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St Leger
Homes Delivery Plan 2012-13 THEME 4 -
IMPROVING HOMES AND PROPERTIES |
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Performance |
Status |
Objective |
Latest Note |
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On Target |
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SLHD DP
12/13 4a Supporting the Council to provide better quality homes |
Of the three milestones
relating to this strategic objective, all are on target. The Private Landlord
Officer has been working with the Financial Inclusion Team to promote the
service as those who express an interest in moving as a result of the Social
Housing Size Criteria have a full range of options offered including the
Private Landlord Scheme. Predominantly SLHD have very few 2 bedroom
properties so we have also been working with investors who are looking to
purchase multiple properties for us to manage, to look at properties with 2
bedrooms. As we have a dedicated
person working on the Private Landlord scheme the communication between SLHD
and The Empty Property Team in DMBC has increased. We receive regular updates
from DMBC regarding the grant properties that allow us to plan in advance.
This has reduced the amount of time that the properties are empty. We have promoted the
service using different methods such as, holding events in Doncaster Town
Centre, radio coverage and stories in the local newspapers. We have also
designed and are currently working with a company that will supply and
install advertising boards outside the vacant properties. Following
consultation, the Allocation Policy changes were presented and agreed at
Cabinet on 19th December. The full draft policy is currently with
the legal department and we are working with our IT service provider for an
implementation date and project plan to incorporate a full review of the
current housing register. |
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Measure |
Traffic Light |
Current Value |
Current Target |
Last Value |
Latest Note |
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SLH_RM25 Private Landlord
Scheme |
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38 |
33 |
29 |
We
have signed 38 private landlords to the scheme as of 31
December 2012, against a target of 33. Of
the 38 we have 34 tenanted. In addition, we are working with 21 other landlords - 10
through the grant scheme and 11 independent landlords with a
view to them signing the Management Agreement. The majority of landlords that
we are working with have individual or small numbers of properties. We feel
confident that the target of 44 will be achieved by the end of the financial
year. We are also working with new landlords that are looking to invest in
several properties |
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SLH_RM27 Empty
Properties into HRA |
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1 |
15 |
0 |
Contracts have been exchanged for a further 11
properties at Finningley with completion expected end of March,
the acquisition budget has been adjusted accordingly. |
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St Leger
Homes Delivery Plan 2012-13 THEME 5 -
NEW BUSINESS GROWTH AND DIVERSIFICATION |
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Performance |
Status |
Objective |
Latest Note |
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On Target |
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SLHD DP
12/13 5a Consider business opportunities for growth and diversification |
Your Homes Newcastle - Whilst SLHD remains poised to commence service
delivery, no orders have yet been passed to us from YHN. There is some
concern regarding the impact of welfare benefit reforms and the eligibility
of service charges for benefit payments. These concerns have impacted on the
ability of YHN to secure new customers for the service which in turn has
resulted in there being no deliveries for SLHD to make. Viewpoint - During
Quarter 3 Viewpoint continued to operate successfully out of St Leger Court
and managed to secure two new contracts for customer satisfaction testing for
Doncaster NHS and A1 Housing. This resulted in the existing staff doubling
their hours in quarter 3 and further recruitment is planned toward the end of
the calendar year. |
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Measure |
Traffic Light |
Current Value |
Current Target |
Last Value |
Latest Note |
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SLH_RM28 Job Opportunities
Created |
Data Only |
25 |
Data only |
6 |
Employment
opportunities relate to apprenticeships, gardeners and their supervisors |
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SLH_RM29 Number of SLHD
tenants employed from NEETS/JSA |
Data Only |
2 |
Data only |
2 |
Two of the three
Viewpoint employees are SLHD tenants. We are currently
working with our contractor partners to see if we can identify the numbers of
SLHD tenants currently employed through their contracts. |
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St Leger
Homes Delivery Plan 2012-13 THEME 6 -
ADDITIONAL KPI'S |
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Performance |
Status |
Objective |
Latest Note |
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Off Track |
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SLHD DP
12/13 6a Additional KPI Information required for Challenge |
Of the 6
additional KPI's, 1 is on target, 2 are near to target, 1 is under target, 1
is data only and 1 is an annual indicator. Further
detail on each of the KPI's progress is provided within the PI commentary
below. |
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Measure |
Traffic Light |
Current Value |
Current Target |
Last Value |
Latest Note |
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SLH KPI 10
Proportion of Planned Repairs against Responsive |
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38.6 |
50 |
40.2 |
To address
this performance SLHD are using the Systems Thinking approach to introduce
working procedures to make the service more effective and efficient. Using the
Systems Thinking approach has identified savings that can be made in the
responsive repairs service by reorganising the work into smaller areas
reducing waste such as travelling time. This in turn will have a positive
impact on the planned works by increasing available resources. The project
plan will be phased in from April 2013. |
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SLH KPI 11
% of properties with a valid Landlord Certificate |
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100% |
100% |
98.79% |
The 2012/13
annual gas service programme was completed December 21 2012 which was 12 days
ahead of schedule and a full 4 weeks earlier than 2011/12. This
excellent performance was achieved due to joint working by DMBC and cross
directorate working within St. Leger Homes. |
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SLH KPI 12
Complaints Activity - Property Services |
Data Only |
96 |
Data Only |
95 |
Property
Services generated 88% (97 in total) of complaints received in November. 47%
of these complaints (46 in total) were service failure. The main
themes for Service Failure are; Time taken to complete a repair (19), Lack of
communication (8), Outstanding repair (3) and Poor service delivery (3). The main 3
service teams generating the Service Failure (SF) complaints are: Wet Trade
teams (10 SF complaints received in total, 5 against West and 5 against
East). This is an increase of October’s service failure complaints for these
teams. Gas,
Electrical and Mechanical (9 SF complaints received in total) This is a
decrease of October’s service failure complaints for these teams. Electrical
and Painters teams (6 SF complaints received in total, 1 against East and 5
against West). This is an increase of October’s service failure for these
teams. Please note
in terms of complaints received against activity, Decency work is reported as
a stand alone service, as the work is raised and completed separately. The
rest of Property Services are reported as a collective. There were
a total of 10,005 repairs raised, which equates to 0.88% (88) of total
complaints received and 0.39% (40) determined as service failure. There were
a total of 7,174 repairs completed, which equates to 1.23% (88) of total
complaints received and 0.56% (40) determined as service failure. The total
number of properties opened for Decency work in November is a total of 526
which equates to 1.71% (9) of total complaints received and 1.14% (6)
determined as service failure. The total
number of properties handed back from Decency work is a total of 537 which
equates to 1.67% (9) of total complaints received and 1.12% (6) determined as
service failure. |
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SLH KPI 7
Average SAP rating per dwelling |
Annual
Indicator |
66.6 |
67.3 |
66.6 |
This
performance indicator is only reported annually. The 2011/12
SAP rating outturn of 66.56 was below the annual target of 67.26 (by 0.7). This
shortfall can be attributed to 2 things: 1. External
render to some high blocks in the town centre that had not been completed by
the end of the financial year. 2. Some
non-traditional properties in Mexborough had to be moved back in the
programme pending mains gas infrastructure installation. The properties which
were brought forward to replace them in the programme did not yield as much
of a SAP rating improvement as those originally planned. Those properties
which were pushed back will not be completed until towards the end of
2012/13. |
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SLH KPI 8
Right First Time |
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96.23% |
97% |
96.77% |
Cumulative
performance is 96.23%, just below the target of 97%. There has been a slight
deterioration from last month, when performance was 96.35%. Quarter 3
saw a slight deterioration in performance compared to quarter 2, when
performance was 96.77%. Monthly
performance for Right First Time is 96.73%, which was an improvement from
last month when performance was 96.07%. There were
two depots that did not achieve target during December, these were depot 066
(Gas) 94.63% and depot 502 (Wet Trades) 96.56%. Depot 066 had the most jobs
not right first time, 71 in total. Analysis of
these 71 jobs has shown that:- • 6 were
due to workmanship • 9 were
tenant Led – unsure of how the system works, tenants have again been informed
how the system works • 32 were
wrong diagnosis by operative, training ongoing with staff, • 3 jobs
were carded, • 4 jobs
were cancelled, • 17 jobs
no feedback provided. All other
depots were above the 97% target. Performance
for the same time last year was slightly higher at 96.44%. |
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SLH KPI 9
Appointments Made and Kept |
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99.06% |
99.5% |
98.99% |
December’s
monthly outturn figure is 99.25%, this represents
3,579 jobs where appointments were kept out of a total of 3,606, where an
appointment was made. Quarter 3's
performance is 99.06%, which is an improvement of 0.07% since quarter 2, when
performance was 98.99%. Analysis
has highlighted that in December, only depot 500 (Joinery) achieved the
profiled target of 99.50%. Depot 66
(Gas) achieved 99.21%, depot 501 (Plumbing) achieved 99.37%, depot 502 (Wet
Trades) achieved 99.47% and depot 503 (Mixed Trades) achieved 98.20% and were
below the target. The highest
achieving depot was depot 500 (Joinery) achieving 99.86%. A total of
27 appointments were missed across all the depots in December. This is an
improvement compared to the same time last year when 32 appointments were
missed. The reasons they were missed are as follows: • 2
appointments were attended earlier than the appointment date (8 for the same
time last year) • 7 were
attended later than the appointment day (3 for the same time last year) • 15 were
attended late on the correct appointment day (18 for the same time last year)
and • 3 were
attended early on the correct appointment day (1 for the same time last year)
There is a
slight decline in performance compared to the same period last year when
quarter 3's performance was 99.28%. |
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