Agenda item

The Committee received the Quarter 3 Performance and Delivery Update, which gave Members the opportunity to raise any concerns on successes and challenges faced by St Leger Homes against the Key Performance Indicators for 2022-23. It was noted that Doncaster remained one of the lowest in the country for rental prices at approximately £76 per week last year, rising to £81 per week next year. This placed SLHD at the 8th lowest housing authority in the country providing value for money.

Additionally, the report also contained SLHD’s Value for Money (VFM) Annual Statement for the financial year ending 31 March, 2022. This demonstrated that SLHD was operating within a challenging budget but was robustly managed and  exhibited good or improving operational performance, with improving trends against KPIs in most areas, and represented the best performance ever achieved by SLHD.

Members were invited to put forward any questions to Dave Richmond, Chief Executive of St Leger Homes of Doncaster, who was in attendance at the meeting to present the report.

Members queried how the rising costs of materials was being impacted by the rise in inflation as this was a risk that could lead to further challenges. Officers reported that whilst costs had risen, this was now starting to level off, and work was being done to shop around. It was outlined that one of the main problems was with supply, and this was not consistent with it sometimes proving difficult to get hold of the materials needed.

A query was raised with regard to the ‘One Voice’ Forum and how this worked as there had been a decline in tenant satisfaction. The Committee was informed that there had been a decline in this nationally, and it was not straightforward to understand what the issues were causing this.  It was recognised that this  was possibly due to frustration in terms of repairs being completed in a timely manner. It was viewed important that SLHD listens to the tenants views and act upon them. SLHD continued to have tenant representatives on the Board.  It was considered important to ensure there was adequate engagement taking place and moving forward, making sure this was linked up. The one voice forum is a new umbrella group that has an oversight of all engagement activity taking place and can ensure that customers perspectives are collated for the consideration of the board.

Void properties continued to be an area of major attention, particularly around the turnaround time for re-letting void properties. The Chief Executive of SLHD reported that Doncaster continued to be one of the top performers in the country on this issue, however the locally set target was a very exacting one.  It was explained that while many void properties were re-let quickly, there were however a number of delays waiting for repairs to be undertaken before this could be carried out. The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, Portfolio Holder for Housing, also in attendance at the meeting, informed the Committee that both he and the Mayor continued to hold SLHD to account in order that they performed to the highest standards.

Members voiced concern in terms of domestic abuse victims and how they were dealt with following reports of abuse. It was outlined that many times, it was the victim and not the perpetrator who was removed from the property and taken away from their home. Officers commented that these were often very complex and volatile situations, and more often than not, it was the wish of the victim to move and sometimes safer and/or preferable for the victim to leave and be rehomed rather than remain in the property whilst they were at risk or where the home had unpleasant connotations.

RESOLVED that Members note the progress of St Leger Homes of Doncaster Performance Outcomes and Value for Money statement and the contribution that SLHD made to supporting Doncaster Councils Strategic Priorities.