Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Corporate Manager for Public Health, Regulation and Housing providing an update to Members on enforcement and other activity undertaken by Mid Devon Housing.

The Group received, and NOTED, a report * from the Corporate Manager for Public Health, Regulation and Housing providing an update to Members on enforcement and other activity undertaken by Mid Devon Housing. This included the following information:

·         The report provided a summary of results in relation to key performance indicators, including voids and debt recovery.

·         The Government had mandated that new Tenant satisfactory measures be reported upon and this applied to anybody providing social housing. This would be a focus for the Regulator in the future.

·         There was a challenge for the Council at the current time in terms of staff recruitment and retention. This was being experienced across the sector.

Consideration was given to:

·         The effectiveness of the Devon Home Choice (DHC) Allocations system. It was explained under the new regulatory regime that any provider having over a 1,000 properties to rent out will be required to have an open, fair and transparent allocation system which DHC already provides. There had to be a level playing field providing vital assurance that all was fair. There could be issues with bandings which could be looked at on an individual basis. Have a regional approach was also supported by the larger Housing Associations who joined DHC on this basis which ultimately provides more choice for tenants.

·         Despite the pressures within the service the Group were reassured that issues were prioritised in terms of health & safety, repairs and maintenance.

·         The complexity of multiple debt issues experienced by tenants given the current cost of living crisis and the effect of having to deal with this on the Neighbourhood officers. It was explained that officers were trained and worked with third parties such as CAB, CHAT and DWP, however, there were pressures.

·         Possession numbers increasing. Every effort was made to engage with Tenants before things escalated but sometimes this was not possible and there was no option but to refer matters to the court. This was always used as a last resort.

·         Assessing numbers of staff within the specialist team was always under review, however, there were financial implications to consider in terms of additional recruitment and training costs.

Note: * Report previously circulated; copy attached to the signed minutes.