Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Housing introduced the report which sought approval of the new Assisted Gardening Service.

The Assisted Gardening Service required modernising to align it with the changing needs of the population and implications of the Government’s Welfare Reform proposals.

A review was necessary for the following reasons:

·         Residential gardening services did not form part of Streetscene’s core business and as a result they no longer wished to deliver the service

·         There was no provision for ensuring the welfare of the tenant in carrying out visual checks of the building for security purposes

·         The service did not allow for additional services such as garden clearance for antisocial tenants or void properties

·         There were limitations on who was able to receive the service, with no option for other residents to pay for services if they required them

·         Grass clippings were left in situ; a matter which had caused some dissatisfaction amongst tenants and elected Members

·         The service did not provide value for money

·         The cost of delivering the Service was met by all tenants whether they received it or not

Following the tender process during the summer, the cost of delivering a comparable service for grass and hedge cutting under the terms of the new contract had been calculated at £125k, enabling an annual saving of £125k.  This included the cost of delivering the welfare element of the service.

Charging for the service could be fixed or variable.  A fixed charge was based on how much the Council estimated it would reasonably cost to run the services in the scheme/block.  The advantage of fixed charges for tenants was that they were simple to understand and easier to budget for and manage.

Variable service charges were based on the actual costs of a particular service so the tenant only paid for the service, plus any associated management fee.  When operating a variable charge, the administration burden increased and this was therefore the less favoured option.

The report provided full details of examples of how much a disabled council tenant, a non disabled council tenant and a private resident would pay for grass cutting charges and hedge cutting charges.

An additional welfare element would compliment the new Community Based Accommodation Support Service (CBASS) which would ensure that the most vulnerable tenants were supported in ways to meet their needs.  An example was a gardener who would check for evident signs of alarm, distress or unusual activity including a build up of post in the letter box, signs of forced entry etc.  The gardener would report any signs of concern to Care Link or the Emergency Services so they could be acted upon immediately.

RESOLVED:

That the introduction of a chargeable gardening service to tenants and private Flintshire residents and the charging model set out in the report be supported.