Agenda item

That the report be noted.

The Chief Officer (Community & Enterprise) introduced the regular update report to consider progress towards the delivery of the impacts set out in the 2016/17 Improvement Plan, focussing on the areas of under-performance relevant to the Committee during Quarter 1.

Housing

On the prevention of homelessness, the service was working within the budget but there were ongoing pressures to reduce the spend on bed and breakfast accommodation, particularly for young single people.  The Chief Officer said that a range of housing options were being explored and that legislative changes would offer more flexibility on shared tenancies.

Councillor Bernie Attridge was pleased to report that Supporting People funding had been protected by Welsh Government (WG).

The Service Manager (Council Housing Services) reported good progress on Year 2 of the programme to meet the Welsh Quality Housing Standards, with targets exceeded on the upgrading of bathrooms and kitchens.  Work was on target against the overall budget spend and progress was being maintained at the end of Quarter 2.

The Chairman paid tribute to the Service Manager (Council Housing Services) who was due to leave the Council and extended appreciation and best wishes on behalf of the Committee.  The Service Manager in turn thanked the Chief Officer and Committee Members for their support.

Councillor Rosetta Dolphin stressed that careful consideration should be given when allocating properties.  As an option to prevent homelessness, she suggested that 2 or 3-bedroom flats, which were unsuitable for families, could be split for easier letting.  Officers explained that this type of remodelling had been done in some areas and would be extended to other parts of the county.

Councillor Mike Reece referred to issues where some tenants were refusing refurbishment work and said that this could be resolved by giving them an opportunity to view completed work at other properties.  The Service Manager said that the work could not be forced upon tenants but that follow-up visits were made.  In response to comments about contractor performance, Councillor Attridge said that such concerns should be raised directly with Sean O’Donnell or Tony Jones for them to deal with the problem.  The Service Manager agreed to arrange for those officers to contact Councillor Reece.

Councillor Peter Curtis had raised with officers an issue about the standard of cleaning at a sheltered accommodation complex in his ward.  The Service Manager was aware of this and gave assurance that quality and consistency of services was being reviewed across all complexes.  The importance of tenant feedback was highlighted to help inform this review.

Economy and Enterprise

Amongst a number of positive outcomes in the report, the Service Manager (Enterprise and Regeneration) advised that the completion of Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) remained an area of focus with good progress made on the action plan which had been developed to improve performance and sustain targets.

On DFGs, Councillor Bernie Attridge spoke about the different approaches taken by other councils and gave assurances that in Flintshire, the exact number of days was recorded until all issues had been fully resolved and the cases were closed.

Councillor Derek Butler drew attention to good performance on the conversion of business enquiries to investment and the delivery of supply chain development events.  He said that this reflected the work undertaken by the service and took the opportunity to thank the Service Manager (Council Housing Services) for his involvement.

In response to a question, the Service Manager said that the impact of the withdrawal of Communities First funding was as yet unknown, but that any information would be shared with the Committee.  The importance of this initiative to various workstreams would be highlighted to WG.

Poverty

The Benefits Manager highlighted the achievements on the support being provided to help people to access benefits and the continued promotion of the Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) scheme to help people adjust to welfare reform changes.  Outcomes on Housing Benefit claim processing had been affected by a staff restructure and the legal requirement for additional information to accompany claims.

Councillor Hilary Isherwood commended the work of the Welfare Rights team in helping residents and asked about changes to the service.  It was explained that service delivery would continue with closer links to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau.  Capacity to undertake home visits was now limited and was available only to residents who were unable to attend the office, however low-level advice could be obtained through Flintshire Connects.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.