Issue - meetings

            (a)       That the report be noted;

(b)       That now the service was delivering sustained improved performance that an annual update report to Committee be provided in future.

The Housing Asset Manager introduced a report to update Members on the progress of the Housing Asset Management Service improvement workstreams.  He introduced Denise Price, the Business Performance Manager, to the Committee.   

                        He detailed the background to the report and provided details of some of the main highlights of 2013-14 which included improved performance across all categories of repairs and full delivery of the Capital Programme, again outperforming the promises made in the Choices Document.  It was reported that the team had worked closely with the Housing Training Manager to provide both necessary and added value training to all members of the service and a full list of the training provided was detailed.  One of the courses which had been identified as being of benefit to the service was scaffolding, as being able to carry out this task in-house would reduce the amount of spend with external contractors.  A corporate fleet review had been undertaken and the proposed new ownership model would generate efficiencies through both cost of vehicles and improved productivity as a result of revised arrangements for vehicle servicing and safety checks. 

                        On the issue of mobile working, the Housing Asset Manager said that there had been some initial difficulties but the issues were being addressed and a robust solution to provide an effective, fit for purpose Mobile Working solution for the future was being identified.  A site visit had been undertaken by Housing and IT officers to an authority where the proposed solution had been implemented in order to view the new solution in a working environment and to discuss the risks and benefits of the system.  The Housing Asset Manager provided details of the new solution and explained that the project to implement the new solution would be undertaken in three stages which he detailed.  The team had achieved significant improvements in performance across all categories of repairs over the last 12 months and continued to work towards further improvement with the aim of achieving top quartile status for the service.  It was predicted that over 49,000 additional repairs would have been carried out in 2013-14 which was over 3000 more than the last financial year and a further 2000 more than the 2011-12 financial year.  The Housing Asset Manager spoke of the performance around vacant properties and added that there had been a number of improvements to management arrangements and business processes during the year which had driven the improvements.  Further developments were planned for the forthcoming year to continue progress which included revised voids standards, in-house Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) kitchen team and improved performance reports.  He advised that 99.69% of gas servicing checks had been undertaken in 2013-14 but added that the target remained as 100% and the team was committed to working with Housing Management to achieve that in 2014-15. 

                        The Housing Asset Manager provided details of the works which it had been intended to provide under the Capital Works Programme for 2013/14 and also details of the works which had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5