Issue - meetings

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  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20