The Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel met on Monday 09 March 2026 to discuss key performance indicators for housing services, the management and maintenance of council housing estates, and the Neighbourhood Moves Scheme. The panel noted the report on the management and maintenance of council housing estates and recommended that Cabinet consider adopting a Neighbourhood Plan model sooner to improve communal areas, that there should be a single person responsible for the management of each estate, that Cabinet review whether Housing Officers are the most appropriate individuals for estate inspections given their current workloads, and consider benchmarking grounds maintenance performance against local housing associations. Regarding the Neighbourhood Moves Scheme, the panel noted the report and recommended that Cabinet consider revising the scheme to reserve a portion of properties for households outside the designated area experiencing severe overcrowding, that the catchment area be flexible to reflect the distribution of new builds, and that Cabinet should also consider introducing a minimum period between moves under the scheme, with exceptions for downsizing, and prioritising families with significant changes in circumstances.

KPI Update

The panel received an update on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the Housing Service, noting that while overall satisfaction with repairs was tracked, the definition of a completed repair relied on the contractor's satisfaction rather than the resident's. Concerns were raised about the tracking of cancelled or missed appointments, and the definition of out of scope for damp and mould cases. The panel was assured that improvements were being made to customer service and digital contact options, and that additional routes for reporting repairs had been established. The panel requested written clarification on whether repairs listed as first time fixed included those that were cancelled or rescheduled. They also sought further information on the performance of tenancy audits and the number of damp and mould cases completed within the target timeframe.

Management and Maintenance of Council Housing Estates

The panel discussed the management and maintenance of council housing estates, expressing concerns about a perceived lack of accountability due to the absence of named officers responsible for specific estates. Officers explained that a model of individual accountability was not considered effective due to the complexity of estate management. The panel also raised issues regarding estate inspections, noting they were often under-resourced and that feedback was not consistently provided. A reorganisation of tenancy services was underway, which would see Housing Officers leading the estate inspection process, with reduced patch sizes and the retention of Neighbourhood Improvement Officer roles. The panel noted the report and recommended that Cabinet consider adopting a Neighbourhood Plan model sooner to improve communal areas and that there should be a single person responsible for the management of each estate. They also recommended that Cabinet review whether Housing Officers were the most appropriate individuals for estate inspections given their current workloads and consider benchmarking grounds maintenance performance against local housing associations. Further information was requested on the estate management budget and the number of residents attending estate walkabouts.

Legal Disrepair

An update on Legal Disrepair cases was presented, outlining the current status of claims and work being undertaken to reduce open case levels. Officers indicated that the reduction in claims would depend on the scaling up of the Major Works programme and the number of new claims received. The panel queried the anticipated increase in damp and mould cases following the introduction of Awaab's Law, with officers stating that while there had been a slight increase, it was not as significant as anticipated, and that the Council had adequate resources and was working to increase supply chains to manage any future spikes. Concerns were raised about regular repairs escalating into legal disrepair claims, and officers acknowledged issues with call centre volume, but noted that additional direct reporting routes to the repairs team had been established. The panel welcomed the progress made in addressing legal disrepair but advocated for a focus on clearing backlogs and preventing cases from reaching court, suggesting the Council's expectation should be zero legal disrepair cases. The panel requested that future reports include figures on the axes of graphs, not just trends.

Neighbourhood Moves Scheme

The panel received a report on the Neighbourhood Moves Scheme (NMS), which aims to give priority for newly delivered Council rented homes to existing secure tenants in the local area. The report detailed the scheme's introduction, outcomes, and proposed changes as part of the Allocations Policy consultation. The panel sought clarification on the low percentage of eligible residents applying for the NMS, with officers explaining that overcrowding and under-occupancy were the primary reasons for moves, and that the scheme was gaining traction through word of mouth. The Cabinet Member mentioned an upcoming report to Cabinet on the Council's downsizing policy, suggesting more could be done to incentivise under-occupiers to downsize. The panel noted the report and recommended that Cabinet revise the NMS to reserve a portion of properties for households outside the designated area experiencing severe overcrowding, and that the catchment area be flexible to reflect the distribution of new builds. They also recommended introducing a minimum period between moves under the scheme, with exceptions for downsizing, and prioritising families with significant changes in circumstances.

Work Programme Update

The panel noted the update on its work programme.