Agenda item

To consider report OSC/320 of the Chair of the Housing Associations Scrutiny Panel.

The Commission considered report OSC/320 of the Chair of the Housing Associations Scrutiny Panel.  A ‘spotlight’ Housing Associations Scrutiny Panel was established in June 2023 to seek clarification as to the regulation of social landlords and housing associations. It was felt it would be beneficial to scrutinise the current situation with regards to a limited number of housing associations within the town, together with service standards, satisfaction and complaints received, ideally with witness sessions from various housing associations.  It was important to explore options to improve the work between the Council  and various registered social landlords (RSLs), resulting in a positive outcome for residents.

Following discussions with the Chair of the Panel, Councillor Lunnon, the Commission raised the following comments:

·         Confirmation that the Panel’s scope had included issues faced by residents including maintenance (and repairs), overall environmental appearance,  customer contact/satisfaction as well as anti-social behaviour (ASB).  The ASB Policy for each registered provider operating in Crawley was documented on each of their websites and had been available following the Panel’s November meeting. 

·         There had been challenges for the repairs service within Crawley brought about through the age of stock, cost of materials, supply issues as well as the damp and mould concerns. These had been noted throughout the sector, both from Crawley Homes and the Guinness Partnership.

·         Confirmation sought and obtained as to whether investigation had taken place with sheltered housing schemes.  It was noted that Councillors had been surveyed at the commencement of the review seeking immediate concerns but as a result sheltered schemes had not specifically been included in the scope.

·         The Commission acknowledged that the responsibility of governing and regulating registered providers lay with the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH).  However it also recognised the lack of response from some registered providers to attend the Panel’s meetings, and therefore there was support for requesting further scrutiny powers.  It was queried if other Councils were in a similar position, but it was recognised that the Council was a stock holding authority, owning and managing approximately three quarters of all social rented housing in the Borough. The remaining quarter was owned and managed by registered providers.

·         Registered Providers play a critical role in the delivery of social housing and meeting local housing need and it was acknowledged the strong partnership working in place between the Council and the number of registered providers operating successfully in the town. The current list of registered providers and number of properties was available on the Council’s website.

·         The recommendation to consider establishing regular meetings with partners and share best practice was welcomed.  (Engagement with tenants was already undertaken within Crawley Homes).

·         Acknowledgement that the factor most heavily influencing tenants during the bidding process (along with the size of the property and any adaptations needed) was the area in which the property was situated. The majority of applicants placed less importance on the landlord, or on the amount of rent and more on the area in which they wanted to live.

·         Confirmation that the OSC would receive regular publication of the Crawley tenant satisfaction measures (TSM) surveys with the first report being presented at the meeting on 2 September 2024.

·         Overall support for the report and the Commission thanked the Panel for its work.

RESOLVED

That the Commission noted the report and requested that the views expressed during the debate, were fed back to the Cabinet as an appendix to the main Cabinet report for its consideration at the meeting on 4 September 2024.