Agenda and minutes

To receive comments or views from members of the public at the Panel’s discretion.

None.

The Panel to be notified of any substitute members.

None.

An apology was received from Councillor Mrs Smith.

Members are asked to declare interests in matters for consideration at the meeting.

None.

The notes of the meeting held on 31st May 2005 are attached for information.

(Enclosure)

The action notes from the meeting held on 31st May 2005 were confirmed as a correct record of the decisions taken.

None.

·        Report on the visit to Wychavon District Council

·        Best Practise – a Presentation from Wychavon’s Housing & Revenues Manager, Kath Smith

·        Update on progress against the Improvement Plan

The Housing Improvement Programme Facilitator referred members to the Strategic Housing Improvement Programme.  The programme was designed to improve strategic housing to a two star service in 12 months.  To help with this programme and best practice the District Council contacted Wychavon District Council which were the best in the country, and had gone from a poor rating to an excellent three star rating in just two years.   Wychavon District Council were very similar to South Kesteven with a similar urban and rural spread and were also a member of our audit group.

A visit to Wychavon had been arranged and members and officers had had an excellent day.   The Housing Improvement Programme Facilitator then showed members a short video which had been made by Wychavon District Council on best practice which showed the Chief Executive and the Portfolio Holder discussing what changes they made with their focus moving from a bricks and mortar service to a customer focused service with a pragmatic approach.  They had a one-stop shop in which partners including the police worked in the same place, were able to share information and had a joined up working culture.

Kath Smith was then introduced to the Panel. She was the Revenues & Housing Services Manager at Wychavon and had been one of the key players in changing Wychavon’s strategic housing management.  The Chairman welcomed Ms Smith to the meeting.

In a presentation to the Panel Kath Smith outlined how the strategic housing service at Wychavon had changed.  She indicated that it was not the poor CPA report that they received which had prompted the change but they had done it for their customers.

Areas that were highlighted within the presentation were:

·              Strong Leadership

·              Financing Change 

·              Empowering the team

·              Improving Key data

·              Consultation

·              Effective Plans

·              Partnership

·              Service Improvements

·              Help for the Homeless

·              Helping the Private Sector

·              Development of New Affordable Housing

·              Promoting what they did

She said that having a very proactive portfolio holder had been a great help and the political will of members to drive the service and improvements was necessary for success.  By empowering the team which at the being had been depressed and disheartened by the CPA report had brought a complete culture change.   All officers had been encouraged to make suggestions or innovations for improvements be they small or large and the responsibility for making the decisions had been given to the officers.  They could fail once but not twice.

The improvement to key data, specifically IT programmes had been a major development and the use of text messaging had saved the authority a tremendous amount of money as people were more likely to reply to a text where as letters would be put directly in the bin.  The merging of revenue services with housing had also benefited their customers.  The area of consultation was important and the forums for the disabled and private landlords had been very successful.  A visit with the Overview and Scrutiny members had been arranged to go out with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

Update to be given at meeting.

The Corporate Director Regulatory Services introduced to the Panel Mr Geoff Brooks who had been appointed at the Project Manager for the LSVT.  He would be working three days a week and had a background which made him ideal to carry out the work necessary having been involved with 12 stock transfers.

The Corporate Director Regulatory Services in a presentation to members outlined the current position with regard to the LSVT.   She highlighted how the Stock Option Appraisal Commission had reached the decision on the preferred option having regard to the following five reasons:  enhanced housing management, fulfilling tenants priority investment choices, enhanced tenant involvement, more affordable housing and focus on strategic housing function.

It was clear that the HRA could not sustain the reasons given after 2012.   Following what had been said earlier on in the meeting she reiterated that the public and the media seemed to be confused about the landlord and strategic function of housing.  The Council would always have an obligation to strategic housing which dealt with homelessness, housing need, private sector stock even if these areas were contracted out, the responsibility would still rest with the council.

She then outlined the current status with appointment of consultants for the various areas including the retention of LIBRA by the tenants as the independent tenant advisors which gave the tenants continuity of care.  Legal consultants were yet to be appointed and currently expressions of interest were being sort from the eight to ten firms that specialised in LSVT work.

An indicative work programme to develop the strategy was then outlined.  The options for the choice of new landlord were: a brand new organisation, to merge completely with an existing RSL or create a new organisation within a RSL. 

The member governance structure was then outlined to the members and how this would work together with the indicative new landlord shadow board structure which would comprise of five council representatives, five tenant representatives and five independent representatives.   It was still early stages and there was an awful lot of work that needed to be undertaken before any formal offer was made to the tenants.   The uncertainty within the public and the media to differentiate between strategic housing and LSVT needed to be addressed. 

The Project Manager for the LSVT said that in order to have the correct balance on the shadow board a skills matrix was often a useful tool to enable people to be placed on the board to maximise the skills available.   Council representatives could be chosen in a number of ways from having a councillor from each of the three main towns and the north and south of the district to having a political balance.  It was not a written rule as to how representatives were allocated.

One member expressed concern that the fourth option was not spoken about.  He understood the Corporate Director Regulatory Services position, however governments change and this would certainly be the case over the next thirty years.  A 30 year  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

A copy of the Draft Scrutiny Handbook is attached for Members to comment on.                                                                                                     (Enclosed)        

Circulated with the agenda was a draft copy of the Scrutiny Handbook, it was intended as a guide to members and officers.  The Scrutiny Co-ordinating Group had asked that it be circulated to DSP’s for comment.  Members had nothing to add to the document.

• Housing Issues specifically difficult to let properties and voids.
• Strategic Housing.
• Street Drinking.

Conclusion

That the Corporate Manager Democratic and Legal Services be asked to look into the possibility of the Council making its own order to ban drinking at certain locations within the district.   The results to be reported back to the DSP.

Housing Issues specifically difficult to let properties and voids

The Chairman informed members that they were still waiting to see a property in the Deepings and hopefully this could be arranged in the near future.  Trevor Burdon was now the responsible officer; it was no longer Mike Smith.

Strategic Housing

The Corporate Director of Regulatory Services had covered this issue earlier on in the agenda.

Street Drinking

The findings of the Working Group had been circulated with the agenda.  Councillor G Taylor who had been a member of the working group expressed regret that the group had not been able to achieve more progress on the subject.   Stamford members then referred to problems experienced in Stamford with glass bottles being smashed in Red Lion Square on a Friday and Saturday night and young people drinking on the Meadows. It was suggested that the Corporate Manager Democratic and Legal Services be asked to look into how orders are made to ban drinking in certain areas and if it is possible for the Council to make their own orders.  Reference was made to Nottingham where drinking had been banned in the town centre and in certain parks.

(Enclosure)

A more recent copy of the BVPI’s was circulated to members following the CMT meeting that had been held the previous day.  The Corporate Director of Regulatory Services referred to various indicators where work was being undertaken but the outcomes would not show in the indicators for a few months e.g voids.    Reference was made to rent collection which the Corporate Director of Regulatory Services said was a quarterly indicator and information would be available at the end of September.   

Scrutiny Work Programme attached for information.

                                                                                                        (Enclosure)

A copy of the work programme had been circulated with the agenda.  The Scrutiny Officer referred to the work which the DSP was already undertaking but if any member had anything they wished to add to the programme to let him know.   Reference was made to the Crime and Disorder Action Plan and it was suggested that street drinking be incorporated within the plan and Alan McWilliams be invited to attend a meeting of the DSP.   The Scrutiny Officer suggested that the DSP may wish to hold a meeting in Stamford possibly at theTown Hall and invite the public to air their views on street drinking to which members agreed.

To receive updates from members on outside bodies.

• Community Care for the Elderly

Members were circulated with a report from Councillor Mrs Wheat on the Community Care for the Elderly.   A member referred to the problems being experienced in Stamford with the “meals on wheels” and a member suggested that the Town Council look at Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972 as this would be helpful in dealing with grants that Parish/Town Councils could issue.

Members were reminded about the special meeting of the DSP which would take place on Thursday 13th October at 9.30am.

The meeting closed at 12.20pm.