Agenda item

Working in partnership with the Tenant Working Group and the existing staff focus group to explore more innovative options for the management of the Council’s housing stock.

Conclusion

That the following panel members be on the Strategic Working Party, Councillors Exton, Howard, Mrs Smith and Martin-Mayhew.  As one place was still out standing on the working group a letter be sent to Councillor Bisnauthsing asking if he wished to be a member, or if another member from the Liberal Democrat Group wished to be involved in the process.

Members had before them a briefing note from the Director of Tenancy Services.  He referred to the DSP held in November and the Council meeting held at the end November at which the Council had agreed to set up a working party.  The working party would consist of 15 participants, five tenant representatives, five staff representatives and five members.    Both the tenant and the staff representatives had been chosen and the Director of Tenancy Service listed them.  

One of the main work areas in Tenancy Services for the next financial year was the preparation for an inspection by the Audit Commission. The Council’s landlord housing service had never been inspected and the Audit Commission had indicated that an inspection would take place after the outcome of the LSVT ballot was known.  The Director of Tenancy Services informed the panel that he expected an inspection to take place between September and December 2007.  A member asked if this would impact staff during budget preparation time to which the Director of Tenancy Services replied that it would.

In order to prepare for the Audit Inspection a “Shadow Inspection” (SI) was being prepared by an external organisation before April.  The intention was that the SI would be as close to a real inspection as possible with an indication of the services’ ‘Score’ against the Audit Commissions Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOE’s).  The Director of Tenancy Services gave a brief summary of what was meant by KLOE’s.  An action plan would then be agreed and implemented. It was proposed that the newly created working party would be actively involved in preparing for the SI and in the actual inspection itself.   The working party would be able to participate in the review of the options for the management of the housing stock with a view to Tenancy Services strengths and weaknesses and where improvement work needed to be carried out.  Tenancy Services would also complete a self assessment which together with the KLOE would give a reality check on where the service currently stood.

It was proposed that the working party meet over the next three months to discuss the various issues and these were highlighted in the briefing note.    There was a lot of work to be undertaken and the Chairman reminded members that if they were to be part of the working party they needed to be able to commit the necessary time.  The Chairman put himself forward as a candidate and also Councillors Mrs Smith, Howard and Exton put themselves forward.  It was suggested that as Councillor Bisnauthsing was not present that he be asked if he wished to join the working party or if not another member of the Liberal Democrat Group.    Councillor Gibbins indicated that although she would like to be a member she could not commit the time required but she would ask if anyone within the Labour Group was interested in joining the working party.

The first meeting of the working party had been arranged for Friday 26th January at 9.30am and an agenda and papers would be distributed shortly.  One of the items on the agenda was the appointment of the outside consultants to carryout the SI and the working party would be fully involved in the process.