Agenda item

Challenge for Change - The Quality of Rehousing Services

Report of the Challenge for Change Tenant Scrutiny Group

Minutes:

6.1

The Committee received a report of the Challenge for Change (C4C) Tenant Scrutiny Group, on the Group’s recent project to review the quality of Rehousing Services.  The overall purpose of the project was to examine how well the Council’s Housing Service delivered rehousing services and to check how it compared with similar organisations.

 

 

6.2

The report was supported by a presentation which was given by one of the Group’s members, Angela Moreno, which covered the project objectives, reality checks, conclusions and recommendations. 

 

 

6.3

Also in attendance for this item were Tina Gilbert (Performance and Risk Manager), Ian Alexander, Linda Moxon and Max Richardson (C4C representatives).

 

 

6.4

During the presentation, Linda Moxon related her experiences, initially as a mystery shopper, who found that she had been de-registered and had to go through a complicated appeal procedure to become re-registered for rehousing.

 

 

6.5

Members made various comments and asked a number of questions, to which responses were provided as follows:-

 

 

 

·                     In relation to the appeal process, Linda Moxon indicated that she had provided the information requested, but had received no reply to an email which she had sent and had been given no notification of the expiry date for the appeal period.  However, once the Rehousing Customer Services Team Manager had become involved, the issue was resolved.  In the light of this management involvement, she felt that the appeal process would be further examined.

 

 

 

·                     Extra help should be made available for those who were unfamiliar with using a computer to register.  This could take the form of officers helping or being able to do this by phone.

 

 

 

·                     A Member commented that it appeared that promises made to review the de-registration process prior to October, 2016 had not been kept.

 

 

 

·                     In the light of experiences at the Howden House office, customers discussing personal information with officers should be offered private facilities.  It seemed that the situation had improved since a mystery shopping exercise, with the use of two queues now, one being for Council tax matters and another for Housing matters.

 

 

 

·                     It was important that the de-registration process did not put people off putting in an appeal and, with new staff coming in to the Housing Service due to Housing+, they should be properly trained.  It was felt that if the correct information was presented, then an appeal should succeed and it seemed that officers were now communicating appropriately by email.

 

 

 

·                     Privacy was particularly important in situations which involved domestic abuse victims.

 

 

 

·                     The differing experiences of customer service found by the Group highlighted the importance of appropriate training of staff, particularly in relation to their dealings with vulnerable people.

 

 

 

·                     Young people in particular were finding it very difficult to provide the required identification/references.

 

 

 

·                     The patch officers should be able to identify vulnerable individuals in their area.

 

 

 

·                     In relation to unreceived letters, it may be appropriate for three letters to be sent before any registration was cancelled.

 

 

 

·                     With regard to getting years re-credited, it was felt that customers were not respected or taken seriously.

 

 

 

·                     The C4C representatives agreed that security staff saw themselves more as bouncers rather than ambassadors for the service and that their role needed to be examined.

 

 

6.6

The Chair, Councillor Chris Peace, summarised the concerns expressed by Members as relating to administration, training, including a suggestion that a flow chart be produced of the process and procedures involved, the operation of the appeals process, the role of security staff, the registration of vulnerable and young people, the way in which systems and staff were to be tested, and the evaluation of documentation and procedures.

 

 

6.7

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

 

 

 

(a)       thanks the Challenge for Change representatives and Tina Gilbert for their contribution to the meeting and their valuable work in producing the report;

 

 

 

(b)       notes the contents of the report and presentation, comments made and responses to questions; and

 

 

 

(c)        requests that:-

 

(i)            more information on the rehousing policy, process and procedures be sought from the Rehousing Manager; and

 

(ii)          an update item be included on a future Committee meeting agenda to cover progress made on the Challenge for Change report’s recommendations and the Members’ concerns now mentioned, with the Challenge for Change representatives being invited to such meeting.

 

Supporting documents: