SERVICE PLAN 2007/10
MONITORING AND REPORTING FRAMEWORK
HOUSING PROPERTY SERVICE
SHOLA AIKOROJE
APRIL - JUNE 2007
D:\81905744.doc
Purposes
The purpose of reporting the Service Plan to the Policy Panel is to enable Members
to monitor ongoing performance against a range of issues and to question the Head
of Service on these and other service related matters.
Background
As a part of the Strategic, Service and Financial Planning Framework draft Service
Plans for each of the 19 Services are agreed by Policy Panels, prior to publication on
1st April of each year. Within this framework it is necessary to monitor and report
progress on delivering each of the service plans.
Service Plans provide a range of elements that state the purpose of the service,
where it fits into the organisation both structurally and strategically, and sets out how
it will achieve service and corporate aims, objectives and responsibilities. This is all
underpinned by a range of performance information and details of the resources
available to deliver these outcomes. These reporting arrangements need to;




demonstrate links to the Strategic Plan
the performance within tolerances against targets
resources allocated to the service and deviations against agreed
establishments and budgets
results of consultation
The appendices within each Service Plan provide details of Risks, Equalities and
Workforce issues associated to the service. These are considered to be Corporate
Elements within the service plans and will be managed and monitored on a corporate
basis, e.g. Risk is regularly reported to Audit Committee. Subsequently these
elements are not reported separately within this document.
D:\81905744.doc
Key Responsibilities





Preparation of the HRA (Housing Revenue Account) capital programme
and setting of the budgets, ensuring works progress and maintenance of
high quality standards.
Measuring, recording and analysing the condition of the Council’s
housing stock to monitor progress against the Decent Home Standard.
HRA Business plan preparation and submission to the Government
Office.
Administration of the sale of council homes.
The effective recovery of charges to leaseholders for capital works.
Progress against Specific Targets linking to Policy Priorities, Objectives and Activities
Energy Efficiency
The council through the Housing Property Services division are making progress
in this area. The aim is to reduce the energy for lighting, space and water
heating. Energy efficiency in the housing stock is being improved through cavity
and loft insulation, efficient heating system, installation of double glazed windows
and the use of energy efficient light bulbs.
Cavity and loft insulation - Powergen is the company carryout the cavity wall
and loft insulation works and progress on this has been very slow because of the
poor management by Powergen of their contractor, Mark Group. Just about one
tenth of the properties have been insulated as per their last invoices and a lot of
effort has been put in to get Powergen to make the contractor to be up to speed
with the programme of work without success.
Central heating system – we have installed more efficient heating system using
more efficient boilers in most of our properties. Only about 300 properties are left
out of 3759 to have this system and of the 300 we are hoping to carry out central
heating works in 35 of them again this financial year. The remainder are those
that the tenants have declined to have the work done in their properties. We
hoping that they will change their minds or when the properties become voids we
will carry out the work.
UPVC double glazed windows
We have been for a couple of years installing double glazed windows in our
housing stock and this a rolling programme due to the fact that the council is
short of the money to carry out improvement works within a short period of time.
About a quarter of the stock (i.e. 950 properties) has had double glazed windows
installed in the last ten years.
Energy efficient light bulbs – we are expecting the delivery of energy efficient
light bulbs from Powergen which are going to be given to us free and will be
distributed them free to all the tenants in other to encourage them to use such
light bulbs. Each tenant on benefit may get three light bulbs.
SAP Rating
Our current SAP figure is 58. We are still hoping that in spite of the delay in the
cavity and loft insulation works carried out Powergen, by April 2008 at least 70
D:\81905744.doc
percent of the works would have been done and more central heating work,
double glazing and door installation works would have been completed all of
which will increase the SAP rating. The next target is to raise the SAP rating to
62 by the end of this financial year.
Renewable Energy
We are currently getting contractors to do feasibility studies for us in the area of
using solar panel for electricity generation and to pre-heat water for space
heating in our sheltered schemes. The work may not start this financial because
of the funding process. As we do not have the budget for such work this financial
year we are looking for funding from the dti and EU.
Employing water efficient technology
The council thought about encouraging residents to have water meters so that
they will be able to monitor the amount of water they us in their properties. We
are planning to target houses rather than flats as they will get the most benefits.
We fit dual flush water saving WCs in the toilets so that not more than six litres of
water is used at a time during flushing. We reckon that 1.4 litres of water is
saved per flush. Other ways of saving water are been looked at.
Decent Homes target – 2010
We have reduced the number of non decent properties to 33 percent and by the
end of this financial that will be reduced even further. With Thrive Homes and
from next financial year we will be able to get the funding to meet the Decent
Home Standard by 2010. We shall have no problem meeting the enhance
Decent Homes Standard by 2015.
HRA Capital Programme for 2007 – 2010
This has been produced.
Digital signal
Feasibility studies and indicative cost of the work are been received so that this
can be programmed in next year either as a full programme so that all will be
done in one financial year or in phases depending on the available fund. We are
confident that we will be able to provide digital signal before 2012.
Capital works
We are on target with the capital works for this financial year. We are getting
tenders back and some works have started. We have a timeline with which we
monitor progress.
Performance Management, Projects and Tasks
The tables at Appendix A show the current position with regard to a range of Best
Vale, Local and Service Indicators as well as Projects and Tasks. Exception reports
are provided where targets are below the tolerance and will also be explained
verbally to the panel by the Service Head or nominated representative.
D:\81905744.doc
The symbols represented in the tables are as follows;
On or above target
Within tolerance of target - usually within 0 to -5%
Below tolerance of target
Summary - Performance Indicators
Performance
Total
Q1
No
1
0
0
1
Q2
%
100%
0%
0%
100%
No
Q3
%
No
Q4
%
No
%
Summary - Projects and Tasks
Performance
Q1
No
Q2
%
No
Q3
%
No
Q4
%
No
%
n/a
Total
Other Performance Measures
Please the table below for other performance measures.
Quarerly Monitoring
Quarter 1 2007/8
RTB applications
No of applicants
No dealt with in 4
weeks
% in target
19
19
100%
Correspondence Log
Number of
letters in
Officer
Letters
target
Out of target Not known
% in target
Leasehold
34
28
6*
0
82%
Alistair
2
1
0
1
50%
Helen
2
2
0
0
100%
total
38
31
6
1
82%
*Delays of 1 - 4 days due to staff shortages.
D:\81905744.doc
Leasehold - Solicitors Enq
No of Sol Enq cheques received
No dealt with within 10 working days
No dealt out of time period
% in target
13
10
3
77%
Resources
The current position on staffing is now adequate. At the beginning of the financial
year the leasehold part of the division was under staffed by the second job share
person who is suppose to work three days a week or twenty-two hours plus. For two
weeks into the financial year we were under staffed by the second job share
leasehold position. A new leasehold officer (job share) started 16th April but could
not cope with the training and the workload and left on the 21st May. This means that
for a period of about two months the leasehold position was understaffed because
the new staff could not perform.
This coupled with the fact that the other leasehold officer that works only two days a
week was having an examination in the month of May and she took time off for the
examination and was only able to come to work one day a week. This caused the
target on one item of the leasehold work not to be met. However, we have now
recruited for the position and the new leasehold officer who works three days a week
started 2nd July.
In June a part-time housing property officer in the non technical team of my division
went off sick and she is still to come back to work. The two shortages of staff have
put pressure on other staff.
The financial resource for the financial year are been managed very well. There are
no variances at present being that the first quarter of the year has just gone. Budget
for certain activities were not included in this financial year such as legal advice and
leaseholders forum consultation etc. My colleague in housing services has agreed to
pay for the cost of the leaseholders’ forum because they have a budget for it. As for
the external legal services cost we have vired money to take care of this cost. As
more tenders come in and work progresses on site it will become clearer when
paying invoices what the situation with capital works are. The revenue budget is on
target.
Consultation
We have carried out four consultations to date. They are the leaseholders’ forum and
capital works consultation for leaseholder. The outcomes of the consultation have
been favourable.
D:\81905744.doc