Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

If a Councillor has a disclosable pecuniary interest in a particular item, whether or not it is entered in the Authority’s register of interests, or any other significant interest which they consider should be declared in the public interest, they should declare the existence and, unless it is a sensitive interest as defined in the Member Code of Conduct, the nature of the interest at the commencement of the consideration of that item or as soon as it becomes apparent.

Where Members of the public are not allowed to be in attendance and speak, then the Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest should withdraw from the meeting whilst the matter is under consideration. Councillors who have declared other significant interests should also withdraw from the meeting if they consider their continued participation in the matter would not be reasonable in the circumstances and may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest.

Councillors are not obliged to withdraw from the meeting where a dispensation to that effect has been obtained from the Audit, Pensions and Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of interest.

 To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 12 June 2019.

The minutes of the meeting held on 12 June 2019 were agreed as an accurate record. Councillor Adronie Alford expressed concern about the tardy response from officers, in relation to information requests which had been made by the Committee about the Arts Commission. Councillor Lisa Homan confirmed that she would raise the matter with Councillor Andrew Jones outside the meeting. 

It was also noted that a response had not been received about the Affordable Housing Delivery Strategy. The Clerk confirmed that this information would be circulated within the next few days.

David McNulty, Assistant Director Operations, introduced the report which set out the framework and timetable for the procurement, implementation and mobilisation of the long-term model for repairs and maintenance service.

It was noted the Council was committed to providing a repairs and maintenance service that was high-quality, efficient and responsive to the needs of residents. David McNulty explained that residents were a key partner in developing the Council’s vision for repairs services and were engaged in the future model. As a result of this engagement, officers had identified several key priorities for the long-term model, which would deliver against the administration’s manifesto promises, as follows:

·         Every repair should be completed to a ‘quality-performance’ standard, whether delivered by the Council directly or providers

·         Repairs and maintenance services should represent good value for money to residents

·         Every resident should be aware of the repairs service, how to access it, and how it should work for them. This is captured in the resident handbooks, which will be shared with every resident

·         The Council should get the best social return on its investment in repairs services, including identifying opportunities for young people and local businesses to be a part of the long-term solution

·         Repairs and maintenance services should be sensitive and personalised around the needs of every tenant, ensuring every repair takes account of each resident’s individual circumstances and requirements

·         The Council should ensure the long-term model is as flexible as possible, ensuring repairs and maintenance service can develop over time.

It was noted that the Council had made significant progress in transforming its housing repairs since the launch of the new repairs model in April 2019. The model was made up of H&F Maintenance which undertook communal repairs, supported by a dedicated in-house Customer Service Centre. It was noted that three general repairs providers based in the north, centre and south of the borough and specialist providers existed (for gas, electric and asbestos) across the borough.

Officers explained that the interim model was developed, procured and put into operation in six months. The priority was to minimise the risk of service failure and to establish some core principles for the long-term procurement. The second phase would to be delivered in a 12 to 15-month timeframe and include as much learning as possible from the interim solution.

Discussing the current performance, David McNulty explained that it was still too early to fully assess the major changes to the repairs service as these had only been operational since April 2019. However, there were some encouraging areas of performance from the first four months of operation which included:

·         over 95% of all jobs ordered are now completed on the first visit,

·         99% of our highest priority jobs (24hr target) are completed within target,

·         100% of forward planned repairs are completed within our targets,

·         97% of our non-emergency jobs are completed within our targets.

Hammersmith and Fulham Maintenance: Officers explained that the Council’s newly formed in-house service team had delivered a high-quality and responsive communal  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46.