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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
Resolved: The Committee approved the STAR Survey Report.
Resolved: The Committee noted the Report.
Resolved: The dates of upcoming meetings were noted.
Apologies received: Cllr A Davies and B Davies Absent J Yeomans and K Lewis
There were no declarations of interest from Members relating to items for consideration on the agenda.
The Committee did not receive any disclosures of prohibited party whips which a Member has been given in relation to the meeting in accordance with Section 78(3) of the Local Government Measure 2011.
The Chair was authorised to sign the Minutes of the previous meeting on the 09.09.2024 as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: The Committee approved the STAR Survey Report.
Background: • The Welsh Government requires a tenant satisfaction survey to be conducted every two years. • The latest Survey was conducted by an external organisation in 2023. • 700 tenants were interviewed out of a possible 5100. • The Housing Service highlighted that changes had begun to be implemented. • Services were now run in house after the transfer from the Heart of Wales Property Services with only a few specialist contractors used. • The ‘Tell us’ project was ongoing which enabled tenants to contact the Council in more flexible ways. • Committed to meeting tenants needs, new and ongoing in-house surveys including keeping in touch visits were in place and monitored. Points raised by the Committee: Responses received from Officers or Cabinet Members: Significant improvements were recognised; however, concerns were raised around satisfaction levels in the Welshpool area. Report sections 4.2, 5.2, 6.2 reflected lower scores than that of other areas, assurance was sought that changes were in place for improvement. Estate walks had taken place, and some improvements had already been seen. The Service were unable to gain evidence that the level of service received (repairs and maintenance, customer service etc) was of a lower standard than elsewhere, the Portfolio holder was confident that work was ongoing to make improvements including: officers being visible and available within communicates, holding locality meetings with local members, check in meetings with tenants and residents, and also holding walkabouts on estates with locally elected members. It was suggested that a spotlight review with the Committee could identify broader issues in Welshpool including anti-social behaviour which had been highlighted in the report. What contributed to the low point in 2019 other than taking repairs and maintenance in house. Repairs and maintenance contributed to a combination of issues. Since 2019 staff skill sets had been recognised within teams and officers now provided specific services in their local area which often included cross working with other services of the Council. More open and transparent relationships had grown with partners and the Scrutiny Tenants Panel now discussed housing issues in depth. How many apprenticeships had been received within the Housing Service. Four apprentices had completed apprenticeships and had moved into roles within the service, one was ongoing within the finance team and three trade apprenticeship roles were being advertised. Recruitment difficulties had led to forward planning and ensuring there would be a viable workforce for the future. How many vehicles were transferred from the Heart of Wales Property Services and were any additional vehicles provided for apprentices. Vehicles were not inherited as part of the transition back to the Council and noted that apprentices were supervised by skilled staff members who monitor work quality and conduct training, in which vehicles were provided for. In addition, the Quality Assurance Team ensured that work was completed to a high standard. Clarification was requested around 6.3 missed appointments. Exact circumstances were unknown, but included instances of delays, and residents not being at home, however all tenants were contacted to ensure a suitable time was re-arranged. Fire safety reports had shown that due to the ageing housing stock some stair lifts in communal areas were no longer suitable and asked if plans for alternatives to meet the needs of the tenant were in place. The service were committed to ensuring homes were compliant and fit for purpose. It was understood that work needed to take place and would cause some disruption which would be kept to a minimum. Due to the shortage of housing what were the plans for acquisitions and building new homes. Ambitious plans were in place to build new homes, and progress was being made around phosphate restrictions in the south. Acquisitions throughout the county were actively being sort and ongoing. More information was requested on section 9, particularly about frequent contractor changes causing delays. There were also questions about the continued need for external contractors and steps taken to address tenant concerns. It had taken time for the Housing Service to build a skilled workforce and recruitment difficulties within Powys were explained. It was the aim to reduce the number of contractors required however there would always be a need for spikes in demand and for specialist work and noted that specialist contract management was being closely monitored. Communications were a regular theme in reports throughout services, it was asked what work was being done across departments to improve. It was explained that the Housing Service were looking at more ways in which the council could be contacted and a new scheme ‘tell us’ provided more flexibility for the public to do that. Recent changes within the Council had created closer cross service working ties which included a review of the potential conversion of redundant shops and buildings in town centres into homes. • The Committee agreed that the report evidenced positive changes and recognised areas that needed improvement. • Using external consultants to carry out the survey was value for money and thoroughly executed. • The report provided was of a high standard and very clear to understand. • Granular meaningful data was provided. • The approach taken to receive responses directly from tenants was worthwhile and lessons could be learnt and adopted by other services. • A commitment to provide a high standard of service, homes and to build new homes was evident throughout. Resolved: The Committee approved the STAR Survey Report.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: The Committee noted the Report.
Background: • Work had been conducted over the last two years as a whole council approach had been taken with actions completed and planned. • Collaborative working was ongoing between established groups and the roadmap once complete would be integrated. • Next steps included deep dives involving internal and external support which would be set up over the coming months to discuss measures and to implement elements of the roadmap to secure outputs. Points raised by the Committee: Responses received from Officers or Cabinet Members: A link to the Cornish dashboard provided in the report showed metrics and evidenced progression however it was felt that metrics could be provided in a more plain and simple way. Officers agreed that the design of the dashboard was crucial in order for everyone to be able to read and understand what it was showing. It was asked how many members were appointed to the net zero climate strategy. it was confirmed that 16 members had been appointed. What was Powys doing with waste and what procedures were in place to ensure the whole process was fully monitored by the council. Waste end destinations was embedded in legislation and monitored robustly by Natural Resources Wales. One of the upcoming deep dives would consider what could be done to utilise everything from hedge cuttings to farm manure. Experts from the waste industry would be part of the deep dive process. It was felt that the roadmap should have been established earlier and noted that Powys had not progressed at the same time or rate as other local authorities, and establishing a policy would provide opportunity to engage with other councils to learn lessons and incorporate good practise. Officers felt that great strides had been made in council buildings, and transport infrastructure amongst other areas and agreed that by creating a roadmap would lead to a more structured approach and for all elements to be considered. A benchmarking exercise against other Welsh authorities had been conducted and difficulties stressed due to unique individual priorities. Many more conversations had taken place with authorities across the UK to gain further understanding and best practice. The document set out a framework for broader aspects being considered by the Public Service Board, a joint approach to the climate emergency across the whole of the county. Training was facilitated for all staff and Councillors and information would be circulated. It was suggested that the document could contain reference to completed actions achieved. Assurance was sought that that the deep dives carried out by the Council would not duplicate the feasibility studies conducted by the Public Service Board. Reassurance was given that the members of the Public Service Board would be involved in the Council deep dives. Clarification was requested around the Climate Officer roles and concerns raised around officers being able to complete the work needed within contract timeframes. One role was funded by the transformation fund dedicated to the deep dive sessions and would end in February 2025; discussions were underway to extend that further. One role was funded the shared prosperity fund which worked for the whole of Powys on behalf of the Public Service Board and managed by Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. It was noted that the Welsh Government had published their net zero challenge group and deep dives findings. Officers acknowledged the published reports. It was asked if waste from houses and those receiving solar or installation as part of the council scheme were being monitored for the private housing stock. It was confirmed that Waste would be one of the deep dives conducted and a resource strategy paper would be presented to Scrutiny in the coming months which had worked with a Welsh Government blueprint, and many organisations had provided feedback. The Eco Flex scheme information would be provided to the Committee and would be presented to scrutiny in the coming months. It didn’t specifically pick up on the question asked but could be raised at the scrutiny meeting. • The Committee were pleased that early engagement with the scrutiny process had taken place and understood that the roadmap was at a very early stage and were committed to providing support throughout the journey. • It was acknowledged that some actions towards net zero had been completed and others were ongoing and planned. • The presentation summary provided an easy read explanation of the roadmap. • Significant resource and financial challenges lay ahead and were key to ensuring that all elements could be followed up and carried out. • The Committee look forward to the outcome of the deep dives in due course. Resolved: The Committee noted the Report.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: The dates of upcoming meetings were noted.
Resolved: The dates of upcoming meetings were noted.
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