Annual report to tenants 2021-2022

How we are doing and where we need to improve

We have continued work to improve repairs performance. We have been working hard to better manage our repair operatives’ diaries to minimise rescheduled appointments. We have provided additional training to our customer service team and are also now using a diagnostics tool to help identify the correct issue/repair required upfront.

We have hired additional planned maintenance staff and will continue to strive to build on our planned maintenance inspection programme in areas such as damp, windows, kitchens, bathrooms, and electrics, to provide quality homes to our residents and minimise repair issues.  We have also employed a Repairs Complaints Supervisor to improve customer experience around repairs.

Resident Satisfaction Survey

Performance measure	2020-21	2021-22	Target 2021-22
Average days to complete a responsive repair	8.78	10.61
Percentage of repair appointments kept	90.97%	87.60%	>=95%
Percentage of residents satisfied with last repair	80.07%	75.64%	>=80%
Percentage of homes with a valid Landlords Gas Safety Certificate	99.80%	99.80%	100%

 

Quality of homes – what we have done

We have begun carrying out improvements across all our housing stock to ensure tenants have a warm, safe, and modern home. This includes retrofitting properties to help them become more energy efficient by installing double-glazed windows, LED lighting, and upgrading floor, roof, and wall insulation where possible. We have also made broadband available to over 4,000 residents across 15 estates. In the last financial year, we invested over £35m in our housing stock.

In our Capital Works Programme, we completed 17 projects in 2021/2022, including:

• Communal smoke and heat alarm installation in over 200 blocks
• Heating and hot water controls at Trellick Tower
• Individual heat and smoke alarm upgrades in over 500 properties, including Campden House, Walnut Tree House and Elm Park Gardens
• Foyer and CCTV installation at Adair and Hazelwood
• Lift replacements at Runcorn, Jean Darling, Whitchurch, Hesketh Place, Nursery Lane
• New door entry system at World’s End Estate 

We currently have 28 projects onsite and major external and internal works are due to commence at Pond House, Elm Park Gardens, Henry Dickens Court Estate, and Silchester Estate.

On the Lancaster West estate, 42 per cent of tenanted homes  have now been refurbished to the 21st-century new homes standard agreed with residents.

The first external refurbishment -a bio-solar warm roof- has been completed at Camelford Court, with new roofs for Talbot Walk and Clarendon Walk also completed.

The technical and commercial viability of Notting Dale Heat Network has now been established, which will generate clean, green, and local energy, with a price promise being co-designed with residents.

The Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team secured over £20m in grant funding to ensure that over 800 council homes are carbon neutral by 2030.

The Notting Dale Heat Network has entered its commercialisation phase with the first renewable heat to be provided to homes by Autumn 2024.

We have raised the quality standard when refurbishing properties before new tenants move in, to a new higher specification to reduce the number of repairs being raised. Our weekly estate reviews have helped drive improvements and identify any additional stock requiring investment.

We have increased the number of our post-works inspections to improve on quality, and, where appropriate, we are upgrading kitchens and bathrooms as part of works to empty properties to avoid disruption to new tenants once they move in.

Our Fire Safety Team have been monitoring developments in legislation and guidance.  This has included preparation of safety case reports and further fire risk assessments to ensure we comply with the more stringent requirements coming into force soon.

We co-produced a fire safety video with residents at Henry Dickens Court, providing information on seeking help with emergency planning for disabled residents, understanding the principles of fire prevention in residential buildings, and what to do to keep yourselves safe in an emergency.

To assist fire-fighters, the Council has installed floor numbering signage within staircases and lobbies on each floor in all of our buildings over 18 metres and have begun a programme to install wayfinding signage, due for completion in January 2023.  We have also completed our installation of Premises Information Boxes at various sites.

We are in the final phase of our front door replacement programme, which will provide new FD30S-certified flat entrance doors to tenants.  We have already installed 3,180 doors and are carrying out regular inspections to ensure the quality of the work.

The work that we are doing to improve resident safety is very much ongoing and we appreciate your help and co-operation in making these improvements to our buildings for the safety of all our residents.

Repairs and maintenance – what we have done

This year, despite our Repairs team facing issues with contractors and recruiting, they were able to meet their target for the number of days to complete a responsive repair.  

There has been an increase in jobs being raised by the newly formed Visiting Team. This has been helpful in identifying repairs early on but has also placed additional pressure on the team.

We have been working to improve communication between our surveyors and the Capital Delivery team, to help speed up improvements to your homes where possible. There is an overarching repairs improvement review in motion at the moment which is already yielding good results, and this is operating alongside an IT review of the Repair Team’s systems. One of the success stories of the repairs improvement programme has been the ‘What Happens Next’ cards, which aim to keep residents informed and reassured around our repair process. If further works are required during a repair visit, the operative will arrange the next appointment and give the card to the resident, which includes our telephone number and the 'what happens next' information. 

In addition, we have set up a planned works team and a new drainage maintenance programme to improve the damage caused by rainwater gutter and drains. We are also carrying out stacks surveys in our blocks which will help with leaks and blockages in homes.