Agenda item

NBeresford presented the update, noting that the report provides an overview of KPIs previously agreed by the Committee and noted that there are opportunities to review or provide more detail on any specific KPIs of interest to the Committee. Where there are key statutory areas, there are separate national data sets that are accessible to all residents and members. The report covers key highlights, performance challenges and specific interventions for the data sets identified in the report.

NBeresford took the report as read and welcomed questions from members.

Cllr Johnson commented on item 2.2, noting that £70 had been received in rent arrears and asked if this was the total sum of arrears owed or what had been received so far. NBeresford confirmed that this relates to former tenant arrears during the period and doesn't reflect arrears on the rent debit. There are currently arrangements regarding the £18k of additional debt owed.

Cllr Johnson referred to item 4.6 and the anti-social behaviour policy, asking if there were any timescales for the review and when it will come to the Committee. NBeresford advised that the management of anti-social behaviour is fragmented at the moment and this is an area they are seeking to address through the housing and transformation programme. The anti-social behaviour function is currently delivered by 2 separate teams with the Housing service delivering anti-social behaviour enforcement to landlords and the Community Safety function delivering anti-social behaviour activity to non-resident DBC properties. The transformation programme will seek to review the approach to delivering anti-social behaviour activity to ensure a sufficient process is being delivered to residents. The policy is currently in draft format and is being reviewed internally by the senior leadership team, which should then transition to the portfolio holder for review over summer, followed by the tenant and leaseholder scrutiny. This should then be presented to the Committee in autumn by the new Head of Safe Communities, who joins DBC in 2 weeks' time.

A councillor referred to item 3.6, noting that it says that the number of repairs completed first time remains a challenge due to the complexity of repairs and asked for this to be explained earlier. MPurnell advised that this relates to contractor performance and finding that issues are more complex than originally stated.

A councillor queried the timeframe between issues being reported and them being fixed. MPurnell explained that this varies depending on the type of repair, stating that an emergency repair will be completed within 4 hours and non-emergency repairs can take up to 4 weeks.

Referring to a question regarding who carries out repairs, MPurnell confirmed that most repairs are completed under Osborne, though Osborne also receive support from additional subcontractors. A councillor noted that Osborne have been awarded the contract with another year, though the report also states that the contract goes up to 2026. MPurnell clarified that the current contract was a 10-year contract awarded in 2014 and goes up to June 2024. The later paper in Part 2 highlights the scale of the re-procurement process and therefore the date being worked to renew the contract is June 2025, though there is an option to extend this through to June 2026, if required.

A councillor noted that DBC had awarded £200k to Osborne to assist with repairs and asked if this was correct. MPurnell confirmed that this is not correct and that the Council have not awarded Osborne anything outside of the contract.

Cllr Dhyani referred to item 2.8, noting that CCTV managed to get 294 incidents reported and asked what kind of anti-social behaviour is being captured. NBeresford explained that the CCTV centre covers over 450 cameras across the borough and are responsible for recording activity linked to the prevention of crime and disorder in relation to the relevant legislative framework. There are specific controls to ensure that the right to privacy is installed and this is considered before any camera is installed. NBeresford advised that incidents are varied and that activity relates to petty theft and crime, burglary and also activities that may be linked to domestic violence and grooming. There are also specific private requests from businesses as well as homeowners to provide specific evidence.

Cllr Dhyani referred to item 4.8 regarding scripted calls and asked if Osborne don't currently record phone calls. MPurnell confirmed that OPSL do record phone calls.

Cllr Pringle commented on the re-procurement process, noting that she was surprised at the timelines and asked if the process should be planned to coincide with the end of the contract. The Chair noted that this item would be covered by a later agenda item.

Cllr Pringle asked if CCTV can be installed in any public space. NBeresford confirmed that it is not limited to DBC HRA land and the community safety and CCTV functionality is a General Fund function and covers all aspects of the borough. Cameras are on HRA and General Fund areas, and mobile cameras can also be installed in areas where the Council has been made aware of specific activity to help inform further action. All land can be covered by CCTV, provided that it meets the requirements of the legal framework, the right to privacy and the prevention of crime. NBeresford advised that a proposal has been submitted for consideration regarding the A41 bypass for CCTV monitoring to aid the prevention and protection of littering.

On item 4.8, a councillor asked how many calls are received and further clarification on 'scripting' was requested. MPurnell stated that DBC receive a monthly report from Osborne regarding the amount of calls received and how many were dealt with. On scripting, MPurnell explained that this relates to the questions that the operators ask residents when they report a repair to help diagnose the issue. Improvements are being made to the scripting to ensure operators can ask more specific questions.

Cllr Pringle asked how long calls to Osborne have been monitored. MPurnell advised that he requested the reports at the end of the financial year with the first received in April 2023. Cllr Pringle asked if there are any other measures to monitor whether Osborne's performance has changed since the new measure has been brought in. MPurnell explained that this does not include customer feedback and only monitors the calls that come in, length of response and how many were unanswered. MPurnell advised that he requested the report to monitor and improve quality as well as set a benchmark with regards to the re-procurement of the contract and provide an understanding of the volume of calls coming in.

Cllr Pringle asked if customer satisfaction surveys are undertaken with tenants. MPurnell confirmed that DBC officers call residents who have had recent repairs and Osborne also report customer satisfaction feedback. It was confirmed that this has always taken place.

Cllr Pringle asked how the most recent feedback compares to previous years and if improvements are being made. NBeresford explained that performance data is held and has evolved over time, noting that they could share specific engagement survey work undertaken with residents, which is typically benchmarked on the Housemark survey. This focuses on repairs as well as DBC activity and the tenant's satisfaction with their home. NBeresford noted that the surveys will evolve over the next 6-12 months, primarily due to new regulatory requirements around tenant satisfaction measures so engagement processes will be updated to reflect this.

Cllr Capozzi referred to the appendix and asked if there is a potential lack of focus and that contracts should be managed more tightly. Cllr Capozzi advised that the lack of data suggests that more could be presented to give a clearer idea of performance. NBeresford agreed, noting that significant work has taken place organisationally and at a senior leadership level in relation to KPIs and feedback was to strip back KPIs being presented to committees as they were too onerous, so the most important data sets were identified. NBeresford asked members to consider what data is most important for them to receive, noting that more detailed data sets form part of the strategic core group. MPurnell added that behind the presented KPIs are more operational indicators, noting that a strategic meeting takes place with Osborne every quarter where they look at all operational and strategic KPIs.