Issue details

OD-001-25 - Approval to extend a number of temporary staff within Planned, Responsive Repairs and Adaptations Teams-

Prior to 1st April 23, staff would approach agencies direct to bring in agency staff to fill vacant roles or to provide additional capacity as and when required.
In 2022, a project was set up to review agency spend and several solutions were implemented, including the roll out of the Crown Commercial Services Temporary Agency Worker Framework (RM6277) which included multiple agencies across a number of job roles. This went live on the 1st April 2023.
Within the Housing and Property Services Directorate, there is a high dependency on agency staff for key roles, as the service department have been unable to recruit to the post or the role is required for a short period, to cover temporary work requirements.
A number of roles have been in place before the CCS Agency Framework was rolled out in April 2023.
Several services have also indicated that some of the more specialist roles are difficult to fill using the providers on the framework. Additionally in some cases preferential rates have been negotiated directly with the Agency, something we would not be able to do through the CCS framework.
Through a combination of continuation of role and the inability to recruit from those willing to supply staff via the framework there are some posts recruited to from outside of the framework agreement.
Finally, the Housing and Property Directorate are currently in the middle of a transformation project, called Housing Transformation Improvement Programme (HTIP), which is due to the concluded in Summer 25. As part of the project, resources within departments will be reviewed to identify what each service requires in terms of resources to support the services we deliver to our tenants and residents. While we wait for this project to be concluded, the Housing Service is looking to extend several business-critical roles to maintain the service currently being delivered.

Decision type: Non-key

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Notice of proposed decision first published: 03/01/2025

Decision due: 31 Dec 2024 by Chief Executive

Contact: Andrew Linden, Head of Commercial Housing Contracts 01442228263, Email: Andrew.Linden@dacorum.gov.uk Email: andrew.linden@dacorum.gov.uk.

Decisions

Background papers