Estates and Communities Panel – 23 July 2024

Attendees: 

Tenant members – Linda, Eleanor, Margaret, Sav, Christine, Marie Christine, Ronnie, Clare, Gaynor, Mary, Evelyn

Christine Allen, Service Manager, Housing Neighbourhoods

Leeanne Rooney, Neighbourhood Manager

Peter Brady, Engagement Officer

 

1. Services Overview

CA informed the group about the recent changes with the neighbourhoods’ service team. The team used to mainly focus on income collection, but they are now focusing on the neighbourhood and tenant engagement. Housing Management services are now delivering a comprehensive service for North Tyneside Council tenants, including: 

  • Tenancy reviews
  • Garden inspections/enforcement
  • Garden care scheme/garden tool loan
  • Tenancy changes
  • Pre-termination visits/Terminations
  • 6-week and 8-month visits for new tenants
  • Communal block inspections
  • Estate walkabouts
  • Estate/Tenancy Management issues
  • Neighbour disagreements/boundary disputes

Tenancy reviews have not happened for 10 years. We are now going to carry out a review of all our homes over the next three years.

 Eleanor enquired if the North Tyneside Living schemes are going to be part of the reviews. CA replied that they are not as they have on site Housing Officers who carry out regular reviews and have up to date information about their residents. 

CA added that they are busy carrying out block inspections and the neighbourhood team are busy blitzing the blocks to assess their condition. These inspections will be carried out four times a year.

Tenant members went on to highlight the importance of knowing who your neighbourhood officers, as many don’t. Also, we need to be better at promoting what we do. This will be picked up at a future meeting.

 

2. Consumer Standards 

CA informed the panel about the standards that now cover the Estates and Community Service. These included:

  • Transparency, influence and engagement
  • Safety and quality
  • Tenancy 

Neighbourhood and Community Standard:

  • Safety of shared spaces
  • Local co-operation
  • Anti-social behaviour and hate incidents
  • Domestic abuse

Eleanor asked if the domestic abuse standard covers the North Tyneside Living schemes. CA replied that it does and the Domestic Abuse Officer visits and works in the North Tyneside Living schemes every week in different schemes.

The panel is keen to understand the role of the team that deals with anti-social behaviour and hate incidents and what they do help people and requested an update at a future meeting. This was agreed.

 

3. Tenancy Reviews

LR informed the panel that the team would like their help to evaluate the procedure and letters used for tenancy reviews.

  • Are we asking the correct questions?
  • How could we encourage greater access?
  • At what point should we be looking at legal interventions?

 The panel suggested that the title ‘Tenancy Review’ sounds like you are going to change tenants’ tenancy. They suggested:

  • Housing visit
  • Tenancy Support visit 
  • Keeping in touch 

 The members requested that the letters get circulated for comments and suggestions with the notes from this meeting. This was agreed (PB to action).

The panel asked if there is a policy for dealing with tenants who miss the visits or won't allow the housing officer in. LR replied that we do not have a policy now. We will monitor the service for the three-year cycle duration then discuss with the panel. Then together we can agree a process to manage the ‘no entries’. 

LR added that the visits are a chance for the housing officers to introduce themselves to the tenants. The officers now have uniforms to make them more visible on our estates.

Tenant members suggested that this would make a nice article for the council magazine to promote good stories from the visits.

 

4. Estate inspections and Neat Streets

CA informed the panel that the estate inspections main aim is applying the neighbourhood and community standard. When out and about officers will be doing the following:

  • Reporting issues and working in partnership to prevent estate issues
  • Identifying hotspots to report to the environmental team 
  • Arranging free bulky waste collection for tenants
  • Inspect gardens for the good, the bad and the out of control!
  • Responding to tenants’ enquiries and concerns

Estate walkabouts will take place 12 times a year.  Six of these will be with the local Councillors and six with involved tenants. 

Clare asked what happens with tenants who cannot take part in the walkabouts. CA replied that they will be able to contact their housing officer in the street to have a chat about any issues. 

Members were interested to know what happens to any issues identified on the walkabout. CA replied that if it was environmental issues, it would be identified as a hot spot and reported to the Neat Streets squad. The panel suggested that there should be a bulky rubbish collection disclaimer.  For example, for beds and mattress in an upstairs flat or a three-piece suite if the tenant is unable to move them.

CA asked the panel if they would like to invite the Neighbourhood Team and Waste Management to attend a future meeting? This was agreed.

 

5. Measuring performance 

CA mentioned that this a new service and performance has not been measured before. The following proposals will be monitored by the panel for a year, before deciding the targets to scrutinise for the coming year. 

Performance proposals

  • 6-week and 8-month new tenant visits: 100% completed  
  • Tenancy Reviews – 20 per Housing Officer per month (pro rata for part time officers): approximately 4,500 visits per year (‘No Access’ to be monitored and reported) 
  • Communal Block Inspections – quarterly for all blocks: 100% completed 
  • Estate Inspections/Walkabouts – 12 per year, per patch, with six to include ward councillors 
  • Completion of pre-termination visits and completion of exit survey information (Targets to be confirmed)
  • Garden enforcement actions processed and completed. (To be monitored and a target agreed) 

The panel is keen to understand the role of the housing officers and what they do, and requested an update at a future meeting (PB to action).

Some of the members recently took part in the review of the Tenancy Agreement and asked what was happening with the review and asked if a policy on pets had been agreed. CA replied that they are waiting for an update from our Legal Services Team. We are in consultation with the RSPCA about the pet policy.

The panel requested an update on the Tenancy Agreement review at a future meeting (CA to action).

  

6. Future topics

  1. The role of the Community & Public Space Protection team
  2. Neighbourhood Team and Waste Management.
  3. The role of the Housing Officer
  4. Tenancy agreement review update

  

7. Any Other Business

PB informed the panel that the new engagement website, Our North Tyneside Voice, has been launched this week.  It is a soft launch initially, with wider promotion of the site planned shortly.   All members registered with the current Our North Tyneside Voice database will be contacted directly and invited to register on the new site.  The site includes a dedicated hub for council tenant engagement.

The Annual Tenants’ Event is to be held on Monday 23 September, at the council offices, Cobalt Business Park.