Repairs and Investment Panel - 17 September 2026

Location: North Tyneside Council offices, Quadrant, Cobalt Business Park

Attendees

Tenant members – Pamela, Christine, Evelyn, Kim , Dawn, Janine

Lee Nesbitt - Asset Intelligence and Logistics Manager, Tony Ormston - Service Delivery Manager Repairs & Maintenance, David Foster – Head of Property Services, Mark McRae – Service Manager, Property Services, Chris Gowland – Stock Surveyor, Angela Melvin – Housing Engagement Manager

Apologies 

Heather, Lisa

1. Notes of the last meeting and action log 

These were agreed

2. New energy efficiency requirements

LN introduced a presentation for the panel on new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES), which have been introduced by the government following consultation last year.   

Their purpose is to ensure that providers are maximising ways to reduce energy costs for our tenant, with a requirement that by 2030 every property must have an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating of C or above on at least one of three ‘metrics’:

• Fabric performance – this will be the main one for us as a local authority and would include upgrades to insulation. 
• Smart readiness – for example, solar panels, smart meters and heating controls.  However, some of these are beyond our remit as it would be an energy supplier who provide smart meters.  We have installed about 2,000 solar panels, some funded via external grants.  Panels and Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) are installed on all new builds as it is no longer permitted to put gas boilers in new homes.  This measure would require significant investment and there is currently no external funding available.  
• Heating systems – for example, direct electric heating, ground source heat pumps and air source heat pumps.  Air source heat pump efficiency is improving, though they are less efficient for small households.  

We currently only do an EPC survey if a property is empty or going to be sold.  We assess around 350 per year now, costing approximately £26,000.  

The new requirement is for us to have a 10-year rolling programme of surveying.  We could spend up to £10,000 per property to get it compliant at Band C by 2030; thereafter there is a deadline of 2039 to comply with a second metric.  Currently, we have about 1,200 properties at D or less (this is better than the national average).

A surveyor will assess the property, allocate a rating, and estimate its running costs, energy use and emissions.  They will also identify what can be done to increase energy efficiency and lower bills.   There is no additional government funding being provided for the surveying programme and this will therefore need to be funded via the service’s budget. 

Over 9,000 of our EPC certificates are more than 10 years old, these will need surveying over the next three years to update their rating.  Each property needs assessing individually and there will then be consideration of what investment is needed in those properties to get them to Band C or above.  

The panel discussed running costs for gas and electric appliances.  With an example of an electric fire to heat one room being likely to cost around the same as heating the whole house via a more efficient means. 

It will cost around £600,000 to get the expired EPCs done over the next three years. After this point, we will carry out around 1,200 EPCs per year, at £90,000 per year, to keep the programme valid.  

Works required to improve energy efficiency could include:

• Removal of electric fires and electric showers
• Installing solar panels
• Improving insulation
• Installing better double glazing

We estimate that getting the initial 1,200 properties up to Band C level will require an investment of £1.2million.  If the cost of a property complying is more than £10,000, it can be exempted from the programme up until 2039.  However, if by 2030 the property doesn’t meet Band C stands and does not have an exemption, it cannot be let.  

While the principle of de-carbonising and increasing energy efficiency to reduce costs for tenants is right, there is a significant challenge for us to meet the investment needed while continuing to invest in other aspects of the service.  

CG explained that a lot of investment was made in the early 2000s with insulation, boilers and solar panels.  Standards have now moved on and the threshold has been raised in recent years.  DF added that we will be creating a new investment plan to comply with the new requirements.  

A panel member asked if the surveys would be done by council staff, LN replied they will be done by a mix of our staff and external contractors.  

The panel was very interested in this work and asked to be kept informed of progress. 

3. Empty homes repairs performance

MM attended to give the panel an overview of work to improve performance around indicator PS07 on our scorecard – the average number of days to repair an empty home.

The target is 20 days.  Results from 2025-26 showed an achievement of 20.56; for 2026-27 we are currently at 24.56.

The team handle around 700 empty homes per year, with work required categorised from 1-4.   Unfortunately, only 10% of properties are coming in with the lower 1-2 ratings; most are in the higher categories of 3 and 4.  A category 4 property has a target of 34 days and this longer time is skewing the overall performance figure.  Category 4s could include full heating renewals, rewiring, new kitchens and bathrooms, plastering, damp-proofing, or sorting structural issues.   

MM gave some examples of properties which are currently way over target.  Eg one property which is currently at 135 days.   Property repairs were done within the timescales, however the extensive garden had not been cleared and reinstated.   A decision was taken by the team to get the work done via overtime, rather than pay a contractor to do the work quickly, but at a considerably greater expense.  

Performance so far this year is showing higher number of properties being completed than in previous years and we are performing well when compared to performance across other providers.  

Currently, the team is working with 63 empty homes and are aiming to enhance the condition of each property, thinking ahead to new Decent Home Standards in future.  We can also take advantage of the home being empty to carry out things like the EPC survey and stock condition survey.  

MM shared some photographs of the condition of some properties.  These highlighted issues of hoarding, drug paraphernalia being left behind and neglected gardens.  We do acknowledge that in extreme circumstances the tenants are potentially vulnerable, and there is a need to manage mental health issues.    

A panel member asked about the tenancy home visits programme and whether these should be identifying issues.  MM replied that these visits are doing so and we can provide support to deal with issues like hoarding.  The team are working with the housing management team to improve the condition of incoming homes. 

Also, the new Lettings Policy has just been implemented, which will improve the transfer process (where a tenant moves out of one home and into another).   Pre-termination inspections are being increased and we are looking to increase training of the officers going out to people’s homes so they can spot things that need addressing at an early stage.

An example of investment in this work is in paint spraying machines, which halve the time taken to paint using a roller. Additional training around infestations and treatment spraying also speeds up the process when it can be done in-house rather than waiting for contractor availability.  The more extreme properties could also potentially be exempted from the ‘regular figures’, to give a more accurate overall picture.

MM reported that the focussed work is having a positive effect and we have seen a reduction in complaints around empty homes.  We are also seeking to recharge previous tenants for remedial work where appropriate.

DF added that the 135 homes that we currently have empty and going through repair and re-letting is less than half that neighbouring authorities have.  We are pushing ourselves to get properties ready for new tenants as soon as possible.  DF shared some figures for comparison, which show that at the end of June, we had 135 empty properties out of our total stock of 14,000.  Gateshead has a stock of 17,000 with 503 empty; Gentoo has 28,000 properties and 722 empty.  

These figures demonstrate the effectiveness of our work to re-let empty homes.  Re-letting quickly helps maintain our rental income and ensures homes are available for new tenants.

The panel were impressed with the work being done and noted the team’s progress. 

4. Safety and Quality quarterly report

The panel had received the quarterly report with their meeting papers.

DF highlighted that work continues to ensure compliance with all required safety checks. This report has a new addition of ‘remedial actions’.  Taking the example of Fire Remedial Actions, these could be requirements for new fire doors, repairs to fire doors or signage, etc.   The figure is currently around 700; this will come down as work is carried out, however there will always been some remedial actions needed, as issues are identified as part of our regular safety inspection programme. 

A panel member asked about gas safety checks, and the figure of 100% compliance given issues around accessing some properties.  DF explained that we can seek a court order to access a property if needed and can recharge tenants for the cost of that.  LN added that it is around an 8-week process from the first letter going out to getting a warrant if required.  We do recognise that some access issues can be due to a tenant being vulnerable, or requiring additional support, which we can arrange with our adult social care team.

5. Performance update

The panel had received the regular complaints report and performance scorecard with their meeting papers.

DF highlighted that performance remains strong, particularly around safety and compliance.  We are not complacent though and are always working to improve.

Performance on ‘appointments made and kept’ dipped slightly, because of several joiners being off due to sickness at the same time.

The panel had no further comments or questions on these reports. 

6. Any Other Business

Here to help booklet: This has been developed based on feedback from our tenant panels on what tenants would find useful to know.  AM thanked the panel for their feedback which led to this, and explained it will be delivered to tenants’ homes over the coming months by teams doing routine visits.  

Rent statement newsletter: AM explained that this is now being included with every quarterly rent statement, to help provide tenants with relevant, useful information.   Again, this is based on feedback from our panels about the importance of keeping tenants informed and not relying on digital channels.  The October one will cover advice to reduce condensation, and the work of the Community Protection team to tackle anti-social behaviour.