Service Update Report
Renfrewshire Council · 29 October 2024
Back to Communities and Housing Policy Board — 29 October 2024 and its agenda
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Communities and Housing Policy Board On: 29 October 2024 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Environment, Housing, and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Service Update Report ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This report provides and overview of key service activities, an operational performance update since the last Policy Board meeting on the services and key projects and updates on any other relevant changes to service areas covered within the remit of this Board. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Communities and Housing Policy Board 2.1 Note the contents of this report. Updates for Communities and Housing Policy Board 3. Housing Management 3.1 Housing Management Systems 3.1.1 The Council has recently awarded a contract to service provider, NEC Software Solutions, to provide and install a new Housing Management Software system. The system will replace the Open Housing
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Management System (OHMS). This was authorised at the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board on 12 September 2024. 3.1.2 The core `functionalities’ the Housing Management software system shall provide are asset management, repairs and maintenance, mobile working, rents and tenancy management, housing allocations, homelessness, and housing support functions, plus a full reporting suite with customisable reporting. Further updates will be provided to the Policy Board as the project develops towards implementation date of April 2026. 3.2 Income Advice 3.2.1 Information from income advice interviews at the end of August 2024 confirms that over 3227 income advice cases involved households from Council Tenancies this financial year. During these interviews staff assess any entitlements to assistance that are due and support people to access benefits they are eligible for, alongside giving advice on all money matters and budgeting. There are several sources of additional assistance accessed which can include universal credit / housing benefit, attendance allowance and disability payment, food vouchers and many more. In monetary terms this equates to £6.7million between April and August this year. 3.2.2 There have been 90 tenants referred for Tenant Support Fund assessments, which have the added value of full income assessment and advice provision. Of the referrals 57 have engaged with Specialist Income Advisors and qualify for assistance from the fund. Officers continue to engage with tenants to maximise access to any underlying entitlement to benefits and funds available. 3.3 Housing Advice 3.3.1 There has been continued take-up of the option to apply to join the Council’s housing waiting list using the online application form. The online system was introduced in November 2023. At the end of August 2024, we have 1857 applications received via the online process. Staff are available to assist in completing online forms and all applicants still have the opportunity for housing options advice; to assist those making a housing enquiry to gain a realistic understanding of the choices available to suit their circumstances. The online housing application is available alongside existing ways to apply, such as telephone, video conferencing (Near Me), and in person as requested. 3.4 Tenancy Management 3.4.1 Joint work with colleagues in Digital Services has progressed with the
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aim of piloting the use of an online Anti-social behaviour (ASB) reporting system – the ‘ASB App’. Work to date confirms that the app meets the requirements of the Council’s ICT systems. When all necessary processes and checks have been concluded, it is intended to pilot the system prior to evaluation and roll-out. Existing alongside the other reporting methods, telephone, email, in writing and in person, the App will extend the ways tenants impacted by ASB can make reports and log incidents. 3.5 Housing Asset and Investment 3.5.1 Damp, Mould, and Condensation The number of reports of damp, mould and condensation cases have risen however, this reflects a small proportion of our overall housing stock. The increased media attention on damp and mould cases is thought to have contributed to a greater awareness of dampness and mould as an issue, resulting in more reported incidences. In addition, the increased cost of energy bills and resultant lack of heating in homes is expected to have contributed to a higher number of cases. The table below is a breakdown of requests for inspections by Repairs & Maintenance Officers and volumes being passed to our specialist rot contractor for 2023/24 and 2024/25 to date. 2023/2024 2024/25 Inspections Completed Passed to Rot works Contractor % Passed to Rot works Contractor Inspections Completed Passed to Rot works Contractor % Passed to Rot works Contractor Quarter 1 43 8 18.18% 187 35 18.7% Quarter 2 53 8 15.38% 111 52 46.8% Quarter 3 93 33 35.48% Quarter 4 89 13 14.6% Total 278 62 22% 187 35 18.7% 3.5.2 Sensors to monitor heat and humidity levels have now been installed in 700 homes by our contractor (IOPT) data from these properties is regularly monitored. Our Energy Officer is carrying out around 20 house visits a month to those properties highlighting potential issues. In most instances the visit is to provide advice and support to customers, including recommendations on heating and ventilation. 3.5.3 We continue to use a 3rd party specialist decontamination and disinfecting company to treat mould in properties. In 2023/24, 72 properties were treated, in 2024/25, 58 properties have been treated to date. This rise in volume is in line with increased demand for inspections by Repairs & Maintenance Officers and the increased volumes of survey requests passed to our specialist rotworks
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contractor. We will continue to monitor volumes closely in coming months. 3.5.4 Staff training (including refresher training) is arranged for all officers involved in assessing properties for dampness/mould. Our contractors are also invited to assist us with staff training, and this has proved successful in previous years. 3.5.5 Winter Preparations meetings are being arranged with other key service areas to prepare for potential increases in demand during the winter months. This will include issuing information to customers to inform them how to prevent burst pipes and some guidance on how to prevent condensation, mould in the home etc. 3.6 Internal Refurbishments – Kitchen, Bathroom, Rewire 3.6.1 Approval to appoint a contactor for kitchen, bathroom rewire installations was agreed by the Finance, Resources and Community Services Policy Board on 12 September. A pre-start meeting with the contactor will take place in October followed by various surveys of property to identify the required scope of works to approximately 250 priority addresses identified. It is anticipated that a programme of installations will commence in early 2025. 3.7 External Improvement Works contract 3.7.1 Building Warrant approval has recently been received for the first of our housing regeneration projects at 74 Seedhill Road and the contractor will be commencing works over the coming months. Further warrant approval for the wider Auchentorlie regeneration area is anticipated shortly. Engagement with private owners on refurbishment costs within this area will commence from October. 3.8 Stock Condition Survey Update 3.8.1 Our surveyors John Martin Partnership have completed the first phase of surveys for year 1 of the stock condition survey. The Asset & Energy team are inputting the data into our Housing Asset Management System (APEX) and assessing its initial impact on the quality standard, energy efficiency ratings and future programme of works. The second phase of year 1 surveys will commence in November and will cover the Foxbar and Glenburn areas of Paisley, expecting to last until the end of this year. The stock condition survey will attempt to access all Council housing stock, over a three-year period, expected to be split into three phase per year.
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3.9. Ground Source Heat Pump array to replace gas boilers at Gallowhill Court and Glencairn Court 3.9.1 The Housing Asset and Energy team have been investigating the replacement of gas heating for two multi storey blocks in Gallowhill, Paisley, with a net zero carbon solution that provides similar performance. An innovative shared ground source loop array system has been chosen, where ground surrounding the flats is used to drill bore holes that are connected together with pipes and used to exchange heat with the ground. Tenants will have a small heat pump fitted within their kitchen, replacing their existing gas boilers, and use will be metered via their existing electricity meter. An initial desktop study and then further detailed ground investigation has already been carried out and the work has been costed at £5m. An application has been made for Scottish Government funding of £2M to support the delivery of this project. If the funding application is successful, further information will be brought to the Policy Board in terms of work programme and anticipated timescales for delivery. 3.10 Regeneration Update 3.10.1 Housing-Led Regeneration and Renewal Programme Further to the annual update provided to the Policy Board in August, owner acquisition of properties identified for demolition within this programme continues positively with 58 of 89 properties now within Council ownership and a further 5 agreed and with Legal Services to conclude. Negotiations are ongoing with the remaining owners, with a number of resident owners interested in selling to the Council and becoming Council tenants as suitable alternative properties become available. 3.10.2 Tannahill Area of Ferguslie Park The work carried out in Ferguslie Park by the Councils Regeneration and Development Team has been recognised at the recent Herald Property Awards (Sept 24), with the project winning Regeneration Project of the Year 2024–Residential in collaboration with AS Homes. The Demolition of Council owned blocks in the Tannahill area continues to progress well, with 20 of 52 blocks now demolished. Members will note that there is a separate report presented to this meeting of the board relative to the condition of the privately owned property within the Tannahill area. 3.10.3 Paisley West End The regeneration of the West End is taking another step forward this month, with the transfer of a number of blocks to Sanctuary Housing
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Association to allow the next phase of demolition to commence. The first handover of newbuild properties on Underwood Lane is also anticipated to take place later this year with regular handovers expected until the first phase completes in Spring 2025. 3.10.4 Newbuild Projects Following completion of public consultation events within the local community, the formal Planning applications for Gallowhill (24/0494/PP) and the Howwood Road area (24/0495/PP) have been submitted. It is anticipated that these applications will be presented to a future meeting of the Planning and Climate Change Policy Board in late 2024/early 2025 for approval. Additionally, the Building Warrant applications have also now been lodged as part of overall statutory approvals process. 4. Public Protection 4.1 Business Regulation 4.1.1 Officers from across Public Protection assisted the Environmental Health, Business Regulation Team in carrying out inspections across Renfrewshire, following the issue of a Food Alert For Action (FAFA) issued by Food Standards Scotland. FAFA’s are only issued when enforcing authorities have to intervene for the protection of consumers. This action followed an intelligence led operation by the Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit (SFCIU) at Food Standards Scotland (FSS). The initial investigation centred on an independent retail shop in another Scottish local authority area, where counterfeit Glen’s Vodka was seized from the premises. The contents of some of the bottles were analysed, which identified the liquid as containing an unknown quantity of isopropyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol is an industrial solvent and not intended for human consumption. Consumption of isopropyl alcohol can quickly lead to alcohol poisoning and in severe cases death. Enquiries are ongoing to identify the distribution and production supply chain, and the Business Regulation team will assist FSS with this. A total of 124 businesses were identified as potential retailers of this product within Renfrewshire. 110 visits were carried out by officers, with no suspect product recovered. A further 14 “lower risk” (Mainly larger multiples) businesses were contacted and sent information, and these will also be visited in due course. Officers will continue to monitor this situation during visits, as part of their usual inspection programme. 4.2 Trading Standards 4.2.1 Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Products
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Work around Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Products (NVPs or Vapes) continues to be of high priority for the Trading Standards & Licensing Team. Further enforcement visits have been conducted, utilising the tobacco detection dog as part of Operation CECE. These intelligence-led visits are designed to target the sale and supply of both illicit tobacco and nicotine vapour products. A press release, and a social media video reel have been issued to highlight the work being done to tackle this problem and to encourage further reporting of intelligence. 4.3 Legal Metrology/Weights & Measures 4.3.1 Officers have neared completion on two large scale projects to ensure the accuracy of weighing and measuring equipment in unconventional settings. Baggage weighers at Glasgow Airport and weighing equipment in healthcare settings are subject to high traffic, and there is little scope for “down time” for testing purposes as they are in constant use. Inaccuracies could lead to, for example, incorrect assessment of nutrition in a healthcare setting, or the incorrect weight of baggage (with associated charges) for holidaymakers. We continue to work closely with partners in these sectors and thank them for their assistance in ensuring these vital controls. 5. Community Development Team 5.1 Targeted Programme of Engagement for young people As part of the Council budget agreed on 29 February 2024, £100,000 was allocated to support work to strengthen engagement with young people across Renfrewshire’s communities. This was to include the targeting of activities to support our most vulnerable children and young people through the development of a youth-led programme which will provide opportunities for young people to improve their safety, health and wellbeing and get involved in activities which will enhance and promote their community. Prior to the summer period, officers from the community Learning and Development team engaged with a range of partners from across Council Services, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue and Street Stuff, to consider options for piloting this approach in Renfrewshire, with a strong focus on building on the strength of existing partnership working and data intelligence. A new youth development initiative was scoped which involved targeted youth work on an outreach basis in two pilot communities – Linwood and Gallowhill. The aim of the pilot was to engage with young people aged 12- 25 on a multi-agency basis and to assess potential safety, health and wellbeing issues being experienced by young people. This information could then be used to inform future partnership initiatives, including the
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targeting of specific support for young people. Whilst Gallowhill was one of the initial pilot areas, partners involved in providing the outreach such as Street Stuff, quickly identified that young people from this community were at times travelling into Paisley town centre, so further engagement was also undertaken there also. Over the course of the summer partners engaged with 425 young people and gained significant insight into the views of young people they came into contact in the evenings and at weekends. This included initial information about what young people would like to be involved in within their communities. The engagement process itself was also invaluable to local partners in terms of safeguarding young people, providing advice and support in specific cases to young people that were pulling themselves in potentially unsafe situations. Partners are currently working to develop next steps in terms of learning from the pilot initiatives and further options will be brought forward for consideration by elected members in due course. The initiative has received strong support from the Board, Convener and Depute Convener, and from the Young People’s Champion Cllr Bruce MacFarlane. 5.2 Connected Communities Reviews In previous updates, Elected Members have been advised that work was being progressed to develop a new Connected Communities function within the Chief Executive’s Service which will bring together staff from the existing Community Learning and Development and Partnership and Inequalities teams. This work is progressing well and more detailed update on the new structure will be provided to the Policy Board during the next cycle. 6. Justice Social Work 6.1 Early Release 6.1.1. In response to a rapid rise in the prison population in recent months the Scottish Parliament approved a programme of emergency early release of prisoners, starting in June. Only short-term prisoners with 180 days or less left to serve on their sentence or long-term prisoners who have been recommended for release by the Parole Board were eligible. A number of automatic exclusions also applied. These included prisoners who are on remand, subject to sex offender notification requirements and serving sentences for convictions involving domestic abuse. Additionally, where it was identified that an individual would pose an immediate risk of harm to an identified person or group, the governor veto must be applied. 577 prisoners were initially identified for early
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release across Scotland’s prison estate. Within this, 26 prisoners from Renfrewshire were identified. 6.1.2 In delivering this, Justice social work has worked collaboratively with the Scottish Prison Service, Housing Services, and other key partners in terms of supporting information sharing and informing risk assessments. Offers of voluntary assistance have also been made to those approved for release. The weekly release programme started on 26/27 June for a 4- week period ending on 17/18 July. 6.2 Community Justice 6.2.1 Community Justice Renfrewshire’s Strategic Group met in June and agreed the activity areas that partners will focus resources on in the short term. This includes engagement and communications, supporting the transition of people from custody back into our communities, and supporting the delivery of quality diversionary activity for people who can benefit from early intervention. This improvement activity aligns to national community justice outcomes. 6.2.2 Work has been initiated with partners in NHS GCC Health Improvement to provide good practice training opportunities for staff who work with people on community-based supervision orders, including unpaid work. The training will cover important health and wellbeing areas relevant to many people involved in the justice system. This includes further developing trauma-responsive approaches and creating safe environments that help clients on their journey to rehabilitation and reintegration. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – Any financial elements referenced in this report will be progressed through the Council’s financial & budget planning process. 2. HR & Organisational Development - None 3. Community/Council Planning – The report details a range of activities which reflect local community and council planning themes 4. Legal - None 5. Property/Assets – None 6. Information Technology – None 7. Equality & Human Rights – The recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential
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for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – None 9. Procurement – None 10. Risk – None 11. Privacy Impact - None 12. Climate Risk – there are a range of actions and activities throughout the Service Update Report which support the Council’s Plan for Net Zero 13. Children’s Rights – None 14. Cosla Policy Position – None _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers: None _______ __________________________________ Author: Gordon McNeil, Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure Email: Gordon.mcneil@renfrewshire.gov.uk