Item 13 - Appendix 2
West Dunbartonshire Council · 20 November 2024
Back to Housing & Communities Committee — 20 November 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Assessment No 1056 Owner skristmanns Resource Regeneration, Environment and Growth Service Housing and Employment FirstName Surname Job Title Head Officer Stefan Kristmanns Housing Development Coordinator Members Peter Barry, Chief Officer Housing and Employability John Kerr, Housing Development and Homelessness Manager Martin Feeney, Building Services Manager Nicola Pettigrew, Housing Operations Manager Alan Young, Housing Asset and Investment Manager Stefan Kristmanns, Housing Development Coordinator James McCarron, Finance Business Partner Craig Wilson, Building Services Maintenance Manager Suzanne Bannister, Team Leader Housing Operations (Please note: the word 'policy' is used as shorthand for strategy policy function or financial decision) Policy Title Housing Repairs Policy The aim, objective, purpose and intended outcome of policy Aim of the policy The key aim of this policy is to deliver a high quality, efficient and effective responsive repairs service, that will provide a safe, secure and healthy living environment, in a manner which delivers value for money, high rates of customer satisfaction, maintains properties in a good and safe state of repair and contributes to maximising the quality and long-term life of our housing stock. Objectives of the policy The main objectives of the are: •To ensure that our properties are well maintained, with repairs carried out when required, and giving you reasonable choices about when the work is done. •To carry out repairs right first time and provide a good value, reliable and customer centered service. •To comply with legal responsibilities and implement best practice, ensuring value for money. Service/Partners/Stakeholders/service users involved in the development and/or implementation of policy. Housing and Employability Service West Dunbartonshire Tenants and Resident Organisation West Dunbartonshire Equalities Forum Does the proposals involve the procurement of any goods or services? Yes If yes please confirm that you have contacted our procurement services to discuss your requirements. No SCREENING You must indicate if there is any relevance to the four areas ITEM 13 - APPENDIX 2
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Duty to eliminate discrimination (E), advance equal opportunities (A) or foster good relations (F) Yes Relevance to Human Rights (HR) Yes Relevance to Health Impacts (H) Yes Relevance to Social Economic Impacts (SE) Yes Who will be affected by this policy? All tenants who receive a housing repairs service from West Dunbartonshire Council as their landlord. Who will be/has been involved in the consultation process? Survey in June 2024 open to all WDC tenants asking how important various aspects of our repairs policy are to them. This consultation was key in shaping the content of the draft policy. Engagement with the West Dunbartonshire Tenants and Residents Organisation (WDTRO) in August/September 2024 outlining content of draft policy, asking for feedback in relation to clarity of the language used and WDTRO members also offered to proof read document. Further consultation September 2024 asking for views/comments on draft policy, the content of which was shaped by tenant feedback received in main consultation exercise. Specific questions asked about how well the policy delivered on tenant priorities outlined. This consultation was highlighted to the West Dunbartonshire Equalities Forum, Tenant and Resident Associations and our Interested Tenants Register. A full consultation summary document will be included in the report to the Housing and Communities Committee in November 2024 seeking approval for the revised policy.
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Please outline any particular need/barriers which equality groups may have in relation to this policy list evidence you are using to support this and whether there is any negative impact on particular groups. Specific group to consider Needs Evidence Impact Age This policy needs to serve the needs of people from across age groups. For older people there are more likely to be cross cutting issues noted under disability accessibility of services. The needs of Children and young people cross cut with UNCRC considerations. The policy should have an overall positive impact and it aims to improve the level of service provided to all tenants. Disability We need to ensure that services are accessible to disabled people. The policy recognises that in certain circumstances the service will need to be tailored to accommodate individuals and their needs. Those who may benefit from their individual circumstances being considered include but are not limited to: • tenants with particular communication needs for example, BSL users, or people who are hard of hearing • tenants with a physical impairment, such as a wheelchair or walking frame user • tenants with a learning difficulty or disability • tenants with an advanced terminal illness When a repair is reported every attempt will be made to ensure reasonable adjustments can be made. This could include carrying out some repairs more quickly than normal or agreeing specific arrangements for appointments (such as knocking loudly, allowing for extra time for a door to be answered or contacting a third party to facilitate access). The policy also contains a commitment that those that need an adaptation to assist accessing or getting around their home or with independent living, medical adaptations can be carried out by us. These adaptations could include ramps, showers, handrails, door alterations or path widening. The policy should have an overall positive impact and it aims to improve the level of service provided to all tenants but specifically recognises that the service provided can be tailored for disabled people. Gender Reassign We need to consider any differential impact No evidence of any differential impact Neutral Marriage & Civil Partnership Under the Equality Act 2010 married people and civil partners should be treated equally. This policy will apply equally to married people and civil partners. Neutral Pregnancy & Maternity Cross cuts with sex Cross cuts with sex Cross cuts with sex, Positive Race It is more likely that some BME people might face languages barriers in accessing services. People from non-white minority ethnic groups are This document is available in other languages. As this policy is implemented the level of service provided will not be impacted by the income of the tenant. The policy should have an overall positive impact and it aims to improve the level of service provided to all tenants.
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more likely to be in relative poverty after housing costs compared to those from the ‘White - British’ and ‘White - Other’ groups Religion and Belief Muslim adults are more likely to be in poverty compared to adults of Christian and other faiths and those with no religion. Some, but not all, of the higher poverty risk for minority ethnic groups and Muslims can be explained by their lower average age. As this policy is implemented the level of service provided will not be impacted by the income of the tenant. The policy should have an overall positive impact and it aims to improve the level of service provided to all tenants. Sex We need to be aware of how policies may differentially effect men and women in particular circumstances. Women head 90% of single parent families and are more heavily involved in caring for relatives than men. It is important that repair arrangements are adequate for meeting the needs people who may be juggling multiple tasks. Women are more likely to be in relative poverty than men, because for example gender pay gaps, and women making up 90% of single parents Estimates for single fathers are not available due to small sample sizes. Women rely more on public services than men. A clear and sufficiently flexible policy will be especially beneficial for women. Sexual Orientation Relative poverty are rates higher for LGB+ adults compared to heterosexual people. As this policy is implemented the level of service provided will not be impacted by the income of the tenant. The policy should have an overall positive impact and it aims to improve the level of service provided to all tenants. Human Rights The Human Rights Act incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into UK law. This policy will not impinge human rights and in particular will support: • Article 8 “right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence”. UNCRC Considerations, in this circumstance 'protection' and 'provision' are relevant. The key aim of this policy is to deliver a high quality, efficient and effective responsive repairs service, that will provide a safe, secure and healthy living environment, in a manner which delivers value for money, high rates of customer satisfaction, maintains properties in a good and safe state of repair. Having a comprehensive and clear written policy in place helps protects people rights, including the rights of children and young people.
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Health The Council has a focus on Health and Wellbeing in its strategic plan. Having an improved policy with clearer information protects mental and physical health Positive Social & Economic Impact The Council has a focus on reducing poverty and child poverty Being a social renter is a strong proxy measure in terms of relative poverty. An improved policy is beneficial to Council Tenants. Positive, better maintained properties contribute to economic wellbeing and reduce costs to renters Cross Cutting A key cross cutting issue is ensuring that both the policy and the service is easily accessible to all tenants. The WDC BSL action Plan 24-30, commits to increasing ease of access to services for BSL users. We need to have due regard to the Consumer Duty of relevant Strategic Decisions, no additional impact assessment is required as the needs of consumers are covered in this circumstance through the rest of this assessment. The policy codifies and improves our approach to repairs. People and communities can and are effected by how issues and circumstances cross cut. The policy recognises this, in terms of how repairs will be organised to ensure that peoples’ circumstances are taken into account. The policy follows the Communicating Effectively Guidance and in addition the WDTRO played a role in proof reading the policy and providing feedback in terms of the language used. We plan to make a BSL video highlighting the policy. The policy has a key aim of providing a service that is accessible and includes a range of ways to easily contact to report a repair. Note above the range of positive outcomes anticipated. There is nothing the in policy that would lead to negative impacts for people or communities, or tenants.
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Policy has a negative impact on an equality group,but is still to be implemented, please provide justification for this. Will the impact of the policy be monitored and reported on an ongoing bases? Q7 What is you recommendation for this policy? Please provide a meaningful summary of how you have reached the recommendation EIA 1056: The Housing repairs policy brings information on the existing approach to repairs and improvements such as shorter waiting time standard for essential repairs. This will have positive impact for all tenants but especially people who may be more vulnerable in some circumstances for example disabled people, older people, women and BME groups. Human Rights e.g. Right to Family Life and Children's rights are also protected by improving the approach to repairs and information on repairs. Care has been taken to ensure the document is as accessible as possible in terms of language use and availability of alternate formats. A program of publicity and information will support these goals.