Agenda item

The Director of Housing submits a report to the Housing Scrutiny Commission for noting which provides an overview and update of the Housing System Replacement programme and Housing Channel Shift.

The Director of Housing submitted a report to the Commission for noting which provided an overview and update of the Housing System Replacement programme and Housing Channel Shift.

Charlotte McGraw, Head of Service, presented the report and drew Members’ attention to the following:

·         Channel shift was about broadening channels for those that could access online services; it was acknowledged that this was not a one size fits all approach and that vulnerable tenants needed to still be able to access services by traditional means too;

·         Progress had been made in delivering Rents Channel shift and the first stage of repairs;

·         The team was actively promoting uptake of Housing Online;

·         The mobile working solution had been updated and alongside Repairs Channel Shift it had made it easier for people to book, cancel and access services.

The Chair asked what performance indicators were being used to assess whether the strategy was successful, i.e. in terms of the percentage of enquiries made online, the cost of introducing rent and repairs channel shift and the projections for the future. Members were informed that statistics on call volumes were considered on a monthly basis alongside data on face-to-face transactions. Currently the council was developing datasets, for example, on rents and how many tenants were signing up to access the services, and the same would be done for the repairs service over the next year. The Chair asked that a detailed report be brought to a future meeting of the Housing Scrutiny Commission.

The Chair noted the lack of connectivity between the Granby Street system and Northgate. He asked what criteria would be used to ensure connectivity between the new housing system and the CRM system used at Granby Street Customer Services. Members were informed a response to the question would be looked into and be provided to them in writing following a discussion with IT.

Members stated that it was a problem for some tenants accessing services online and asked for the approximate number of tenants who did not use electronic means to connect. Members were informed the figure was not known for housing, but at a recent Anti-Poverty summit it was estimated that 10% of people were not able to use digital means, and as many council tenants were in poverty it could be assumed that a number of tenants were in that 10%.

An example given of successful engagement online was the Choice Based Lettings system. There had been initial concerns that people would not engage, but it had become clear that people had with 99% of all bids made online, although it was not known how many were receiving support, for example, in libraries. For those that could not engage online, they were not excluded and Members were given reassurance that there were no plans to remove the telephone system and people still had direct contact. It was noted the situation would be closely monitored and it was believed the gentle encouragement approach the council was taking was correct.

Councillor Cutkelvin, Assistant Mayor for Housing and Education, stated the new system reduced the number of times repairs operatives had to visit. Tenants could now upload pictures of required repairs, reducing the number of visits needed.

The Chair thanked the Officer for the report.

AGREED:

1.    That the report be noted.

2.    A detailed report on performance indicators used to assess the success of the Channel Shift strategy for accessing housing services be brought to a future meeting of the Housing Scrutiny Commission.

3.    Information on the criteria being used to ensure connectivity between the new housing system and the CRM system used in Granby Street Customer Services be forwarded to Members of the Commission.