Oldham Housing Investment Partnership
Oldham Housing Investment Partnership is a partnership between six housing associations and the Council. Participating organisations are:-
- Aksa Housing Association
- North British Housing Association
- Northern Counties Housing Association
- Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
- Portico Housing Association
- South East Lancashire Housing Association
- West Pennine Housing Association
The partnership was established as housing associations and the council in Oldham recognised they had shared aims. By working together the we hope to attract more investment into housing and regeneration in Oldham. We want to improve the quality of housing. We also want people to have jobs and feel good about the area they live in. We want to ensure the communities we serve are sustainable.
The early activity of the partnership focused very much on resources, on bringing in private investment and in securing public funds. The partnership has worked on improving properties, building new homes and creating employment.
We realised, however, that we could not just look at improving housing conditions. We needed to look also at the services we provide and how we deliver them. This led to us becoming a Best Value pilot.
Best Value
Best value is a policy promoted by the Government. It places a duty on providers of public services to ensure good value for money. It means looking at services to see if they can be done better or more cheaply. It also means allowing people who use these services to have a say in how they are run.
Best value is compulsory for Councils and some other public bodies. The Housing Corporation, who regulate housing associations, asked for a few to volunteer to try it out. The opportunity to bid for Best Value pilots came along at the time we were beginning to turn to issues of service delivery. OHIP, therefore, volunteered to be a pilot.
Aims of the Pilot
The aim of our pilot was to explore how the different partners in OHIP currently provide services and to see if they can be delivered in a better way. In some cases this has meant working together to provide a service. In other cases one partner has provided a service for all the others. It has helped save money by pooling resources. We have looked at Best Value in terms of what gives the best deal to our customers
The pilot considered the following areas of service :
- Anti Social Behaviour
- Anti Poverty Services
- Black and Minority Ethnic Liaison
- Environmental Services
- Office accommodation and contact with the landlord
- Housing for Older People
We chose these services because they are the ones which tenants told us they were concerned about and because, at face value, these services offered opportunities for more joint working.
Implementing Best Value
We have set up a Best Value group with representatives of the partners and other relevant agencies e.g. Oldham Independent Housing Aid Centre
Implementing the pilot included the following key stages:-
- decide priorities for service review
- gather information about existing costs and service standards
- seek tenants and residents views on existing services and how they can be improved
- evaluate each service and consider if we might save money or improve quality by making changes
- consult customers on any possible changes
- implement change as agreed with tenants and residents
- start again with phase two
- continue to monitor performance following change
Progress to date
Below we outline what progress we have made over the pilot period in each of the services we have been examining. We have separated out customer consultation as this activity relates to all the services we are examining.
Customer Consultation
We have sought the views of customers in a variety of ways. We have held a Best Value Seminar where the pilot was launched. This allowed tenants and others to have a say in what were our first priorities for review.
We have now held two further seminars. Over one hundred tenants from seven different landlords have attended the two seminars. At the seminars we reported on progress to date, shared some of the results of the tenants survey and sought tenants views on how services can be improved through a series of workshops. Invaluable input from tenants at the seminars had been widely used in our development of improvements to services. We have benefited from their enthusiastic participation and further involved tenants from the workshops in designing a user guide to tenants on anti social behaviour measures.
We have surveyed all tenants of housing associations and the local authority about their views on a range of services through a questionnaire. We have gathered information on a wide range of issues which will inform us not only on the make up of tenant households but also provide valuable information on tenants satisfaction with landlords performance and their priorities for the future. The information from this survey will be used to identify areas of good practice amongst partners and explore ways of improving services to our customers.
We have issued four Best-Value Newsletters to tenants across the participating landlords explaining what Best Value is about and how we are responding to the views expressed at the seminars and through the questionnaire.
Anti-Social Behaviour
Tenants Views
Tenants consider anti-social behaviour to be a major issue. In consultation, tenants made this one of their most important concerns. Figures collected from landlords suggest a relatively small number of incidents of anti-social behaviour. However figures reported by tenants show a different picture. This may in part be due to under-reporting of incidence to the landlord. It may also be because a small number of people behaving antisocially can disrupt things for a lot of people. The attention given to this issue in local and national media may have heightened people’s concerns but the problem is a serious one. 25% of tenants say they suffer from noise nuisance frequently. The most serious kinds of anti-social behaviour are also worryingly common. 13% of Portico’s tenants say they have suffered racial harassment. 20% of West Pennine’s tenants say they have received threats of violence. Typically there are more cases of serious nuisance for landlords that have higher levels of ethnic minority tenants and in areas in inner Oldham. This would suggest that tenants perceptions that some anti-social behaviour is racially motivated is well founded.
Legal services
Our review of Anti Social Behaviour showed that the Council can provide legal services at a lower cost than associations currently pay to high street solicitors. We have agreed terms and procedures for Housing Associations buying legal services from a specialist housing solicitor employed by the Council. We are piloting this for ASB cases with a view to expanding to include disrepair at a later date.
Mediation services
The review also showed a wide variation in referrals for mediation from different partners. Where mediation was used it was very successful. When we explored the reasons for this it became clear that some housing officers were not confident about promoting mediation as an option for resolving disputes. We have therefore set up mediation referral and promotion training for staff to boost take up.
User Guide for Tenants
Tenants are frustrated about the process of taking legal action which appears long and complex. One idea to come out of the tenants workshop is a user guide to tenants on anti social behaviour measures. Tenants felt that if they know what the processes are, they can better ensure that their landlord is taking all the appropriate steps. We have now produced this and carried out additional consultation with the group on a draft design.
Future Priorities
A popular option at the tenants workshop is some kind of security service, particularly out of hours. This was also reflected in the results of the tenants survey where improving home security was top of the list of tenants priorities for the future. We will explore how this might be funded. Home security was also a major priority.
We will continue to monitor the use and impact of mediation. We will review the impact of the user guide on the reporting of anti-social behaviour cases and on resolution of issues.
We will build agreed arrangements for involving tenants in our response to this problem into a joint tenants compact covering all partner landlords
Anti-Poverty Services
Tenants Views
We have surveyed tenants about welfare rights advice services and their views are discussed under welfare rights services below.
At the tenants seminar we explored tenants views on other services which have an impact on people coping with a limited income.
Tenants emphasised the importance of keeping rents down. They see this as important to allow people who now receive benefits to take jobs. Tenants also place great priority on improving the administration of housing benefit. Tenants attribute a good deal of problems with rent arrears and consequently with managing the household budget to delays in the processing of housing benefit claims. Tenants said that we needed to get the basics right on rents and housing benefits before other initiatives could have their full impact.
The graph below shows tenants views on the effectiveness of different initiatives
 |
|
| a | Helping with claiming benefits |
| b | Low cost contents insurance |
| c | Low cost supply of gas and electricity |
| d | More insulation to keep fuel costs down |
| e | Low cost furniture hire/ furniture recycling |
| f | Advice managing household budget |
| g | Training to help people to obtain employment |
| h | Loans at reasonable interest rates |
| i | Local exchange systems/ bartering scheme |
| j | A grow your own food project |
Tenants expressed a good deal of interest in the possibility of low price gas and electricity through preferred provider arrangements and energy service companies. Tenants also expressed a lot of interest in projects which can provide low cost furniture.
Some of the response may be due to the age and mix of participants e.g. the relatively low appetite for employment initiatives may reflect the disproportionate number of retired people in the workshop.
Rents
Partners within OHIP have shared information on existing rents and the assumptions used in scheme appraisals. This has allowed us to agree guideline rents for new and improved properties significantly below Housing Corporation benchmarks.
Housing Benefit
We have entered into discussions with the housing benefits section to see how we can improve the service. As a result we have established arrangements whereby the housing benefits section notify the landlord as well as the tenant when they have asked for additional information to support the application. Other possible measures we are looking at include a direct telephone line to housing benefits for housing associations, the employment service and other agencies. We would also like to explore housing benefits delegating verification of supporting documentation to individual housing associations but we understand this is not possible within the current framework. We are considering further research on housing benefits from the customers point of view, to find out how the application process can be improved.
Welfare Rights Services
The review shows a wide variety in the ways we provide welfare rights advice. Two associations employ specialist welfare rights advisers. The local authority social services department has a welfare rights service offering benefits advice, help with appeals and debt counselling. The service does not offer help with completing applications or budgeting advice. Local authority tenants do not have privileged access to the welfare rights service over other residents of Oldham but the housing department does make referrals of tenants who have been served notices for rent arrears.
We have surveyed tenants to assess take up and preferred sources of welfare rights advice. The survey shows that tenants of associations which employ specialist welfare rights advisers take up more advice than those who do not. As well as a demand for benefits advice it shows a large demand for help in completing applications and a smaller but significant demand for budgeting advice.
| What sort of welfare rights service would you like to receive? | Percent |
|---|---|
| Benefits advice | 48% |
| Money management/ debt counselling | 14% |
| Help in making claims for benefits | 34% |
| Help in making appeals about benefit decisions | 18% |
| Other answers | 4% |
| Not answered | 33% |
The lack of help available with completing applications is particularly a problem with Attendance Allowance which has a long and complex application form. As a result we have been part funding an Attendance Allowance take up campaign delivered through the Citizens Advice Bureau. Two advisers have been employed through the New Deal to assist frail and disabled people with applications. This has helped meet an identified need and also shown that such a model is suitable for delivering welfare rights services.
The Local Authority is also reviewing its welfare rights service as part of the Local Authority Best Value programme. We have been sharing our findings with that review group. An interim report has just been published. This suggests that levels of staffing compared with National Consumer Council recommendations is 19% for money advice. It recommends moving closer towards NCC recommended levels. It suggests that current services are complementing rather than duplicating each other. It proposes more work to introduce consistent quality standards and monitoring and evaluation measures.
Options for Change and Future Priorities
One option is joint provision of Welfare Rights Advice Service on a similar basis to the Attendance Allowance take up campaign. This solution would probably not include every partner e.g. two of our partners who are larger associations already directly employ Welfare Rights Advisers. An alternative is to rely on agencies independent of the landlord to provide these services and using the outcome of the survey and further consultation to help inform better tailoring and targeting of these services. We will wait for the completion of the LA’s review before making a decision on the way forward.
We will explore the possibility of low price gas and electricity through preferred provider arrangements, energy service companies and similar.
We will examine how we can provide low cost furniture through furniture recycling, furniture hire and other measures.
BLACK AND MINORITY ETHNIC LIAISON
Oldham has large communities of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. Until recently information on the ethnic origin of tenants was incomplete. Most partners record the ethnic origin of recent applicants but there are no records of the ethnic origin of long standing tenants. The housing needs survey gives some information on the ethnic origin of local authority and housing association tenants as a whole but not by individual landlord. However the general tenants survey asked tenants to identify their ethnic origin, giving us the most comprehensive picture to date of the ethnic make up of our tenants. This is summarised in the table below.
| British/ European |
Pakistani | Bangladeshi | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North British | 98% | 0 | 0 | 2% |
| Portico | 84% | 2% | 13% | 1% |
| Selhal | 85% | 8% | 5% | 2% |
| West Pennine | 83% | 8% | 5% | 4% |
| OMBC | 96% | 1% | 2% | 1% |
One of the issues we wanted to examine was whether our existing methods of communicating with tenants suited everyone. We wanted to discover whether tenants from ethnic minorities experience any barriers in communicating with their landlord.
Tenants’ Views
We ran two workshops on liaison with ethnic minorities; one open to everybody and one for women only. This was at the request of women in the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. Tenants emphasised the benefits of multi-lingual officers. The groups also highlighted a need for greater cultural awareness among staff. Tenants felt that landlords could do more to facilitate working out local issues in the community e.g. by providing interpreters and liaison workers to support local meetings.
There was a difference in emphasis between the women’s workshop which favoured dedicated phone lines and outreach on an individual basis and the mixed workshop which favoured localised one stop shops.
One suggestion is to provide an edited version of the tenants handbook in video format. We could use the same pictures with soundtracks in different languages and possibly also different soundtracks for different landlords.
Language
The tenants survey asked about tenants with first languages other than English. Some of these residents feel more comfortable communicating in their first language than in English. The table below shows the first language of tenants.
| English | Urdu | Punjabi | Bangla | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North British | 100% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Portico | 87% | 1% | 0 | 12% |
| Selhal | 89% | 4% | 2% | 5% |
| West Pennine | 90% | 4% | 2% | 4% |
| OMBC | 98% | 0 | 0 | 2% |
We have shared information on speakers of relevant minority languages working for the different partners. The information collected shows a wide variation in numbers of staff who speak relevant minority languages.
There is a particular shortage of Bangla speakers.
We have agreed that partners can borrow from each other staff who speak relevant minority languages. This will help meet an identified need in the short run. In the long run by recording which partners borrow speakers of which languages we will have a better understanding of what shortages there are and will be able to target recruitment at speakers of relevant languages.
There has been a significant improvement in the number of staff speaking minority languages serving tenants in Oldham. Overall this has risen from 26 at the start of the Pilot to 34 in April 2000. In addition to this SELHAL, Aksa and West Pennine have recently taken on 4 PATH trainees.
Localised Advice
We have reviewed local advice surgeries offered in relevant minority languages and aim to rationalise these to reduce duplication and make the best use of resources. This will allow us to maintain a service that some people clearly value and also free some resources to take forward some other methods of contact suggested in the workshops.
Options for Change and Future Priorities
The fact that different tenants want different solutions suggests that a diversity in how we communicate with tenants from ethnic minorities is appropriate. Although progress has been made, there is clear evidence that there is still a shortage of minority language speakers among front line housing staff. Most landlords participate in some kind of positive action training and this has had an impact but there is a clear need to recruit more minority language speakers to housing management posts. This is particularly true of Bangla speakers. We will seek resources to expand positive action training and target more minority language speakers in recruitment.
Local Offices and Contact with the Landlord
The housing providers in Oldham have different approaches to the provision of locally based services in Oldham. The Council has a number of area and estate based or neighbourhood based housing offices. Both West Pennine and Selhal have housing offices based in the town centre. Northern Counties have an office based in the neighbouring borough Rochdale while North British and Portico do not have a local office presence. Portico have recently introduced a call centre approach to their housing management service. We wanted to explore through the pilot whether more joint use of local offices would enable us to offer a better service. The first step was to establish how much tenants value a local presence.
Tenants’ Views
At the third tenants’ seminar we ran a workshop to explore the ways in which tenants contact their landlord and for what reasons. We sought tenants views on the best ways of contacting their landlord and whether a local office was always the most effective contact point.
The table below summarises what tenants saw as the advantages and disadvantages of each way of contacting their landlord
| Method | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Telephone | Quick | Lack of Confirmation |
| Able to speak to someone there and then, or leave a message | Lack of follow up | |
| Preferred method for discussions about repairs and rents | People are unsure of ansaphones | |
| Especially useful with an out of hours number | ||
| Fax | Quick | No confirmation that the message has arrived |
| Everything is down on paper | ||
| Confirmation that the message has been sent | ||
| Visit to Office | Face to Face contact | The people you need to speak to aren't always there |
| Message given directly | ||
| Staff available to listen | ||
| Preferred method for discussions about rehousing and neighbour nuisance | ||
| You receive at least some feedback when you go in and visit | ||
| Letter | Evidence that a message has been sent | No confirmation that the message has arrived |
| Everything down on paper | Potential that letter could be misunderstood | |
| Local meetings/ tenants' association | People are there to listen | Lack of follow up |
| Able to have a gorup discussion about concerns that are affecting more than one person | ||
| Preferred method for discussions about environmental issues such as the dumping of rubbish and security and lighting | ||
| Home visit | Face to Face | Doesn't always happen |
| Warden | Available at all times |
The workshop was lively and participants were able to share their personal experiences of contacting their landlord over different issues. The majority of negative experiences were about tenants contacting their landlord a number of times about one particular issue and not getting any response, others were about not knowing the right person to speak to in order to get a job done. There were also a number of positive experiences where problems and queries had been solved. Tenants in the workshop did not see the method of contact as the most important factor. Far more important was that they received proper feedback and confirmation that their query was being followed up.
Although the participants felt that a local office was of huge benefit other methods of contact, namely the telephone, are just as effective if follow up work is undertaken and proper feedback is given.
The tenants survey results support this conclusion. Of the two landlords whose tenants expressed the highest levels of satisfaction one has a call centre approach and the other has a local office in Oldham.
Options for Change and Future Priorities
Tenants most value local offices when making applications for rehousing and when reporting issues of neighbour nuisance. We will therefore look at introducing arrangements where applicants can register at any office for rehousing with any of the partner landlords.
We will explore options for sharing local offices in particular neighbourhoods where there is a concentration of different landlords and where one has a local office.
We will look further at the best methods of communicating around issues of neighbour nuisance. The sharing of local offices for this purpose is not likely to be possible without more comprehensive sharing of local office facilities generally which tenants did not think was necessarily very important.
Housing for Older People
Our original aim in looking at this area of service was to see if we achieve better value for money by better organising warden services. We wanted to see if there was scope to share wardens across near-by schemes. We wanted to explore potential benefits of varying the duties of a warden both in terms of efficiency and in terms of customer satisfaction. We gathered comprehensive information about the location and type of sheltered schemes, about services charges and about warden’s duties.
As we examined the issue more closely it became clear that there were a number of other issues we need to take account of. The supporting people framework will have an impact on the options for future service delivery. Changing technology means that new kinds of service are possible. For example mobile phone technology means that it is not necessary that all residents who want access to a call out facility have to live together. There is an increasing demand for extra care accommodation as people are reluctant to move into residential care before they have to. For these reasons we have approached this issue more broadly than we first planned. We are involving the Council’s social services department in looking at the potential to deliver more home care in sheltered schemes
Tenants Views
At the third tenants’ seminar we ran a workshop to explore a range of issues affecting housing for older people. Many of the participants live in sheltered accommodation at the moment.
The workshop participants said they preferred to live in bungalows and low rise sheltered flats. All accommodation above ground floor should have a lift. It is important to have a quiet location, near to shops with good access, well maintained public roads and footpaths and on a good public transport route.
Many tenants felt that the overall design of properties could be better. They wanted larger rooms particularly larger kitchens. Tenants prefer two doors, front and back where possible. It is important to have good security measures in place, locks, alarms, spy holes etc. and better soundproofing.
Some residents wanted to live on a mixed estate. They didn’t want to live just with older people but all wanted good neighbours. They suggested it is a good idea to vet tenants
When warden services were discussed the most important functions carried out by a warden were identified:
- Want them to contact Doctor/Family in a an emergency
- Need to be a caring person who likes older residents
- Organise social events in consultation with the residents - perhaps form a social club, everyone to be involved and pay towards the cost of activities on a weekly basis.
- Carry out small repairs such as lock changes and help with changing light bulbs etc.
- Keep an eye on properties when residents are away on holiday
- Oversee the work of contractors, cleaners and gardeners.
- Ensure that security is maintained
- To act as a good neighbour - just to be there
- Quick response needed
Some residents would like the option to have help with shopping, decorating and gardening - if not now in the future when they are older. They felt there should be easier access to adaptations when needed. Support with form filling and Welfare Benefits Advice is always needed. Residents felt we should keep rents as low as possible
Options for Change and Future Priorities
We now have a complete physical audit of the type and size of sheltered schemes. We also have a service audit in terms of the roles of wardens, helplines etc.. We have financial information about service charges and running costs. We have some information about residents aspirations drawn from the workshop discussed above and the housing need survey. However we feel we need to supplement this with the views of residents who are not yet in accommodation targeted at older people but may occupy such accommodation in the future. We also need to obtain robust estimates of future needs for extra care accommodation through the community care planning process.
Once we have this information we will be in a position to assess
- the types of accommodation we should be providing
- what physical investment we need to make to make properties suitable for this kind of provision
- how we should change roles to provide the right services
- how we finance support in the future
The Environment and Security
Tenants Views
At the third tenants’ seminar Groundwork we ran two workshops to explore environmental and security issues affecting tenants.
Both workshops identified a set of similar problems facing individuals across the borough. These range from derelict and unmanaged open space, litter/ fly tipping to feelings of insecurity in the immediate neighbourhood. People said they sometimes found the behaviour of young teenagers intimidating.The tenants survey found similar experiences. When asked about problems in their neighbourhood the most quoted issue was litter. Neglected open spaces and dumping of rubbish also feature. The workshop groups discussed possible ways of improving the environment and helping residents feel more secure. The groups felt we should bring unused derelict open space and small pockets of land into some kind of community use. Housing associations and the Council should help local people seek funding to improve their areas with support from agencies like Groundwork. The tenants felt that holding community events created an opportunity to promote a commitment to the environment. Community caretakers can help ensure a quicker response to dumping, litter, graffiti and vandalism.The most popular solution to feelings of insecurity was some kind of security service or neighbourhood warden. Neighbourhood watches and community policemen can also play a valuable role.
Options for Change and Future Priorities
Partners in OHIP have supported community led environmental improvements in a number of localities e.g. through national lotteries funding. However we recognise that the level of support has been uneven and has often depended on the enthusiasm of staff and residents.
We have introduced a number of initiatives to improve the environment. For example the partnership has successfully developed the Clear Up Team project. This is an intermediate labour market initiative which employs a team of people with learning difficulties to tidy up gardens and clear untidy land. This team became operational during March 2000. We are already receiving good reports from customers. This scheme is largely focused at Failsworth and South Oldham though demand for this kind of service is much more widespread.
Similarly we are seeking Government funding to introduce neighbourhood wardens in the Derker area of Oldham. Again demand is spread across the Borough. Where projects like these have proved successful in a locality we will look at extending them. We will also use our proposals around tenant compacts (see below) to ensure we offer a consistent level of support to local residents in helping maintain the environment.
Conclusions
PERFORMANCE AGAINST TARGETS
The table below sets out the data to be collected and provisional targets as set out in the implementation plan at the beginning of the pilot. It also shows what we have achieved against the targets. These deal only with the first three service areas where we set targets as part of the pilot process. Commentary on other service areas can be found in the main report.
| Service | Anti-Social Behaviour | B&ME Liaison | Anti-Poverty Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data to be collected | unit legal costs | no. of documents translated | no. residents taking up welfare advice |
| no. ASB cases | demand for translation | no. of residents taking up benefits | |
| ASB procedures | unit translation costs | no. of notices issued for rent arrears | |
| unit mediation costs | no. of staff speaking minority languages | ||
| mo. mediation referrals | |||
| success rate of mediation | |||
| Provisional Targets | 2 to 10% reduction in legal costs | 2 to 10% reduction in costs of translation | 10% increase in take up of welfare rights advice |
| 15% increase in mediation referrals | increase in no. of documents translated | 2 to 10% increase in takeup of benefits | |
| increase in the success of mediation | 15% increase in number of minority language speaking staff accessible to each partner | 2 to 10% reduction in no/ of rent arrears cases leading to issue of notices | |
| reduced tenancy turnover | |||
| increase in cases resolved without legal action | |||
| Performance against targets | 23% to 60% reduction in legal costs for ASB cases | no reduction in costs of translation | some evidence of increase in takeup of welfare rights advice,but figures are incomplete |
| 10% increase in mediation referrals | no increase in no. of documents translated | rate of takeup of benefits - decided to abandon as a target | |
| no change in the success of mediation | 31% increase in number of minority language speaking staff accessible to each partner | 2.5% reduction in no. of rent arrears cases leading to issue of notices | |
| change in tenancy turnover of between -1.5% and 3.75% | |||
| 6.1% increase in cases resolved |
We have exceeded our cost reduction targets for legal services by a large margin. We have increased the take up rate of mediation by 10% but have not reached our 15% target. Nevertheless the result is in the right direction. The increase in cases resolved without legal action is also a good sign. The success rate of mediation has not improved but it was very high to begin with. Arguably with more challenging cases now being referred for mediation we would not expect an increase in the success rate. In hindsight we might question the appropriateness of this target.
Different partners have had different experiences with regard to tenancy turnover but overall the trend has been upwards. While we must acknowledge that anti-social behaviour is only one factor effecting tenancy turnover this result is nevertheless disappointing given the overall positive feel of our other indicators on anti-social behaviour.We have well exceeded our target for the number of minority language speakers employed by partners. When we add to this that partners can now also borrow staff from each other the improvement in the service to the public has been substantial. We have not met our cost reduction targets for translation. Discussions are still ongoing regarding collective purchase of translation services which could lead to cost reductions in the future.
The base line figures on take up of welfare rights were based on a survey of tenants which we have not yet repeated to get fully updated figures. However where partners have internal monitoring mechanisms there is evidence of an increase in take up of welfare rights advice. In addition 154 have been helped to claim attendance allowance through the take up campaign that we have been supporting. We aim to make further progress when the local authority’s review of welfare rights services is complete.When we bid for the pilot we intended to look at data on benefit take up levels to measure the effectiveness of welfare rights activity. However it soon became clear that these figures could be affected in the opposite direction by successful welfare to work initiatives. We have therefore abandoned this as a performance measure.We have achieved a reduction in the number of rent arrears cases leading to issue of notices within the band of our target range. Within the context of the verification framework for housing benefit we believe this is a substantial achievement.
Over all we believe we have performed well against the targets we set ourselves. However we believe there is more progress to be made in all three of the service areas.Outside the six topic areas we identified in our submission for Best value pilot status we have also been working together on a number of other issues. For example we have shared information about call handling for out of hours repairs. Partners have shared information about the cost and quality of their existing services. As a result some partners have re-tendered their service.
Overall Impact
The Best value pilot has challenged the assumption that each landlord should provide services independently and has led to a number of changes.There is more purchasing of services by OHIP partners from each other, for example associations purchasing legal services from the Council.There is more shared provision of services, for example we are helping fund an attendance allowance campaign. We have carried out joint training of staff to promote the use of mediation. We have set up arrangements where partners can borrow minority language speakers from each other.We now carry out joint consultation with tenants and residents. This includes a tenants questionnaire; joint tenant seminars and joint best value newsletters.
Future Action
The Best Value Pilot is now officially complete but the work of the group will continue. There is still more work to do in all of the six service areas we reviewed as part of the pilot. We have discussed above some of the options for change and future priorities.In addition to this we are also looking at number of new areas.
Streamlined Housing Applications
We will explore ways of streamlining housing application processes for customers. The Housing Green paper proposes a simplified allocations system based on a small number of bands that gives more choice to customers. We will use this opportunity to explore a number of measures to widen access to including:- common application forms; over-the-phone applications; one stop applications and a common housing register. The review will also aim to ensure access for applicants from Black and Minority Ethnic communities.
Tenants Compacts
We plan to develop a joint tenant and resident participation strategy building on the best of the tenant compacts framework. We will audit existing consultation methods and participation opportunities. We will identify under-represented groups and topic areas where people do not have the opportunity to participate as much as they wish. We will seek out people to become involved and establish core groups to discuss issues. Through these groups we will establish issues where tenants want involvement with their landlord and issues where they want a cross landlord response. As a second phase we want to employ a Compact Training and Development officer to widen the scope of involvement; to work up formal compacts in different topic areas and to carry out training and capacity building. We are seeking Innovation and Good Practice Grant Resources to help us achieve this.
Promoting the Principles of Egan
We have also begun working together on how we can implement the recommendations of the report of the construction task force (the Egan report) in the development, rehabilitation and maintenance of housing. We are working towards joint select lists for contractors and consultants. We plan to use this process to promote use of local labour and local suppliers and good practice in training and development.
Programme of Action
| Local Performance Data & Performance Reviews | Completion Target Date | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Review housing corporation Performance Indicators and agree what should be collected on an Oldham basis and what over the association as a whole. | June 2000 |
| B | Share the service review programmes of individual partners | June 2000 |
| C | Identify common areas/ themes of review and share review data | Aug 2000 |
| D | Share the results of performance reviews | Ongoing |
| The housing applications process | Completion Target Date | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Share information about existing procedures for applying for and allocation properties | July 2000 |
| B | Consult applicants and residents to obtain views on existing procedures and possible alternatives | Sept 2000 |
| C | Review procedures to a)take account of customers views b)take account of the proposals in the housing green paper c)simplify the process for applicants |
Jan 2001 |
| D | Introduce a cross landlord application process e.g. ability to apply for all landlords through any outlet; common application form; telephone applications | April 2001 |
| E | Explore the benefits of a common waiting list | May 2001 onwards |
| Housing for Older People | Completion Target Date | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Identify the needs and aspirations for different models through :- The Best Value Workshop The Housing Needs survey The General Tenants Survey follow up consultation with people who attended the Best Value Workshop |
partially complete fully complete by Sept. 2000 |
| B | Collect information about existing shetered housing including :- a)physical attributes - e.g. flat/bed-sit; lift/stairs only; communal facilities b) services - roles of wardens, help-lines etc. c) financial information - costs and charges d)popularity - waiting list, void levels etc. |
partially complete fully complete by Aug 2000 |
| C | Assess the demand for extra-care housing through discussions with social services:- | Sept 2000 |
| D | Review service and identify how we need to change staff roles to better meet aspirations | Dec 2000 |
| E | Identify schemes appropriate for delivery of extra care housing and schemes which could be made suitable through investment. | Sept 2000 |
| F | Identify schemes appropriate for delivery of extra care housing and schemes which could be made suitable through investment. | April 2001 |
| Tenant Participation Strategy Key Stages |
Completion Target Date | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Audit of existing arrangements for consultation and participation complete | October 2000 |
| B | Groups under-represented in consultation and participation identified | Nov. 2000 |
| C | Topic areas identified where tenants do not have opportunities to participate at present | Nov. 2000 |
| D | Series of core topic groups established | Dec 2000 |
| E | Issues that are tenants priorities for participation established | April 2001 |
| F | Compact Training and Development Officer in post | April 2001 |
| G | Core topic groups widened in membership and formalised | May 2001 |
| H | Complete audit of core groups’ training needs | June 2001 |
| I | Develop work plan and training timetable for core groups for both area and topic based compacts | July 2001 |
| J | First 50 people benefiting from capacity building | Dec. 2001 |
| K | First topic based compact produced | Nov 2001 |
| L | Next 50 people benefiting from capacity building | Jun. 2002 |
| M | First neighbourhood compact produced | May 2002 |
| N | Review the topic based compact with the aim to assess the impact and what extra support it needs | Nov. 2002 |
| O | Start to implement other compacts both area and topic based as assessment indicates. | July 2002 |
| P | Review the neighbourhood compact | April 2003 |
| Q | Full set of compacts produced with self sustaining assessment process | April 2003 |
| Service | Housing Applications | Housing for Older People | Tenant Participation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data to be collected | existing applications procedures | no. type & attributes of accommodation | involvement structures and methods |
| proportion of applicants applying to more than one landlord | costs and charges | level and range of participants | |
| proportion of B&ME applicants | staff roles | customers views on existing participation structures | |
| proportion of B&ME applicants | staff roles | customers views on existing participation structures | |
| needs and aspirations of customers | |||
| Provisional targets | reduction in admin. costs | reduction in void levels in sheltered accommodation | increase in participation |
| increase in proportion of applicants applying to more than one landlord | increase in satisfaction among older tenants | increase in participation by all sections of the community | |
| increase in proportion of B&ME applicants | reduction in no.s of people entering residential care | increased effectiveness of participation as reported by customers | |
| reduced tenancy turnover |
Glossary of Terms
| Anti-Social Behaviour | behaviour that causes a nuisance to neighbours |
| Attendance Allowance | a benefit paid to people who are frail or have a disability to help cover the costs of care |
| Housing Benefit | a benefit paid to people on low incomes to help cover housing costs |
| Housing Corporation | a non- government organisation that part funds housing association development and regulates the activities of housing associations. |
| Mediation | an independent listener who helps people in dispute reach agreement |
| The New Deal | a government funded programme to help people without jobs get back to work |
| Warden | a support worker for older people who drops in or can be contacted when needed |
| Welfare Rights Advice | advice to people about what benefits they may be entitled to and how to claim |
| Innovation and Good Practice grant | A grant from the Housing Corporation to help fund innovative projects that others can learn from. |