Agenda item

Purpose of Report

The purpose of the report is to update members of a review of the Council's Housing Services processes for managing damp and mould in council housing and to seek approval to implement a new Damp and Mould Policy.

RECOMMENDATIONS     

1.    The Cabinet Member for Housing and Tackling Homelessness approves the new Damp and Mould Policy (Appendix A - Damp and Mould Policy, version 1.1) and asks Housing, Neighbourhood and Building Services to implement the new policy with immediate effect.

2.    The Cabinet Member for Housing and Tackling Homelessness approves the implementation plan set out in section 5.

3.    The Cabinet Member for Housing and Tackling Homelessness requests an information only report to be brought back mid-year to update on the progress of the work.

Steve Groves, Head of Building Maintenance presented the report, the purpose of which was to update members of a review of the Council's Housing Services processes for managing damp and mould in council housing and to seek approval to implement a new damp and mould policy.

Resident consortium

In response to Resident consortium questions, officers clarified:

·         There were a lot of factors that contribute to damp and mould issues.  The important part of the policy was the face-to-face engagement and follow up with residents and understanding those issues to see if there was any support that could be provided to ensure officer advice could be implemented.  The follow up was key and looking at both resident and building factors to understand the root cause.

·         The service was starting to use technology such as thermal imaging to pinpoint issues in some of the older acquired housing stock which are more prone to damp and mould issues.

Members' questions

In response to Members' questions, officers clarified:

·         The spike in quarter 3, 2023 of the report was from a combination of seasonal factors.  The third quarter, from October onwards, was the season when it was more prevalent in terms of demand and was when there are the most calls from repair surveyors.  It was noted that damp and mould can occur all through the year.

·         When the issue was structural within the whole block, there was a twofold approach.  There was more proactive engagement with the residents and condition surveys would be more of a primary focus.  The knowledge and information can inform the planned programmes and link into other work streams, assisting in prioritising which blocks would be focused on.

·         The leaflets would be given out when staff are doing home visits.  They would be part of the pack for the residents coming over from Clarion Housing and the information was also on the website and would continue to be regularly included in Housetalk.

·         A specific training module for the wider organisation was being developed with the Learning and Development Team.  There had been briefings for the Surveying Team, Housing teams and Housing Officers.

Members' Comments

Members were pleased to see the policy being implemented already and in particular the clear process for escalation when issues are not being resolved first time.           

Chairs' comments

The Chair noted it was crucial that everybody who visits any resident or housing block, such as social care, environmental services as well as housing staff, was aware of the issue and knew how to report and escalate when needed.

The Chair was pleased to see the comprehensive proactive approach within the policy, as it was important to keep tenants as safe as possible in their own homes.

DECISION

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Tackling Homelessness:

1)    Approved the new damp and mould policy (Appendix A - Damp and Mould Policy, version 1.1) and asked Housing, Neighbourhood and Building Services to implement the new policy with immediate effect.

2)    Approved the implementation plan set out in section 5.

3)    Requested an information only report be brought back mid-year to update on the progress of the work.