Agenda and draft minutes

Decision: The minutes were approved as a correct record.

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any pecuniary interest in respect of matters contained in this agenda.

If you have a pecuniary interest you must withdraw from the meeting. Normally you should leave the room before the business starts to be discussed. You do, however, have the same right to speak as a member of the public and may remain in the room to enable you to exercise that right and then leave immediately. In either case you just not seek to improperly influence a decision on the matter

No declarations were made.

Jon-James Martin, Performance and Transformation Officer to present and highlight key findings from the Select Move Survey.

Jon-James Martin, Performance and Transformation Officer presented the findings from the Select Move Survey to explore the experience of Select Move customers, focused on the process, website and experience with support and assistance. The survey was digital with paper copies upon request, but no requests were made.

The survey was live from 1 July to 29 July 2022, and every customer that had used Select Move from April 2019 to March 2022 were invited to participate, which totaled 2652 individuals.

114 responses were received which was a 4.2% response rate, and a non-response rate of 95.8%. It was cautioned that the results of the survey were not considered a representative sample, however, the results could provide insight for those that responded.

54% of respondents were dissatisfied with the process, however, the majority were satisfied with the experience of using the website, and the majority were satisfied with the assistance received.

Members highlighted the responses related to the use of the website, although the website was deemed to be ‘very easy’ or ‘fairly easy’ to use. Feedback suggested that there was difficulty using the Select Move website on a mobile device, which was the most popular way to access Select Move.

It was confirmed that Civica are currently in the process of updating the website to ensure the website is user friendly on all devices. It was expected to be completed October 2022.

Users of Select Move were able to communicate through the Select Move website itself, email, and phone. There was a backlog of correspondents, but with additional capacity, communications were now being dealt with as soon as they arrived. Considering the technological advancements, Members stressed the importance of easy face to face access for those that struggled with technology or just preferred to interact face to face.

It was summarised that a large portion of the users of Select Move did not receive the outcome that they wanted. 56% of users had been on the list for more than 12 months but doesn’t show how much longer than a year. It was noted that the survey didn’t differentiate the waiting times per band, however, as the Housing Register was a register of need, it could be assumed that those waiting the longest were not in the greatest need of housing.

Concern was raised with the open ended responses that highlighted that some respondents with mental health difficulties felt that the process exacerbated their isseus and did not receive the help required. There was also concern about the specific user that was a victim of domestic abuse, and injured while waiting for a property.

It was acknowledged that the highlighted cases would be investigated.

Chorley Council recently appointed a Domestic Abuse Coordinator that worked closely with the Select Move Coordinator to ensure the process was correctly followed.

It was confirmed to initial users were responded to after two or three days, but the speed of the application depended on the swiftness of the correct documentation provided.

It was agreed that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Lisa McCormick introduced herself as the Select Move Coordinator. She was experienced with Housing in the council. She highlighted that he role was to coordinate the partnership and to implement improvements across the partnership. She was also responsible for leading, chairing and organising the steering group and operational meetings that take place within the partnership. 

She was currently working as the lead on he policy review, and listed changes to be made which included the software upgrade by Civica, that would hopefully resolve issues and concerns raised by the Task Group and from the Survey.

There was frequent close coordination with positive relationships with South Ribble Borough Council and Preston City Council. With the position of Select Move Coordinator, Chorley Council had a greater presence within the partnership.

In addition to increased capacity in the Housing Department, a new Select Move Advisor Post was created to work to support the Coordinator and to work closer with the applications.

It was acknowledged that there was uncertainty if the Select Move Coordinator had the capacity to progress the work from the ‘Quality of Housing Provided by Social Landlords’ Task Group recommendations, such as the Housing Charter. However, Housing Enforcement would work in consultation with Central Government keeping up to date with the latest formulas and funding.

Thursday, 18 August 2022 at 4pm

Thursday 18 August 2022. 4pm.