Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

To approve the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Panel held on 17 December 2012 (enclosed)

a)    Confirmation

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Panel meeting held on 17 December 2013 be confirmed as a correct record for signing by the Chair.

b)    Matters arising

12.OSP.13 – Transformation Directorate – Business Plan Monitoring

The Panel were provide with an update on the projects contained with the ICT Plan that showed the progress that had been made to date.

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 must not seek to improperly influence a decision on the matter.

There were no declarations of any interests.

To consider the exclusion of the press and public for the following items of business on the ground that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

RESOLVED - To exclude the press and public for the following items of business on the ground that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

Report of the Director of Partnerships, Planning and Policy (to follow)

The Chair welcomed Councillor Adrian Lowe to the meeting who was attending in his capacity as Executive Member for Homes and Business, along with Zoe Whiteside, Head of Housing and Mick Coogan, Strategic Housing Officer.

The Panel considered a confidential report of the Director of Partnerships, Planning and Policy that provided responses to a number of questions raised by Members around the following:

·         Time taken to process, determine and allocate priority banding to applicants of Selectmove

·         Simplifying the Selectmove application to make it more user friendly but ensuring correct information is received

·         Measures that could be taken to help those applicants who know their existing tenancy will be terminated before they become homeless

·         Improvements to the interface between Selectmove and members of the public

·         Information on the bidding cycle; and

·         Ensuring that social housing providers get an allocations service that they value.

Member of the Panel also asked a variety of additional questions with regards to the policies and procedure of the Selectmove processes.

It was explained that although it was difficult to benchmark the service against other authorities, the Council had used comparative information when developing the application forms to make sure that they followed a consistent approach and captured all the relevant information needed from which to form an accurate assessment of the applicant’s needs.

Members were informed of the type of information required from Selectmove applicants before an assessment of banding can be made and the common reasons for delay. Additional support and guidance is given when necessary to ensure that all applicants are banded correctly and assurances were given that the service does a lot of work that was over and above what was required to make sure that the bandings were fairly allocated.

A dedicated officer was currently working with Registered Social Landlords to identify those people that were struggling to pay their rents and to ensure offer help and assistance is offered to prevent tenants being at a risk of becoming homeless.

Members had concerns that the online service was not as good as it could be. Some of the Registered Social Landlords did not supply adequate information including photographs, whilst this was something that that the Council sympathised with, they had very little control over but with the support of the Executive Member they continued to lobby the companies in an effort to improve the process for the customers and the Council.

RESOLVED - That the report be noted.

Due to the amount of business still to be transacted and the lateness of the hour, the Chair took the decision to adjourn the meeting. The remainder of the business on the agenda would be considered at a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel on 20 March 2013.