resident engagement panel · 2017-11-29 · gordonbrock primary school amyruth road se4 1hq 19.00...

Resident

PanelThursday 14 December 2017 6.30pm – 9.00pm

The Old Town HallCatford SE6 4RU

Engagement

Forthcoming Meetings and Dates

Resident Engagement Panel

Lewisham Homes

Old Town Hall

Catford Road

SE6 4RU

18.30 – 19.00

(surgery/networking)

19.00 – 21.00

(meeting)

29 March 2018

.

Lewisham Homes Board

Lewisham Homes

Old Town Hall

Catford Road London SE6 4RU

18.30 – 20.30

30 January 2018

Events Time

Date Start Finish

Free Technical Theatre for 12+

Broadway Theatre

Catford Road

SE6 4RU

www.lewishamyouththeatre.com

16.30 18.00 22 January 2018

Albany AGM

Douglas Way

4AG

18.30 20.30 23 January 2018

London Metropolitan University

Graduation

Old Town Hall

Catford Road

SE6 4RU

18.00 21.00 1 March 2018

Learn to produce & record music

Riverside Youth Club

185 Grove Street

SE8 3QQ

18.30 20.30

Every Tuesday &

Thursday

Drama (8-12 years)

Broadway Theatre

Catford Road

SE6 4RU


16.15 17.45 Every Tuesday

Drama (8-12 years)

Broadway Theatre

Catford Road

SE6 4RU


11.00 12.30 Every Saturday

For more details of events please visit www.lewishamhomes.org.uk

http://www.lewishamhomes.org.uk/

Local Assemblies Time

Date Start Finish

Sydenham Assembly

Sydenham Community Library

Sydenham Road

SE26 5SE

11.00 13.00 2 December 2017

Downham Assembly

Venue TBC 19.00 21.00 6 December 2017

Ladywell Assembly

St Andrews Community Centre

Brockley Road

SE4 2SA

19.00 21.00 11 January 2018

Lewisham Central Assembly

Lewisham Methodist Church

Albion Way

SE13 6BT

19.00 21.00 23 January 2018

Crofton Park Assembly

Venue TBC 10.00 12.00 27 January 2018

Evelyn Assembly

Venue TBC 12.00 14.00 3 February 2018

Brockley Assembly

Leander Community Centre

Ship Street

SE8 4DH

19.00 21.00 20 February 2018

Blackheath Assembly


Lee Green Assembly

Trinity Church of England Secondary School

Taunton Road

SE12 8PD

19.30 21.30 27 February 2018

Perry Vale Assembly


Telegraph Hill Assembly


New Cross Assembly

New Cross Learning

283-285 New Cross Road

SE14 6AS

19.00 21.00 6 March 2018

Rushey Green Assembly

Venue TBC 19.00 21.00 7 March 2018

Forest Hill Assembly

Venue TBC 14.00 16.00 10 March 2018

Lewisham Central Assembly

Hither Green Baptist Church

Theodore Road

SE13 6HT

12.00 14.00 10 March 2018

Ladywell Assembly

Gordonbrock Primary School

Amyruth Road

SE4 1HQ

19.00 21.00 15 March 2018

Downham Assembly

Venue TBC 19.00 21.00 21 March 2018

For more details of Local Assemblies please visit

www.lewisham.gov.uk/localassemblies

Resident Engagement Panel Members

Members of the Panel

Maureen Bending Welland Court Tenants & Residents Association

Ann Butcher Waverley Court Tenants & Residents Association

Curt Carryl Bampton Tenants & Residents Association

Colin Connell Tanners Hill Tenants & Residents Association

Brian Courtney Ewart Road Tenant Management Organisation

Violet Dodd Colonnade & Terrace Tenants & Residents Association

Matt Dollive Hazelwood and Pomona Tenants & Residents Association

Liam Edwards Pond, Paragon and Ryculff Tenants & Residents Association

Janet Farquharson Bembridge Representative

Pauline Ffrench Welland Court Tenants & Residents Association

Irene Follins Hillcrest Representative

Elijah Green Hazelwood and Pomona Tenants & Residents Association

Joanna Griffith Honor Oak Tenants & Residents Association

Shelia Gwatkins Somerville United Tenants & Residents Association

Danielle Heath Milton Court Representative

Dionne Herelle Bence House Tenants & Residents Association

Val Jarman Hatfield Tenants & Residents Association

Richard Katona Evelyn Tenants & Residents Association

Sue Lawes Crossfields Tenants & Residents Association

Dave Lawrence White House Tenants & Residents Association

Ron Lear Roseview Representative

Maureen Lee Baizdon Road Representative

Marian Lowry Colonnade & Terrace

Bethany Macdonald Shepherd

Kender Estate Tenants & Residents Association

Margaret Martin Hillcrest Representative

Trecia McCalla Eddystone Tower Tenants & Residents Association

Steven McKlow Forest Estate Tenants & Residents Association

Rose Mehio Five Ways Tenant Management Organisation

Bill Monks Eddystone Tower Tenants & Residents Association

Claudette Mortley Honor Oak Tenants & Residents Association

Glynda Nolan Hatfield Tenants & Residents Association

Chi Nwobani Crossfield Tenants & Residents Association

Mick Pelling Waverley Court Tenants & Residents Association

Mario Petenuzzo Fairfields Tenants & Residents Association

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/localassemblies

Martin Pimlott Daubeney Tower Tenants & Residents Association

Derek Pinner Whitehouse Tenants & Residents Association

April Robe Bampton Tenants & Residents Association

Helena Russell Flamingo Court Representative

Adem Salih Five Ways Tenant Management Organisation

Leola Selvon - De Palm

Fairfields Tenants & Residents Association

Pauline Shakespeare Forest Estate Tenants & Residents Association

Elsie Sharples Daubeney Tower Tenants & Residents Association

Julie Slevin Baizdon Road Representative

Shirley Henry-Stearns Kender Estate Tenants & Residents Association

Stella Uzoije Milton Court Representative

Ken Wakeman Somerville United Tenants & Residents Association

Keith Walton Evelyn Tenants & Residents Association

Kat Wojnar Bence House Tenants & Residents Association

Resident Engagement Panel Terms of Reference

Objectives

To give residents the opportunity to shape and influence housing services

To make Lewisham Homes accountable

To provide networking opportunities for involved residents

To inform residents about housing and community issues in Lewisham

To give residents opportunities to influence wider community initiatives

Purpose of Resident Engagement Panel:

To act as a consultative body for services provided by Lewisham Homes and

housing related services provided by Lewisham Council

To review Lewisham Homes’ performance

To agree the forward plan for agenda items

To agree the topics to be reviewed by the Resident Scrutiny Committee, and

monitor the agreed action plans from completed reviews

To provide feedback on the Lewisham Homes’ Business Plan

To provide feedback to Mayor and Cabinet on budget proposals

Membership

Membership of the Resident Engagement Panel is open to all current

Lewisham Homes’ secure tenants and leaseholders

Tenants of non-resident leaseholders, employees of Lewisham Council or

Lewisham Homes are not eligible to become members

Where there is a Lewisham Homes’ accredited Tenants and Residents

Association (TRA) or a Tenant Management Organisation (TMO), up to two

Resident Engagement Panel members can be elected by the TRA or TMO to

represent them

No more than one leaseholder can be elected by each TRA for membership of

the Resident Engagement Panel

Where there is no Lewisham Homes’ accredited TRA or TMO, application to

become a member of the Resident Engagement Panel is by formal written

request to the Resident Engagement Panel and a vote taken to admit to

membership

Where there is a dissolved TRA or TMO, existing elected Resident Engagement

Panel members retain the right to membership

Members participate formally by attending regular meetings and informally

through online surveys and digital forums

Members who fail to attend more than two consecutive meetings without

prior notice may be removed from the Resident Engagement Panel

Ward Councillors and Lewisham Homes Board Members are invited to attend

Resident Engagement Panel meetings without voting rights

Chair

A member or independent Chair will be elected annually at the December

meeting by the membership

Meetings

Formal meetings are held quarterly

Quorum will be achieved at 5 members

Resident Engagement Panel packs will be distributed 7 calendar days prior to

formal meetings

Time will be set aside outside of the formal meeting times for residents to

raise individual or block/estate questions with Lewisham Homes’ staff

If members want a response to a specific issue at the meeting, they are to

raise this in writing with Lewisham Homes 1 month prior to the meeting

Conflicts of Interest and Code of Conduct

Declarations of conflicts of interest must be made if:

any member sits on the board of another housing organisation, or

is an existing or potential Lewisham Homes’ or Lewisham Council

business partner, or contractor

All members must adhere to the Code of Conduct (see separate Code of

Conduct document)

Lewisham Homes is a trading name of Lewisham Homes Limited Registered Office, Old Town Hall, Catford Road, SE6 4RU, E: [email protected] W: www.lewishamhomes.org.uk.

Registered in England and Wales Company Number: 5887410

Resident Engagement Panel Thursday 14 December 2017, 6.30–9.00pm Old Town Hall, Catford Road, London SE6 4RU

Agenda

Item

Report type

Page

Presenter

Mins

1 Welcome, introductions and apologies

Information Chair 5

2 Minutes of meeting 28.09.17 and matters arising

Decision 1–6 Chair 5

3 Forward Plan and suggestions for future Agenda items

Decision 7 Chair 5

4 Mayor of Lewisham Questions Chair 15

5 Corporate update (including fire safety)

Information and questions

Director of Resources, LH

10

6 Rent Setting Report 2018/19 Consultation LBL 15

7 LH Budget Strategy and Leasehold/Tenant Service Charge 2018/19

Consultation Director of Resources, LH

15

8 Lewisham Tenants Fund update including budget update for financial year 2018/19

Consultation 8–15 Chair, LTF 15

9 Business Plan consultation update Information 16–19 Director of Resources, LH

5

10 Resident Scrutiny Committee update (recruitment and progress on next topic)

Information Chair, RSC 5

11 Major Works communications update

Information 20–22 Head of Planned Delivery and Head of Communications and Community Relations, LH

10

12 Performance Management Monitoring 23-29 Senior Performance Manager, LH

5

13 Community Engagement Strategy – looking for volunteers to participate in a workshop

Consultation Head of Communications and Community Relations, LH

5

14 Any Other Business Information Chair 5

mailto:[email protected]


1

LEWISHAM HOMES

Minutes of Resident Engagement Panel Meeting 28 September 2017: The Old Town Hall, Catford SE6 4RU

Present REP members

Janet Farquharson

Pauline Ffrench

Irene Follins

Shirley Henry-Stearns

Val Jarman

Richard Katona

Sue Lawes

Maureen Lee

Trecia McCalla

Steven McKlow

Margaret Martin

Bill Monks

Glynda Nolan

Leola Selvon De Palm

Pauline Shakespeare

Stella Uzoije

Keith Walton

Kat Wojnar Independent Chair

Jane Eyles Lewisham Homes Officers

Hilary Barber, Director of Corporate Affairs

Clare Hopkins, Head of Housing Management

Gavin Jones, Head of Communications and Community Relations

Lewisham Homes Board

Nigel Bowness

Owen Fox

Steve McGann

Kevin Stearns Partners/ Observers

Gloria Biggs, Lewisham Tenants Fund

Julia Cotton, RSC Chair

Apologies REP members

Colin Connell, Tanners Hill TRA

Maureen Bending, Welland Court TRA

Councillors

Cllr John Paschoud

Cllr John Muldoon

Cllr Hilary Moore

Cllr Joan Millbank

Cllr Chris Best

Cllr Joyce Jacca

Cllr Paul Bell Board

Ainsley Forbes

Ophelia Bobori

Registered Office Old Town Hall, Catford Road, Catford, London SE6 4RU E: getinvolved@lewisham homes.org.uk W: www.lewishamhomes.org.uk

RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT PANEL MEETING

Action

1 1.1

Welcome, Introductions and Apologies The Chair opened the meeting by welcoming everyone. Apologies were conveyed and attendees introduced themselves.


2


Action

2 2.1

Minutes of meeting 29 June 2017 and matters arising It was noted that Steven McKlow and Pauline Shakespeare should be included in the list of REP members. Decision The Minutes were approved subject to the amendment above.

Head of Comms and Community

3 3.1

Forward Plan and Future Format of REP Meetings Decision It was agreed that future Plans should keep ‘Fire Safety’ as a standing item as well as include an additional item ‘Suggestions for Future Agenda Items’ to remind REP Members they can make suggestions. Following group discussions, the following ideas were suggested for the future format and content of REP meetings: a) Provide an update on changes in staff or services. b) Fewer verbal updates. Reports/information/presentations should be

provided in advance so more time can be spend on discussion and questions.

c) Reports should be kept short and to the point so members can formulate questions.

d) Publish the amount of time to be spend on each Agenda item. e) Members should be able to suggest Agenda items of common

interest/concern. [These can be emailed to [email protected]].

f) Topics for future discussion could be: how LH’s consults with residents; plans to improve green spaces; estate cleaning; impact of new housing developments on LH residents and how value can be added.

g) Include in the distributed papers an aide-memoire of REP Terms of Reference.

h) Consider increasing the number of meetings each year (e.g. to six instead of four) or organise separate meetings to deal with serious issues.

i) Invite staff from borough partners to attend relevant topics for discussion, e.g. Council Officers from Strategic Housing on housing matters, Lewisham Police on ASB matters.

j) Under AOB, allow time for each TRA to provide a short round up of what they’re doing; what’s been solved, what’s still outstanding, what’s been learned.

k) When possible distribute the REP Agenda and papers 14 days ahead of the meeting instead of 10 days.

l) Encourage more Councillors to attend REP meetings and especially ask those Councillors who are Board Members to attend. Invite a Cabinet Member to attend when there is a relevant Agenda item.

m) December REP meetings should not have too many items. Budget items should be written down so a discussion can take place.

Head of Comms and Community

4 4.1

Fire Safety Update The Director of Corporate Services gave a verbal update on fire safety matters:

3


Action

4.2

Work has now started on the removal of cladding made of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) from the 3 buildings at Gerrard House and Hatfield Close in New Cross. Work on the removal is expected to be complete by early December. The cladding will then need to be replaced with some other suitable material. Fire patrols will remain in place until the fire risk has been mitigated.

In accordance with London Fire Brigade advice, a programme of work has started to remove the security grilles from the front doors of all properties. Security grilles can delay how quickly someone can leave their home in the event of a fire and delay the fire brigade from entering the property and putting out the fire. Work is being carried out in order of highest fire risk.

Checks on the front doors of all properties are also being undertaken to ensure they have a compliant and certificated fire door. Checks are being done in order of priority (i.e. starting with Gerrard House and Hatfield Close).

A programme of intrusive work is being planned on high risk buildings to ensure that compartmentalisation has not been compromised as a result of work being carried out on the buildings since they were first built.

Sprinklers will be installed in all new developments. The majority of sheltered schemes now have sprinkler systems installed (16 out of 18) and the work will be completed by the end of the year. We will be retro-fitting sprinklers in all the hostels we manage.

We will be communicating with residents as and when the works are likely to affect them.

Responding to questions the Director clarified:

Intrusive surveys would include service ducts on both Gerrard House and Hatfield Close.

Where gas supplies are serviced at a high level these would be relocated to a lower level.

Fire door safety will continue to be a priority.

Lewisham Homes is aware that some doors do not appear to have strips and seals and this is being checked and will be corrected.

Lewisham Homes is getting Mitie to correct the work that wasn’t completed properly. Mitie will need to cover expenses associated with rectification works.

Work being done on fire doors at Gerrard House, Hatfield Close, and both Eddystone and Daubeney Towers might appear to have started and then stopped but this is because samples were being taken to assess the extent of the rectification needed.

Information and advice for leaseholders is on the Lewisham Homes website. For other queries, they should contact LH’s Fire Safety Officers ([email protected]).

London Fire Brigade has advised that security grilles are a fire hazard and we need to remove them. Tenants who do not already have secure-by-design doors will have them installed. These will provide security and fire safety.

.

4


Action

5 5.1 5.2 5.2.1 5.2.2

Performance Management The KPI Report was presented for information. In response to questions, the Director of Corporate Services explained:

Targets were not set at 100% for everything because while they had to be challenging they also had to be achievable. For some areas it would be impossible to achieve 100%, e.g. on rent payments. Gas safety on the other hand is a statutory obligation and achievable.

Performance on rent income had been affected because it was not possible to pay rent at a Post Office if it was over a certain amount.

Each year a number of homes will no longer meet the Decent Homes standard because kitchens are only deemed to be ‘decent’ if less than 20 years old, and bathrooms less than 10 years old. Homes will not be classified as ‘decent’ as each year passes.

Surveys of internal caretaking and cleaning are done by an independent company. Surveyed residents are chosen at random. A survey of 370 residents is considered to be sizeable and statistically significant. Generally, caretakers were very good at doing their job but the efforts of a good caretaker can be easily undermined by one unsociable tenant.

In response to questions, the Director of Corporate Services said she would provide updates on the following:

Whether there is a maximum limit for paying rent at a Post Office.

If it is still possible to pay rent at reception in the Lewisham Homes offices at the Old Town Hall.

Director of Corporate Services

6 6.1

Resident Scrutiny Committee Julia Cotton, Chair of the Resident Scrutiny Committee, explained there were not enough residents coming forward to start scrutinising the next two topics chosen by REP; digital inclusion and community cohesion. She explained briefly how the RSC works, what’s involved and a workshop would be run in November so that anyone interested in finding out more could attend. Anyone interest should contact Gavin Jones at [email protected].

REP Members

7 7.1 7.2

Update on ASB Service Head of Housing Management provided a verbal presentation on changes made to the ASB service following recommendations made by RSC. The main changes are on the Lewisham Homes website: www.lewishamhomes.org.uk/changes-to-our-asb-service. In response to questions, the Head of Housing Management explained:

The changes to the service did not involve additional costs – the changes had been possible by restructuring the service.

The role of an independent witness would be made more transparent. They would respond within one hour and remain at the location for 15 minutes. They could stay longer if necessary.

5


Action

7.3 7.4

Decision The ASB service is next due for review in the summer of 2018. It was agreed to delay the review until after the summer period when more residents would be back from holiday. Decision It was agreed to use the terms ‘complainant’ and ‘alleged offender’ instead of ‘victim’ and ‘alleged perpetrator’. These terms would start to be adopted from 2 November 2017.

Head of Housing Management Head of Housing Management

8 8.1

Approaches to Community Engagement Head of Communications and Community Engagement gave a brief outline of some developments that would start to bring about improvements to community engagement:

With the departure of Deborah Cheyne, the Community Investment team has been restructured to incorporate responsibility for developing and improving the way Lewisham Homes consults and engages with residents and other stakeholders. The team will continue to manage community programmes. To reflect this change, the Community Investment team will be known as the Community Relations team. Roles are being advertised and staff appointments are anticipated by January 2018.

A one-day course is in development to enable TRAs and other involved residents to understand the frameworks within which Lewisham Homes works so they can scrutinise and challenge our operations more effectively.

One Director, or Head of Service, will attend a TRA meeting each year.

A selection of equipment is now available for loan by TRAs for community events (for details email [email protected]).

The Head of Communications and Community Relations is liaising with the Head of Housing Management to assess whether there are common concerns being raised by TRAs that might be better addressed in ways other than via a Housing Officer (e.g. in a factsheet or via an organised forum).

9 9.1

Lewisham Tenants Fund update 1 new Tenant and Residents Association has been set up with more enquiries from new groups.

10 10.1

Any Other Business

There was no AOB.

The meeting closed at 21:10hrs.

……………………………………….. ………………………… Chair: Jane Eyles Date

The next Resident Engagement Panel Meeting will take place on 29 March 2017, starting at 7.00 pm at Lewisham Homes, The Old Town Hall, Catford SE6 4RU.

6

Matters Arising from the REP meeting on 28 September 2017

Issue

Action

Update

5.2.1 Clarification on whether there is a maximum limit for paying rent at a Post Office.

Post Offices will sometimes impose a maximum limit on each transaction but this is fixed by the Post Office not Lewisham Homes. Different Post Offices will often set a different limit (e.g. £250, £500, £1000). There is no transaction cost to the customer and customers can make as many transaction payments as they like. Example: If a tenant needs to pay £1,250 but the transaction limit is £500, then the tenant can make three payments; two payments of £500 and one payment of £250.

5.2.2 Clarification on whether it is still possible to pay rent at reception in the Lewisham Homes offices at the Old Town Hall.

Tenants usually find it more convenient to pay over the phone or via the Council’s website. However, tenants can also pay their rent by cheque, postal order or by debit/credit card in reception at the Old Town Hall.

7

Forward Plan - Lewisham Homes Resident Engagement Panel

Date of meeting

Items on the Agenda

Director in attendance: Adam Barrett

29/03/2018

Welcome, Introductions and Apologies

Minutes of meeting December 2017 and matters arising

Forward Plan and suggestions for future Agenda items

Corporate Update (including Fire Safety)

Community Engagement and Consultation with residents

Improving green spaces

Performance Management

Resident Scrutiny Update

Lewisham Tenants Fund

Any Other Business

Director in attendance: Steve Coleman

28/06/2018 Date TBC


Minutes of Meeting of March 2018 and Matters Arising


Impact of new housing developments on residents and how value can be added



Resident Scrutiny Committee


Any Other Business

Director in attendance: Jon Kanareck

27/09/2018 Date TBC


Minutes of Meeting June 2018 and Matters Arising




Resident Scrutiny Committee


Any Other Business

Director in attendance: Hilary Barber

13/12/2018 Date TBC


Minutes of meeting September 2018 and matters arising




Rent Setting Report 2019/20

LH Budget Strategy and Leasehold/Tenant Service Charge 2019/20

Lewisham Tenants Fund update including budget update for financial year 2019/20

Resident Scrutiny Update

Any Other Business

8

Meeting Residents Engagement Panel

Item No.

8

Report Title

Budget for the Financial Year 2018-19

Report Of

Lewisham Tenants Fund Directors

Class

Recommendation

Date

14 December 2017

1. Purpose of the Report 1.1 To consult tenant representatives on Lewisham Tenants Fund’s proposed

budget for the financial year 2018-19. 2. Recommendations 2.1 To agree that the proposed Tenant Levy charge increases to 13p for the

financial year 2018-19 to ensure sustainability for growth and retain the capacity to ascertain the Council has informed tenants and tenant bodies with which to engage.

2.2 To note the Funds Draft Budget for 2018-19 Appendix A. This also shows

expenditure against budget up to 30 September 2017.

2.3 To note the Directors report and financial statements for the year ending 31 March 2017 Appendix B.

3. Background of the Report 3.1 LTF was set up in 1993 to provide independent funding to tenants organisations,

throughout Lewisham which would also give support and advice to tenant representatives and to fund tenants training.

3.2 In February 2005, LBL proposed a number of changes to the future working

arrangements for payment to the Fund. It was agreed by Mayor and Cabinet that the levy would be ‘un-pooled’ and shown on each council tenant rent statement as a service charge. It was also proposed that in October of each year, the Fund would be informed of the following years grant income, which would be based on the numbers of let properties (less the numbers of RTB) multiplied by amount payable per week.

3.3 LTF would then produce a draft budget report, with details of estimated costs,

for the following year, which would be presented to tenant representatives, for consultation.

4. Implications 4.1 Legal Implications 4.1.1 None specific to this report. 4.2 Financial Implications

9

4.2.1 Contained within the report. 4.3 Value for Money Implications 4.3.1 It is proposed that 84% of planned expenditure is distributed to accredited

Tenants Groups and 18% of expenditure is retained for administration and overheads. This compares favourably with other grant making organisations.

4.4 Equality and Diversity Implications 4.4.1 None specific to this report 4.5 Consultation Implications 4.5.1 Without the 3p increase (which would bring the tenants levy back to the 2014

contribution level) we would be unable to fund additional non landlord support for tenants, which during the last year has seen an increase of 7 tenants associations.

If you require further information on this report please contact Gloria Biggs

on 020 8314 1006 [email protected]

LEWISHAM TENANTS FUND

Draft Budget April 2018 through March 2019

APPENDIX A

Actual Spend Apr -

Sept 2017

Budget 2017-

18

Budget 2018-

19

2017-18

adjusted

Ordinary Income/Expense

Income

Tenants Levy Grant 36,225.00 72,450.00 94,335.80 72,450.00

Returned TRA Grants 447.53 447.53

Bank Interest 6.20 12.00 12.00 12.00

Total Income 36,678.73 72,462.00 94,347.80 72,909.53

Expense

Community Grants 3,481.79 15,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00

TRA Development/Training Grant 18,529.65 40,000.00 40,000.00 39,000.00

Consultation Events 0.00 1,000.00 1,000.00 0.00

Administration Grants 7,917.84 17,000.00 18,000.00 14,000.00

Small Grants 13,341.38 17,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00

Kick Start Grants 68.05 250.00 200.00 100.00

SCRUTINY-LH 0.00 10,000.00 5,000.00 4,500.00

Local Conference Grants 7,406.00 7,500.00 7,500.00 7,406.00

Tenant Training Grants 3,038.80 15,000.00 9,000.00 5,000.00

Tenants Travel Grants 147.70 500.00 250.00 200.00

TPAS/TMO Conference Grants 1,344.00 3,000.00 3,000.00 3,000.00

TPAS Membership Grant 1,687.00 2,000.00 1,800.00 1,687.00

Auditor 600.00 1,200.00 1,200.00 1,200.00

Bank Charges 39.00 78.00 78.00 78.00

Tele/broadband 197.33 360.00 360.00 338.00

Corporation Tax 2.40 3.00 2.40 2.40

Directors Expenses 7.00 200.00 200.00 100.00

Insurance 243.16 250.00 300.00 300.00

Meeting Costs 338.60 500.00 487.60 438.60

Postage 92.75 100.00 120.00 120.00

Professional Advice/Fees 371.80 250.00 250.00 250.00

Publicity & Marketing 622.19 2,000.00 900.00 1,000.00

Rent 949.00 949.00 949.00 949.00

Salaries 9,228.00 18,456.00 18,641.00 18,456.00

Stationery 0.00 80.00 80.00 100.00

Staff Expenses 0.00 50.00 40.00 50.00

Total Expense 69,653.44 152,726.00 139,358.00 128,275.00

Excess of expenditure over income -45,010.20

Cash at bank 30.9.17 111,659.83

Less designated Reserves -44,253.00

Available to spend 67,406.83

Q3 and Q4 levy 36,225.00

103,631.83

Estimated total expenditure to 31/3/18 128,275.00

Less actual spent at 30/9/2017 69,653.44

58,621.56

45,010.27

Budget subsidy required 2018-19 -45,010.20

0.07

LEWISHAM TENANTS FUNDDETAILED INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNTFOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2017

2017 2016£ £ £ £

IncomeLB Lewisham Tenants Levy 97,000 98,020TRA grants returned 1,461 2,651

98,461 100,671

Bank interest receivable 94 122Other income - 25

98,555 100,818ExpenditureTenants & residents association grants 74,442 40,174Tenant training 15,081 9,428Pop Up Project 20,000 -TPAS membership grant 1,981 2,345Tenants travel grants 300 266Events 11,358 210Scrutiny - LH 11,917 5,086Publicity and marketing 3,203 9,595Insurance 246 231Salaries 18,274 17,075Rent 949 -Telephone 345 349Repairs, renewals and small items ofequipment 236 -Printing, postage and stationery 121 123Travelling 39 99Meeting costs 470 490Subscriptions - 50Professional fees 157 299Accountancy 1,200 1,300Bank charges 80 81

160,399 87,201

Net (deficit)/suplus for the year beforetaxation (61,844) 13,617Taxation (18) (24)

Net (deficit)/suplus for the year after taxation (61,862) 13,593

Retained suplus brought forward 211,497 197,904

Retained suplus carried forward 149,635£ 211,497£

This page does not form part of the Company's Statutory FinancialStatements and is prepared for the information of the Directors only.

page 9

16

Meeting Resident Engagement Panel

Item No. 9

Report Title

Business Plan consultation

Report Of

Director of Resources – Adam Barrett

Class

Information

Date

14 December 2017

1 Purpose of Report

1.1 This report presents information about Lewisham Homes’ resident consultation ahead of developing its Business Plan for 2018-21.

2 Background

2.1 Lewisham Homes’ focus over the past 10 years has been to bring all our housing up to a modern standard and we have now begun to develop new homes, improve the environment and invest more in our communities. Our current priorities are outlined in our business plan 2017-20: www.lewishamhomes.org.uk/about/business-plan

3 Resident consultation

3.1 In developing our Business Plan for the next 3 years, we want to hear from TRAs and residents about what we should focus our attention on and what our priorities should be. To this end, we are running a survey from 17 November to 11 December 2017 to find out where residents believe we should invest our time and money.

3.2 The survey can be completed online or in paper format. It is being promoted from the home page of our website, on social media channels and via direct email to TRAs.

3.3 We will also be taking into consideration other views already collected from residents during the Big Conversation and at the Garden Party which both took place in July 2017.

If you require further information on this report please contact

Adam Barrett on 020 3889 0640 [email protected]

http://www.lewishamhomes.org.uk/about/business-plan


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Lewisham Homes manages 18,000 homes on behalf of Lewisham Council. Our focus over the past 10 years has been to bring all our housing up to a modern standard and we have now begun to develop new homes, improve the environment and invest more in our communities. Our current priorities are outlined in our business plan which you can see on our website: www.lewishamhomes.org.uk/about/business-plan. As we look to the future, we want to hear from you about what you think we should focus our attention on and what our priorities should be. Where do you think we should invest our time and money? It will only take about 10 minutes to complete this survey but it will make all the difference.

I am a tenant leaseholder I live in a block of flats/maisonettes street property The name of my estate/area is: …………………………………………………………………………………………..

1. Providing services

In 2016, 77% of tenants and 56% of leaseholders were satisfied with our services. However, we want to do better. Please tell us if you agree with the following priorities.

Yes No

a. Improving the management and maintenance of green areas on our estates.

b. Improving the cleaning of communal areas.

c. Improving the removal of large items of waste and flytipping.

d. Improving the standard of our call-out service for repairs.

e. Providing easy-to-use online options for requesting our services.

Survey: Where should we invest our time and money?

Please use this space for your ideas and further feedback.

http://www.lewishamhomes.org.uk/about/business-plan

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2. Investing in our properties

We are considering investing more in our properties. Please tell us if you agree with the following priorities.

Yes No

f. Making improvements to our sheltered accommodation.

g. Ensuring our properties and estates are maintained to a good standard.

h. Improving the energy efficiency of our properties.

i. Building new homes for people in housing need.

3. Investing in our communities

We are considering investing more in our communities. Please tell us if you agree with the following priorities.

Yes No

j. Providing financial and money management advice to residents.

k. Providing welfare/benefits advice to residents.

l. Providing employment and training opportunities for residents.

m. Providing community activities.

n. Providing training for residents to get online.

o. Providing a cheap broadband option for residents.



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4. Sustainable future

Over the last 10 years, we have been able to improve services while making considerable savings. Please tell us if you agree with the following priorities.

Yes No

p. Ensure our services represent value for money and are affordable for residents.

q. Maintain high standards of health and safety across all our housing.

5. Would you be prepared to pay a higher service charge for an improved service?

Yes No If yes, which services would you be prepared to pay more for?

Caretaking

Grounds maintenance Removal of large/bulky items

6. What are the three most important things that you think Lewisham Homes should do?

a) b) c)

Please return this completed survey to:

Community Relations Lewisham Homes 1st Floor, Old Town Hall Catford London SE6 4RU

or email the form to [email protected] by Monday 11 December 2017. You can also complete this survey online at: http://lhomes.org.uk/SurveyNov2017

Please add any other services that you would be prepared to pay more for.


http://lhomes.org.uk/SurveyNov2017

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Major Works ‘Lessons Learned’ workshop 22 November 2017 Background The Resident Scrutiny Committee (RSC) reviewed Major Works from February to October 2015 and presented a report with recommendations and an action plan to Lewisham Homes’ Board in October 2015. Progress on the action plan has been reported regularly to the Resident Engagement Panel (REP) and in March 2017 it was reported that all actions had been completed except those requiring the involvement of Baily Garner (BG), the client representative for the Major Works programme. These have been delayed because Lewisham Homes decided not to continue with BG from 1 April 2017. Purpose of the ‘Lessons Learned’ workshop REP members and other involved residents were invited to take part in a workshop, held on Wednesday 22 November 2017, to: a) Hear about lessons learned by Lewisham Homes and how this has informed a new business

approach; b) Hear from residents about shared issues that are still causing concern; c) Gather suggestions on how Lewisham Homes can make further improvements. Attendees:

Colin Connell, REP Member, LTF Board Member, Tanners Hill TRA Treasurer

Andrea Corsi, LH Resident Board Member (Leaseholder)

Julia Cotton, LTF Board Member, RSC Chair

Sheila Gwatkins, Somerville United TRA Secretary

Sandra Hart, Head of Planned Delivery, LH

Shirley Henry-Stearns, REP Member, LTF Board Member, Kender Estate TRA Chair

Gavin Jones, Head of Communications and Community Relations, LH

Keith Walton, REP Member, LTF Board Member, Evelyn TRA Chair Lessons Learned and Changes Made Discussions and questions revealed the following lessons had been learned and changes made: Standards/performance 1. Previously, the timeframe for implementing the government’s Decent Homes programme meant

that Lewisham Homes was required to spend a lot of money in a short time. This created pressures on planning and monitoring of the quality of the works. LH is now moving away from large partnering contracts (e.g. worth up to £50m) and towards smaller contracts (e.g. £3m). Where possible, these smaller contracts are being broken down further to enable procurement of services from local companies. LH will now work only with small to medium-sized companies.

2. Lewisham Homes has also improved its contract management and procurement processes with the result that contractors are more closely managed and more accountable. All work being tendered has a clear brief and we have control and ownership of what appears in the tender document, e.g. stipulation of Key Performance Indicators. In doing this we are paying close attention to supply chains to avoid problems of delays occurring. We are demanding that any subcontractors are engaged on the same terms as the ones we demand of our contractors.

3. Lewisham Homes now has a new asset management system (Promaster). This will enable us to store and access accurate records of works being carried out or completed. All contactors will be

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required to have a compatible system so we can transfer their recorded data over to us. The system also enables us to flag up if work is done by a contractor and who that is.

4. The Development and Investment directorate has a new structure which includes a dedicated planned delivery team with on-site construction project officers, assistant contract managers responsible for the day-to-day operations on site, and contract managers with strategic responsibility for contracts. There is also a team dedicated to managing our exit from the Mitie contract.

5. The process for managing works has changed. First we appoint a surveyor to look at the properties and, when we have a clear idea of what works needs to be done and we have planning approval, we then procure work contractors and a contract administrator. The contract administrator is a consultant who will deal with the valuation process and is responsible for signing off the work.

6. Penalties are being introduced into contracts. Delays caused by contractors will attract a penalty. The contract administrator will not be paid until everything is signed off to our satisfaction. Time frames and work priorities will be stipulated. All contracts will be performance based. If a contractor doesn’t perform or doesn’t perform to the standard expected then they won’t get paid and won’t get any more work. On completion of each building a financial retention will be held for both contractor and contract administrator until the end of the 12 month defect liability period.

7. There will be a number of ways in which residents will be able to provide feedback on whether they are satisfied with the work done both while the works are taking place and after they have completed. A Clerk of Works will be on site while works are carried out. Residents will be able to provide direct feedback to them and in turn the Clerk of Works will report any problems to Lewisham Homes’ contract managers. Having smaller contracts will mean we can slow down the work when necessary and produce a better end result. It is our intention to involve residents in post-work surveys to determine levels of satisfaction and any rectification works needed.

8. In some cases, e.g. where residents have specific needs, Lewisham Homes will consider appointing a Resident Liaison Officer (RLO) to ensure residents receive a higher level of support.

Internal works 9. It’s the intention that internal works will no longer be sub-contracted but done in-house. When

work is done, there will be a Resident Liaison Officer (RLO) to support 10-15 properties. They will help assess any special needs that residents may have and ensure works take account of this. In addition, supervisors will scope out the work, do site visits, oversee the work is being done to standard and will sign it off with residents. Each piece of work will have an assigned supervisor and RLO.

Communications, consultation and community engagement 10. Relevant contact details are available on the Lewisham Homes’ website and are included on all

communications materials, e.g. letters, leaflets. 11. A communications plan will be developed for each plan of works. Communication will utilise a

wide range of channels including the most appropriate combination of letters, emails, posters, social media, information on My Lewisham Homes (part of Lewisham Homes’ website). This will take into consideration community preferences.

12. A new communications strategy is in development to ensure communications are co-ordinated and connected for each block/area.

13. The Housing Management office was restructured at the end of 2015 in order to ensure there was an increased ratio of Housing Officers to residents (1:1000). This is to help LH develop a closer understanding and relationship with residents.

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14. The Community Relations team was restructured during the summer of 2017 to enable us to develop a greater understanding of our communities, residents’ concerns, needs and preferences. Staff start in January 2018.

15. A new Community Engagement Strategy is in development. This was introduced at REP on 28.09.17 and we will be looking for volunteers to help us develop this early in 2018.

Complaints process 16. Information about our complaints process is on our website. It has been rewritten to improve

clarity. Complaints can be reported using the form on the website or by a number of other means including emailing/telephoning. All informal complaints are logged as ‘Stage Zero’ complaints.

17. We are looking to improve the process further by aiming to resolve complaints at each level with a clear plan of action. We intend to take this forward in the New Year and we will provide updates.

Further Recommendations Further suggestions were made by those attending the workshop: Relating to past issues 1. Feedback should be provided to residents on what will be done to fix outstanding historic issues

together with timeframes. 2. There is a need to address repair works that failed under warranty. 3. Do we have a record of the number of complaints received due to Decent Homes and the

number still outstanding, i.e. what work still needs to be addressed? 4. Can we go through our complaints/repairs logs to see if there is a correlation between Decent

Homes work carried out subsequent repairs needed?

Relating to future issues 5. Residents would like to have sight of the whole process and at what points residents can engage

and how? Can this be notified and published? 6. When future work is planned, residents should be told the expected life of the work (both

internal works and external works). 7. There should be opportunities for residents/TRAs to liaise with the Clerk of Works during the

period works take place (especially if there are residents with some technical knowledge) because they can often provide valuable insight if they believe the works aren’t being done to standard. More assessment on quality of work should be done while the work is being carried out because problems of poor workmanship may not always be evident until some time after and can be difficult/expensive to put right.

8. Residents need to receive more frequent updates on any issues they have raised together with notification of timeframes when they can expect these issues to be addressed.

9. Residents should be able to easily find the contact details for the most frequent matters raised and, if necessary, the complaints process. Contacts should be given not just on the website and on correspondence but in Home magazine and on the notice boards of the common areas in blocks. TRAs should also be provided with contact information.

10. There should be more resident involvement at the sign-off stage to ensure residents are satisfied with the standard of the work completed. Resident satisfaction surveys should be carried out not only after works are complete, but after subsequent periods, e.g. after 3 months, after 6 months and especially before the end-of-defect-liability period.

Gavin Jones Head of Communications and Community Relations

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Meeting Resident Engagement Panel

Item No. 12

Report Title

Performance report

Report Of

Director of Resources – Adam Barrett

Class

Monitoring

Date

14 December 2017

1 Purpose of Report

1.1 This report presents Lewisham Homes’ performance for the period April to October 2017. It provides the dashboard of key performance indicators presented at the last meeting.

2 Background

2.1 At September 2016 Panel meeting, residents agreed what performance information they wanted to receive. The commentary is now presented in the report and not in the appendix

3 Overall Performance

3.1 Performance continues to improve. Of the 13 indicators 11 are similar or better than last year with only two (rent income collection and repairs satisfaction) showing a drop in performance.

4 Rent income Collected

4.1 Between 1 April and the end of October we charged tenants £44.0 million and collected £43.6 million. This means we collected 99.1% which is £176,000 less than if we had hit the 99.5% target and is not as good as this time last year.

4.2 Although performance is not as good as last year, performance has been improving steadily since August as the graph shows. The Income Team has been short staffed since September 2017 due to difficulty in recruiting suitable staff. The team will be fully staffed as of 27 November 2017 which will help to further improve performance.

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5 Current Tenant arrears

5.1 Current tenants owed us £2.5 million at the end of October which is 3.4% of what tenants are charged each year. This is £52,000 better than the 3.5% target but not as good as 3.27% at the end of March. This debt is equivalent to £197 for each of 12,833 tenants.

6 Number of tenants evicted for rent arrears

6.1 We evicted 14 residents in 7 months, an average of 2 a month or 24 in a year. This is fewer than in all previous years.

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7 Rent loss due to empty properties

7.1 In the four months we were unable to charge £154,000 of rent because properties were empty. This is 0.35% of the £44.2 million that we would have charged if all the properties had been occupied. We call this figure rent loss and the performance is better than the £287,000 (0.65%) target and the £203,000 we lost at this point last year.

8 Average days to re-let all properties

8.1 We have let new tenancies for 273 properties in 7 months. These properties were empty for a total of 6,938 days, so on average they were empty for 25 days. This is better than the 29 average we achieved last year.

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9 Tenant Satisfaction with the last repair

9.1 We carry out our satisfaction survey within a week or two of finishing a repair. For repairs carried out from April to October we spoke to 539 tenants on the phone and asked them about their overall satisfaction with that one repair. 487 or 90.4% of them were satisfied. This is below the 95% target. However, the responses in September and October were both over 94% showing that performance is improving.

9.2 The main area of dissatisfaction is due to repairs not being completed in one visit. We will be upgrading the scheduling software in January and move back to one-job-at-a-time scheduling. This will provide greater control of appointments and increase our ability to carry out larger works on the first visit.

10 Complaints responded to

10.1 We responded to 229 complaints in seven months and we responded to 212 in the target time or 93%. This exceeds the 90% target.

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11 Satisfaction with complaints handling

11.1 We asked an external company to phone the 149 complainants to see how satisfied they were with the complaints process. The company was only able to get through to 99 willing participants and of those 45 or 45% were satisfied with how we handled their case. This falls short of the target of 50% but is better than the 35% we achieved last year.

12 Satisfaction with ASB handling

12.1 The external company spoke to 52 people who had complained of antisocial behaviour where we had closed their case between April and October. Of these 52 people, 39 or 75% were satisfied with how we handled their case. This is much better than the 60% target and the 59% satisfaction last year.

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13 Homes that meet the Decent Homes Standard

13.1 To ensure that Lewisham Homes meets the April 2018 target of 720 homes made decent, the targets below were agreed with the Council

quarter Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 total

target 81 106 272 261 720

actuals 86 169

255 homes were made decent by the end of September 2017 which is 68 better

than target. We are confident that the 720 target will be met.

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14 Satisfaction with internal caretaking and cleaning

14.1 638 people responded to the phone survey on satisfaction with internal cleaning and caretaking between April and October and 494 of them or 77% were satisfied. This is in line with the end of last year. The target was increased from 75% last year to a challenging 80% this year. We intend to meet this target but we have more work to do before the end of the year.

15 Satisfaction with grounds maintenance

15.1 664 people responded to the phone survey on grounds maintenance and 521 or 78% were satisfied. This is better than 77% last year. The target was 70% last year and was increased to a challenging 80% this year. We intend to meet this target but we have more work to do before the end of the year.

16 Home Ownership debt per property

16.1 The average leaseholder debt on services charges at the end of March 2017 was £152. This is £41 less than £193 at March 2016 and £186 less than the £338 that was owed in March 2010. The graph shows good progress.

If you require further information on this report please contact Adam Barrett on 0208 613 7697 [email protected]


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