Property Services Committee

4 October 2005





IRVINE, 4 October 2005 - At a Meeting of the Property Services Committee of North Ayrshire Council at 2.00 p.m.

Present
Samuel Taylor, John Bell, Ian Clarkson, Margie Currie, Jane Gorman, Elizabeth McLardy, David O'Neill, Robert Rae, John Reid, and Nan Wallace.


In Attendance
T. Orr, Corporate Director, O. Clayton, Head of Housing, J. Currie, Head of Cleansing, Grounds Maintenance and Transport, J. Paul, Head of Technical Services, R. Small, Head of Roads, and M. Cashmore, Principal Officer (Property Services); P. Doak, Finance Manager (Finance); J. Stevenson, Communications Officer; M. Adams and M. McKeown, Corporate and Democratic Support Officers (Chief Executive's).


Chair
Councillor Taylor in the Chair.

Apologies for Absence
Jacqueline Browne, Stewart Dewar, Drew Duncan, Margaret McDougall, Margaret Munn and Richard Wilkinson.


1. Minutes

Submitted the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 23 August 2005, copies of which had previously been circulated.

Item 8 of the Minutes regarding Tenders for Vehicles, indicated that the Committee had accepted the following tenders:-

Vehicle
Tenderer
Recommended Offer
Three 26-tonne refuse collection vehicles
Dennis Eagle
£119,035 each
One heavy duty road suction sweeper
Johnston Engineering Ltd
£94,195
One 25-tonne hydraulic excavator
Finning (UK) Ltd
£79,450
One saloon car
Parks (Ayr) Ltd
£37,740.25



The Chair advised that there was an administrative error and that the reference to "Parks (Ayr) Ltd should have read "Taggarts".


The Committee agreed (a) in terms of Standing Order 21 to suspend Standing Orders; (b) in terms of Standing Order 22 to rescind the minuted decision in relation to acceptance of a tender from Parks (Ayr) Ltd and to accept the tender submitted by Taggarts in the sum of £37,740.25; and (c) otherwise, to confirm the Minutes.

2. Property Services Standing Sub Committee

Submitted the annexed report (Appendix PS1) being the Minutes of the Meeting of the Property Services Standing Sub Committee held on 14 September 2005.

The Committee agreed to approve the Minutes.

3. Housing Allocation Policy Review

Submitted report by the Corporate Director (Property Services) on the proposed review of the Housing Allocation Policy.

North Ayrshire Council's current allocation policy was first introduced in 1997 and was amended in April 2002 following the introduction of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. The aim of the policy is to meet the housing needs and aspirations of applicants for housing and to ensure the best possible use of the Council's housing stock.

A review of the current allocation policy is required to take account of statutory changes since the policy was first introduced, and to respond to the changing needs and demands of North Ayrshire residents. The review will take account of new rights for homeless people which are already having a significant impact on the operation of the allocation policy. In addition, the increasingly important role of Housing Associations as providers of social rented housing, and the requirement to introduce a Common Housing Register, need to be taken into account.

The review will ensure that the current policy is evaluated highlighting areas for action, addressing gaps within it and linking the outcomes from the policy to other Council strategies i.e. Homelessness Strategy, Antisocial Behaviour Strategy and the Local Housing Strategy. Tenants, applicants for housing, and other stakeholders will be consulted as required during the review process.

The Committee agreed to the proposals to review the Housing Allocation Policy, as set out in the report.


4. Addressing Homelessness and the Abolition of Priority Need

Submitted report by the Corporate Director (Property Services) on addressing homelessness and the abolition of priority need.

The Scottish Executive proposes to remove by 2012 the requirement that homeless persons be in "priority need" in order to qualify for permanent accommodation from registered social landlords, including local authorities. This proposal, together with other changes in legislation relating to homelessness, will have significant implications for the Council in meeting future housing demand. Research carried out on behalf of the Council indicates that even if the decision is taken to allocate all future available lets to homeless households, notwithstanding other applicants for housing, this would still be insufficient to deal with all cases of homelessness.

The Council faces significant challenges in meeting its responsibilities and duties in respect of homelessness and demands for housing from other applicants. The report set out proposals to restructure and centralise the Homeless Service to deal more effectively with an expanding remit and to place greater emphasis on early intervention and preventative work. Proposals in relation to the use of temporary accommodation and permanent lets for homeless households were also contained in the report. The measures set out in the report are aimed at enabling the Council to make better progress in meeting the North Ayrshire Homeless Strategy aims of preventing and eventually eradicating homelessness in North Ayrshire.

The Committee agreed to the proposals for the structure of the homeless service, temporary accommodation and permanent lets to homeless households as detailed in the report.

5. Minimum Letting Standard for Void Properties

Submitted report by the Corporate Director (Property Services) on the Minimum Letting Standard for void properties available for let.

A key aim of the Housing Services Service Plan is to re-let houses quickly to minimise rent loss to the Council and ensure that new tenants can move into their new homes as soon as possible. It is considered good practice for social landlords to operate Minimum Letting Standards for all empty properties that they have available for let. This ensures that customers are clear about the standard of service they can expect.

The report set out proposed Minimum Letting Standards to be applied to Council houses. When a property becomes vacant a joint inspection will be carried out by Housing Services and Building Services to agree upon works that are required to be carried out to bring the house up to an acceptable standard for allocation.


Works will be carried out by Building Services within strict target times, and a further inspection will be carried out when the repairs are complete to ensure the expected standard has been achieved. Only then will the house be formally offered to the applicant previously selected from the waiting list. Implementing the Minimum Letting Standards will ensure that the Council offers a high standard of service to its customers.

There has been consultation on the proposed standard with tenants through the working group of tenants and applicants established to review information to housing applicants.

The Committee agreed (a) to approve the Minimum Letting Standards set out in the report; and (b) that the Minimum Letting Standards be published and made available to all applicants offered housing by the Council.

6. Tenants Conference

Submitted report by the Corporate Director (Property Services) on the outcome of the tenants conference held on 27 August 2005.

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 introduced a new duty on all social housing landlords to consult tenants on housing and related matters and to develop a strategy outlining how they intended to do this. The Housing Services Service Plan, contains a commitment to hold two tenants conferences a year as a means of meeting the Community Plan aim of increasing the participation of local people in decisions that affect their daily lives and communities. Two conferences have already been held in April and October 2004. A third tenants' conference was held at James Watt College, Kilwinning on 27 August 2005. 82 people attended the conference from towns across North Ayrshire, including tenants representatives and individual tenants.

A draft Conference Newsletter, which provided a full account of the conference, was appended to the report. This will be sent to all participants as part of Housing Services' commitment to ensuring that it gives feedback on the outcome of consultation exercises to all those involved. Included within the newsletter is an action plan agreed at the conference. This includes a proposal to accelerate the window replacement programme from March 2006 in response to the clearly expressed views of tenants that higher priority should be given to this area of work. The aim is to replace all single glazed wooden windows within three years. Single glazed upvc windows will be replaced by 2015 at the latest.

The Committee (a) noted the outcome of the tenants' conference; and (b) agreed the terms of the action plan as set out in the report.


7. Customer Satisfaction with Housing Services

Submitted report by the Corporate Director (Property Services) on a proposal to undertake a customer satisfaction survey to obtain tenants' views on housing and related services.

Providing excellent customer service and increasing the opportunity for local people to participate in decisions that affect their daily lives and communities are key aims within the North Ayrshire Tenant Participation Strategy and the 2005-2008 Housing Service Plan. In addition, responding to customers’ views is one of the key principles guiding the development of Communities Scotland's regulatory framework in order to ensure tenants receive a high standard of service. A number of performance standards are already in place against which landlords are tested. These Standards require landlords to demonstrate that they have systems in place for collecting and assessing customers’ views of housing and related services.

Appendix 1 to the report set out a brief for a proposed survey that will allow the Council to determine the extent to which housing and related services are meeting the needs, aspirations, and expectations of tenants, and allow the Council to target areas where improvements are identified. The survey will meet the requirement of Communities Scotland's Regulation and Inspection Guidelines and also the commitments set out in the Tenant Participation Strategy and 2005-2008 Housing Service Plan. It is intended that the survey will be repeated periodically in order to compare information on the satisfaction with services over time and to measure improvement.

The Committee agreed to the proposals to conduct a customer satisfaction survey of Council tenants as set out in the report.

8. Irvine Cable TV System

Submitted report by the Corporate Director (Property Services) on the Council's future commitment to the Irvine Cable TV System.

The former Irvine Development Corporation made arrangements for television signals to be transmitted to their houses via an underground cable system owned by BT, but leased and operated to a cable TV service provider, Metro Cable TV Ltd. The system is currently connected to around 1500 Council houses, a similar number of Irvine Housing Association (IHA) owned houses, and a significant number of privately owned houses within the former New Town area.

The Council pays Metro Cable TV Ltd an annual service charge of £59.80 per house for the provision of the standard relay package. This charge is met through general rental income and no specific amenity charge is added to the rents of the tenants who receive their TV signals through the system. The cable company also offers a range of pay TV packages, the cost of which is met by individual customers.


The Council and IHA have identical two year contracts with the cable company which expire on 30 September 2006. The infrastructure of the system is now of a considerable age and is in need of substantial upgrading to accommodate digital signals. There is no evidence that this investment will be forthcoming from Metro Cable TV Ltd. Given the age of the system, the availability of alternative cable and satellite services, and the current cost implications to the Council, it was proposed that the Council should advise the cable company that it will not be seeking an extension to the current agreement.

As this is likely to result in the cable company discontinuing the service, it was proposed that an ex-gratia payment of £50 towards the cost of providing an alternative service should be made to each tenant connected to the cable service, with the possible exception of tenants in flatted blocks where a communal system installed by the Council may be the more appropriate option.

The Committee agreed (a) to advise Metro Cable TV Ltd that the Council will not be renewing its agreement beyond 30 September 2006; (b) that an ex-gratia payment of £50 be made to each tenant currently connected to the Service towards the cost of providing an alternative reception system, with the possible exception of tenants in flatted blocks, as set out in the report; and (c) that the Head of Technical Services investigate any planning implications arising from the decision.

9. Winter Maintenance Programme 2005/06

Submitted report by the Corporate Director (Property Services) on the preparations for winter maintenance of public roads, footways and footpaths in North Ayrshire.

North Ayrshire Council has a statutory obligation under Section 34 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, to take reasonable steps to prevent snow and ice endangering the safe passage of pedestrians and vehicles over public roads and public footways and footpaths. The proposed Winter Maintenance Programme for 2005/06 was appended to the report.

Noted.

10. Arran: Extension of Council Policy on Side Waste

Submitted report by the Corporate Director (Property Services) on proposals to discontinue the practice of collecting side waste on the Island of Arran.

All of North Ayrshire is now provided with a wheeled bin collection service for the uplift of domestic waste. When the system was introduced to the mainland, the Council agreed to continue to uplift side waste for a period of one year, to allow a seamless transfer from the previous system to the new system of collection.


The collection of side waste has now been discontinued on the mainland, but currently continues on the Island of Arran. Discontinuing the collection of side waste on Arran will support the manual handling and environmental gains achieved through the introduction of wheeled bins and encourage greater recycling and home composting on the Island.

The Committee agreed to discontinue the collection of side waste on the Island of Arran with effect from 9 January 2006.

11. Extension of the Garden Refuse Collection Service

Submitted report by the Corporate Director (Property Services) on the proposed extension of the garden refuse collection season.

The Council currently collects garden refuse in brown wheeled bins from households on mainland North Ayrshire. These collections take place over a 30-week period from the beginning of April until the end of October. Garden refuse collected by the Council equates to approximately 8,000 tonnes of waste which is taken to Nobel Enterprises' facility in Stevenston, where it is used to produce compost. This tonnage counts towards the Council's recycling and landfill diversion targets.

With the extension of the growing season there have been a number of comments from households that the service should be extended into November. From projections carried out, it is likely that a further 500 tonnes of green waste would be available for collection. As a trial it was proposed that the garden refuse collection season should be extended to 25 November 2005 in the current year. This will allow the Council to evaluate the demand for the service to be extended on a permanent basis.

Agreement has been reached with Nobel Enterprises for garden refuse collected in this period to be taken to the composting facility at Ardeer, Stevenston. Any additional refuse collected will count towards the Council's recycling and landfill diversion targets.

The Committee agreed (a) to extend the Garden Refuse Season to 25 November 2005 on a trial basis; and (b) that the Scheme be extended on a permanent basis if the trial proves successful.

12. West Kilbride Community Centre: Re-roofing

Submitted report by the Corporate Director (Property Services) on tenders received for re-roofing works at West Kilbride Community Centre.

The Committee agreed to accept the tender submitted by Southwest Roofing Services Ltd in the sum of £558,826.71.


13. Revenue Budget 2005/06: Budgetary Control

Submitted report by the Assistant Chief Executive (Finance) on the budgetary control position for Property Services at the end of August 2005, and on projections to the end of financial year 2005/06.

Noted.

The meeting ended at 3.00 p.m.