Issue - meetings

To highlight the Council’s performance across key priorities and projects for Quarter 1 2024/25 and provide an update on progress against Cost-of-Living support for residents and current strategic risks. 

Cabinet were presented with a report highlighting the Council’s performance across key priorities and projects for Quarter 1 2024/25 and received an update on progress against Cost-of-Living support for residents and current strategic risks. 

A number of questions were asked in relation to the report and in particular the Rent Collection Rate which was a key area of focus for the Council.  Officers responded as follows:

·         95.4% of Council Homes met the Government’s decency standards which represented an improvement against quarter one last year.  A rolling decent homes capital works programme was in place that would move the Council closer to 100% decency over the next 12 months.  When compared to other stock holding authorities, SBC was performing well;

·         In relation to rent collection, at the end of Quarter One, 737 tenants were registered to pay their rents by direct payment with 570 of those tenants in arrears.  Officers were in contact with those tenants to try and get alternative payment arrangements in place.  This issue was also being closely looked at by the Housing Executive Working Group;

·         Officers agreed to look at the way performance figures were reported including confirmation of cumulative figures and whether the data provided represented whole numbers or percentages to ensure the indicators were clear;

·         In relation to tenant Satisfaction Measure T11 relating to the contribution to neighbourhood, officers explained that this related to how residents perceived that the Council was looking after the areas immediately outside of residential properties.

Members were pleased to note the progress on the delivery of the Making Stevenage Even Better Corporate Plan including the highlights of Transforming Our Town, More Social and Good Quality Housing, Thriving Neighbourhoods, Balancing the Budget and Tackling Climate Change.  Members were particularly pleased to see the increasing artwork around the Town including the Multi Storey Car Park mural, the underpasses and media cabinets.

It was RESOLVED:

1.            That the service performance against 49 corporate performance measures and delivery of key milestones in Quarter 1 2024/25 through the Making Stevenage Even Better Programme (Appendix A) be noted.

2.            That the performance challenges in relation to rent collection (section 4.3.2) be noted, and the planned measures to improve performance be endorsed and that it be noted that the challenges related to rent collection are not just specific to Stevenage.

3.            That improvements to voids works management (4.3.9) be noted.

4.            That the strategic risk updates (section 4.7) be noted.