Agenda and minutes

[The Chair to welcome everyone to the meeting.]

The Acting Chair Cllr Wendy Dalton, welcomed everyone to the meeting and advised it was also being live streamed to the press and public. The Acting Chair advised the panel that Chair Cllr Muston had been delayed.

[The Chair will explain how the meeting will proceed.]

Cllr Dalton explained the process to be followed during the meeting for asking questions.

The following apologies were received for the meeting;

Cllr Steve Evans, Cabinet Member for City Housing

There were no declarations of interest recorded.

[To approve the minutes of the previous meeting as a correct record]

That the minutes of the meeting held on 27 June 2023 be approved as a correct record.

[Alex Greatholder,Principal Policy and Strategy Officer (TfWM)]

The Acting Chair invited Alex Greatholder, Principal Policy and Strategy Officer (TfWM) to present the report. The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer advised the panel that David Harris, Transport Strategy and Place Manager, would also be contributing to the presentation.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer advised that the presentation was an update to a report presented to the panel on 3 March 2023 which focused on the Core Strategy in the West Midlands Local Transport Plan (LTP). The LTP sets out what needs to change to achieve a rapid and sustainable shift to more sustainable forms of transport and accessibility across the region.

The LTP Core Strategy places a greater emphasis on acting alongside long-term planning, while also considering the impact on the citizens across the West Midlands region.

The presentation today would cover the overall implementation plan for the LTP and progress on developing four area strategies and key linked work since the Core Strategy was agreed in 2022-2023 and the Government Green Paper was published.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer gave a brief outline of the key principals which have informed the development of the LTP, and how it links to the strategic priorities in the Our City: Our Plan and the 5 Motives for Change document.

There is a statutory requirement to publish a LTP which ensures that the transport needs of Wolverhampton citizens are represented and to support applications to Government for funding for the local transport initiatives.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer advised the panel that the aim of the LTP is to focus on investing in improving accessibility to help people thrive without a car.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer referenced a map of the region showing jobs accessible within 45 mins without a car compared to people with a car, highlighting the number of people who do not have access to a car. It was reported that between a quarter and a third of households in Wolverhampton have no car at all and other households that have a car but the use of it shared.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on lower levels of car ownership among women, ethnic minorities, and young people. The LTP is aimed at providing investment in alternative transport options to the car for these specific groups who do have this option.

A panel member commented on the colours used in the maps and suggested they should be changed to reflect public understanding where ‘green’ which is generally understood to be positive rather than ‘red’ which is negative and help avoid any confusion about the strategy.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer accepted the point and agreed to make the change to avoid possible confusion.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on the aims of the LTP, and core principles and the elements outlined in the inclusive growth diagram which refers to the ‘5 Motives for Change’, for example, sustaining economic success. 

These broad goals selected, or ‘Motives for Change’ have been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

[Julie Haydon, Director, Corporate Services – Wolverhampton Homes, to present report]

The Chair invited Julie Haydon, Director - Corporate Services Wolverhampton Homes), to present the report.

The Director commented that the presentation will provide an update on the development of the customer services offer that is being addressed in collaboration with the overall city approach and supports the delivery of the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Resident Insight Strategy.

The Director commented on the major changes in housing regulations in response to Grenfell and the Awaab Ishak reviews and the publication of the Social Housing Green Paper (2018).

The Government published the Social Housing White Paper – Charter for Social Housing Residents (2020) which sets out the how it plans to ensure that residents feel safe, have a voice, live in good quality homes, and know how to raise complaints.

The Director commented that there is an ongoing commitment to review how services are delivered and to engage positively with customers while looking at identifying efficiencies and new ways of working in response to changes in customer demand.

The Director commented on the background to the development of the city’s Resident Influence and Insight Strategy and progress to date. The strategy sets out a vision for resident engagement which aligns to the priorities of the current Housing Strategy “Better Homes for All” - in particular, the objective of a safe and healthy home.

The Director commented that although work is ongoing, the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 has strengthened powers and all social housing providers must work with tenants and regularly consider ways to improve and tailor their approach to delivering landlord services including tenant engagement.

The Director highlighted that a key outcome from a recent survey there was a clear indication (some 70+%) that customers wanted to be able to contact the service by phone.

The Director commented on the link between housing provision and the core strategic aims of the Council and the added value that it brings to the City of Wolverhampton Council (CWC) and local communities. The range of services delivered by Wolverhampton Homes reflects the changes in the customer base and this has led to a greater understanding of the different needs which will help shape and improve the offer in the future.

The Director commented that in a survey carried out by CWC, it was highlighted that in general for all CWC services, residents felt there was not sufficient engagement. The CWC has highlighted this is a priority for action. In response to this CWC undertook a series of consultation events, online and in person events to discuss how services are provided across all managing agents.

The aim was a develop an agreed approach as part of an overarching strategy for managing agents to tenant and leaseholder engagement.

The Director commented that the feedback had noted a more joined up approach between CWC and the managing agents, highlighting the different policies, for example, grounds maintenance. The issue of ground maintenance contract arrangements had been identified by the Cabinet Member as an example, and there was support  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

[Ian Gardner Director of Property Services and Simon Bamfield, Head of Assets and Stock Investment (Wolverhampton Homes) to present report]

The Chair invited Ian Gardner, Director of Property Services, to present the report.

The Director thanked the Chair for giving the opportunity to brief the panel on building safety and offered to attend a future meeting to if there were any specific areas that panel members would like further information.

The Director highlighted the background to the Building Safety Act 2022 which was introduced following the Grenfell Enquiry, which seeks to address some historical issues with the application of building regulations and building control. The act also now provides some limited financial protection for leaseholders living in  relevant buildings with defects, new safety management arrangements for higher risk buildings and new resident engagement requirements.

The Director commented on the creation of the Building Safety Regulator and the following national advisory committees and the implications for housing providers:

·         Building Advisory

·         Industry Competence

·         Residents Panel

The new Building Safety Regulator and the committees will be providing further guidance that will need to be incorporated into current policies and procedures.

The Director commented on three new ‘Gateways’ within the Building Safety Act 2022 and gave examples of activity in each of the areas:

·         Planning Permission

·         Pre-Construction

·         Completion

The Director commented on further changes to the Fire Safety Regulations which came into force on 23 January 2023. The regulations introduce new safety measures for buildings over 11 meters tall. The regulations also introduce additional requirements for sharing information with residents, monthly inspections, improved signage, and a specific requirement for inspecting flat entrance doors and communal fire doors.

The Director commented that Wolverhampton Homes and the Council has been very proactive since Grenfell in undertaking work to improve fire safety measures and delivering on the Council’s commitment to installing fire sprinklers in the high-rise blocks, which remains a priority. The retrofitting of sprinklers in high rise buildings is not currently mandated however there is a strong commitment by the Council to do this work.

The Director commented on specific work to improve fire safety in communal areas and the entrances to flats, including annual inspections of flat entrance doors and quarterly inspections of fire doors in communal areas.

The Director commented that there is a rolling programme of work to improve the infrastructure of buildings, for example, replacing electrical wiring to reduce the risk of fire and to bring them up to date with modern standards. In addition, work is also being done at the same time to improve the look of the communal areas by making them brighter and cleaner to help people feel safer.

The Director commented on progress with the building safety enhancement programme and advised that the overall infrastructure programme will see 2,165 homes benefiting from building safety work and complete the sprinkler installation work by 2028.

The Director advised the panel of the investment over the past 12 months to build and develop the new internal Building Safety Team to help the service meet its duties arising from the Building Safety Act 2022 and other legislation and guidance. The Director  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

[Earl Piggott-Smith, Scrutiny Officer, to present report]

The Chair commented that the next meeting of the panel is scheduled for 19 October 2023 is an extra meeting to discuss the issue of climate change. The presentation will focus on the policies of the Council.

The Chair commented that an extra meeting has been planned for March 2024 for a report on Wolverhampton Homes communication and engagement strategy.

The Scrutiny Officer invited member comments on the draft programme. There was concern expressed about the number of items on the agenda for 16 November 2023.

The Scrutiny Officer suggested the item on fly tipping be considered as an item at the meeting on 19 October 2023 to help manage the work programme agenda.

The panel discussed the idea of inviting the Police and Crime Commissioner to a future meeting and agreed to enquire about this further.

Resolved:

1. The panel agreed to add the agenda item of fly tipping to the panel meeting on 19 October 2023.
2. The Scrutiny Officer to invite the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner to a future meeting of the panel.
3. The panel agreed to add an extra date to the work programme in March 2024 to consider a report on Wolverhampton Homes communication and engagement strategy.