Executive Summary
The Gershon Review, and efficiency agenda feature very strongly in these plans.
The Borough of Poole has carried out a Stock Options Appraisal. ALMO was the chosen option to enable the Decent Homes target to be met, and to raise standards of management of the stock.
All services have had Best Value Reviews.
We were accepted in Round 3 of the ALMO programme with an allocation of £35.4m.
The Audit Commission, in the ALMO inspection, assessed it as a 3* service with promising prospects for improvement. This enabled the release of the first phase of the ALMO funding which will fund this year’s expanded investment programme.
This year’s business plan services three main purposes. It is the latest HRA Business Plan and follows the guidance of GOSW, with the aim of being accepted as “fit for purpose”.
It is also the Business Plan for Poole Housing Partnership as it enters its second year of trading as an ALMO, and it is the Delivery Plan which sets out the aims and targets for PHP for the coming year.
The Plan sets the role of PHP into a context much wider than housing management, but rather as a key player in supporting the Borough of Poole’s strategic objectives, and the Government’s focus on Sustainable Communities.
Overall, there remains high demand for the housing stock, and shortages in affordable housing supply remain a major issue for the town. However, demand for some of the sheltered housing stock is patchy and we are working with the Borough of Poole on a strategic review of housing demand for older people.
Our investment process, furthermore, ensures we balance demand for our homes with investment requirements so that high cost low demand stock is identified and options for it are carefully considered.
The Plan has been taken through the consultation structure with residents, both through Housing Consultative Panel, and the Board. The Plan touches on our new structure for Resident Participation, an area the Audit Commission highlighted as needing further development.
We have focussed on building up our asset management function. The Plan goes into much detail on our reinvestment process which ensures value for money.
Performance continues to improve in most areas. We benchmark with other ALMO’s through HouseMark and this provides the most challenging benchmarking group in the rented housing sector, and the Plan shows key areas of performance against this benchmark.
The ALMO funding has bridged the gap in resources to meet the Decent Homes Target. However, resources remain very tight and in the resources section of the plan we have explained the potential impact of a range of sensitivity analysis. These demonstrate that we are dependent on all existing resource streams and we remain concerned about the impact on the Business Plan of any shift in HIP resources away from Decent Homes. The Plan balances only with the full allocation of HIP as in previous years, and previous plans.
Our overarching key priorities are the achieving of the Decent Homes target, and working to create strong and sustainable communities. Apart from preparing for delivering our investment plans, we have reviewed the estate management, sheltered housing and resident participation services. Our focus will be on empowering the communities we work with to take more control of the environment they live in.
The Business Plan includes Action Plans that will ensure that we continue to develop and improve our services, year on year.
“The service provided by Poole Housing Partnership (PHP) is excellent…”
Audit Commission Inspection Report, Jan 2005
Introduction to Poole
The Borough of Poole
The Borough of Poole is a good authority and aims to be an excellent authority in the next CPA. Poole, despite its wider image as a quiet tourist town, with the millionaires of Sandbanks and a low unemployment rate, has many areas of deprivation, largely the areas of Council and RSL housing. Affordability of housing is now one of the highest political priorities as all areas of Poole and Dorset have the biggest gaps between wage levels and house prices, in the Country outside central London (Joseph Rowntree Report).
The Housing Context
The impact of fast rising house prices is being seen in a sharp drop in Right to Buy completions. This puts pressure on the capital programme due to lost receipts, but has a positive impact on the HRA.
The stock is made up of the following:
45% houses (including sheltered housing)
44% flats (including sheltered housing)
7% high rise
4% non-traditional PRC houses
The housing stock has had good investment into the external fabric in the past, but inside the homes are un-modernised and in need of significant investment.
About Poole Housing Partnership
The over-arching aims of Poole Housing Partnership is to focus on the twin objectives of continuing to provide excellent (3*) housing services and meeting the Decent Homes target. We will continue to be involved in the debate on new freedoms and flexibilities, but we are not going to be deflected from these key short term and medium term objectives.
We have shown our ability to achieve annual improvements in our organisation and service delivery. Best Value and continuous improvement principles are built into the structure of the organisation, exemplified by our Best Value and Performance team. There is an ambition to be one of the very best housing providers in the Country; this ambition goes from Board level to the front line staff, and residents’ representatives.
Through the reviews, we have now been able to re-engineer all of our services to ensure they are effective, efficient and at the right price.
An example could be our review of the Helpdesk, to ensure the maximum number of repairs are ordered direct, without pre-inspections, to speed up ordering, and re-focus our staff resources on checking the quality of work. Once we achieve the electronic link to contractors, we will be able to free up further resources from administering the contract, to enable a wider service delivery improvement.
“PHP have delivered a wide range of service improvements and have successfully tackled most weaknesses identified in earlier inspections demonstrating progress in all”
Audit Commission Inspection Report, Jan 2005
The attached SWOT analysis Appendix I summarises the issues and opportunities for the Council housing stock and the ALMO team.
We have a very committed and highly trained workforce which is focused on excellent service delivery and continuous improvements.
We have a comprehensive approach to staff communication, as explained in our Communications Strategy.
We had high levels of satisfaction in last year’s IIP survey, but we are aware that staff were under significant pressure, as we developed the ALMO, underwent inspection and continuously improve our services. However, staff have a clear sense of achievement, in being recognised as providing excellent services.
We are very serious about maintaining a work/life balance, and this is an area that the Board is looking at. The staff have shown an ability to take on many new areas of development, over recent years and this will continue in the coming year.
Resident Satisfaction
We have seen a steady improvement in levels of resident satisfaction across the range of our services, and which are covered in the supporting documents.
Currently, some key satisfaction survey results include:
Satisfaction of new tenants with the letting process94%
Tenants with overall repairs service92%
Tenants with repair contractors96%
Satisfaction with PHP Helpdesk95%
Status survey: overall satisfaction81%
Status survey: ability to participate67%
We have seen a significant improvement in resident satisfaction since the previous status survey, and this is supported by the results from our other ongoing surveys.
“Increased levels of tenant satisfaction are noted across the range of services provided by PHP”
Audit Commission Inspection Report, Jan 2005
The Community We Serve
The following table shows some comparisons from the 2001 census between Council tenants, and Poole residents as a whole.
Census 2001
Poole –all residents / Poole –
Council Tenants
% of Poole residents:
- Over 65 years old
- With a long term illness
- Economically active households
- With no car
Anti social behaviour:
- Noisy neighbours
- Vandalism and criminal damage in locality
Currently 67% of tenants are in receipt of housing benefit, and there is a gradual year on year increase in this percentage.
Average annual household income for Poole residents is currently £26,074, but for Poole Council tenants, it averages £7,707 per annum.
This sets a clear focus for the organisation, and we recognise the importance of focusing on the specific needs of the community we serve, and to deliver “value added” services such as training, development and employment opportunities.
We have a fair age spread across our housing stock, but there is a rise in the over 65’s who now make up 25% of our tenants, of whom 61% have a long term illness. Our sheltered and older persons housing review has looked at the trend of rising “very elderly” residents, needing adaptations and support to remain living independently, and we are now implementing the recommendations. Further research is being carried out by the Borough of Poole into the housing needs and aspirations of older people.
Council tenants are slightly more likely than the community as a whole, to suffer from noisy neighbours (22:30%) or report vandalism or deliberate damage (64%:83%). Dealing with all forms of anti-social behaviour is a key aspect of our work and an area we have improved upon steadily, leading the way within Dorset and the South West. Currently, there are 31 ASBO’s in Dorset, 10 of which are in Poole. We also widely use ABC’s and mediation to prevent cases reaching this level.
Supporting stable and sustainable communities is a key objective. Choice based letting will help this as will our “Supporting People” team. We are now embarking on a process of estate planning, using “planning for real” techniques to empower the communities to bring about improvements to their environment, funded from the 5% allocation within the ALMO funds. This will prioritise security, anti-social behaviour, and a sense of ownership in the locality.
In the past, we have had very little information on hard to reach groups. We were hampered with an old computer system that did not allow us to hold demographic information. Our new system is fast being populated with information on ethnicity, disability, age, and family make-up to allow us to monitor our services (and meet the CRE Code) and focus on positive action to ensure all our services meet the needs of hard to reach groups.
“PHP have made considerable progress with addressing concerns noted in the previous inspection…..”. “Overall this is an area of strength for the ALMO”.
Audit Commission Inspection Report, Jan 2005
Partnerships
We work with a wide range of partnerships including, among many more:
- Residents
- Leaseholder groups
- Building contractors and suppliers
- Other local authorities and RSL’s, including Best Practice Groups
- ALMOs (National Federation) including Procurement Consortia
- Other units of the Council
- Police, Mediation Dorset, Race Equality Council
- Universities and Colleges
- Health Service
- Voluntary groups
Many are developing well. An example would be the work we do with Colleges, aimed at ensuring adequate training for trade apprenticeships and our building contracts; given the national shortages in the building industry, and the other demands with large investment in housing, schools, hospitals and
more. We are exploring a joint bid with the college for European Union funding to support a scheme to bring builders and surveyors from other parts of the expanded European Union.
With our investment contracts, our approach is one of a mixed delivery model which aims to work with specialists in each area of work, and maximise value for money. We have explored, for example, using a strategic partnership for all our investment programmes. We have concluded that whilst these can be simpler to manage, we can give better services, at better prices, by working with a range of suppliers, from Consortia such as the LHC, new large partnering contracts for kitchen and bathrooms, to using specialist local companies for, as an example, our heating contracts. Refer to stock investment self assessment.
Financial Resources/Value for Money
Currently, HRA reserves are slightly below our target minimum level at £649,000 v target of £703,000.
With the ALMO funding, and with careful management we can meet the Decent Homes target. However, we are very much focused on ways to control costs, create savings, and bring in new money. Value for Money is one of the key objectives for our Finance Manager and Board Sub-Committee, which aims to implement the principles of the Gershon report recommendations.
On top of our own value for money objectives, we are aware of the ODPM value for money targets. Our Finance Sub-Committee and finance team take a lead on ensuring careful use of all our resources, to provide efficiency savings that can translate into enhanced areas of service delivery, improving quality of services, reduced financial costs, and improving satisfaction levels.
We will be working with the Borough of Poole in preparing Housing Annual Efficiency Statements, with a focus on capital works, procurement of commodity goods and services and delivery of management and maintenance services.
“PHP have a clear understanding of the costs of the services they provide and can demonstrate the delivery of value for money in most”
Audit Commission Inspection Report, Jan 2005
Strategic
Poole’s Vision, Mission, Values, Priorities and XL Projects
Our Shared Vision
Poole is a town of opportunity of which we are proud. We will tackle its problems, shape its development and maintain its beauty for this and future generations.
Our Mission
Striving for Excellence
Our Priorities
..a number of long-term issues that have an impact on the future balance of the town. The Council wants to provide leadership in dealing with them and grasp the opportunities on offer. Our priorities provide a sense of direction for us and our work with partners by being clear about what is important in further improving quality of life and securing the future of the town.
- Supporting young people – giving them the best possible start in life
- Vibrant economy – balanced, strong and sustainable
- Clean, green and safe – making a difference to our environment
- Strong sense of community – encouraging togetherness and shared action
- Health and well-being – helping people to keep fit and active
Our values
..supporting the way we work
- Public Focus – we put the public first
- Efficiency – we want to be more efficient in everything we do
- Openness – we do things openly and honestly
- Partnership – we will make Poole a better place by working with others
- Leadership – we will tackle difficult decisions about the future of Poole
- Equality – we believe in equality of opportunity for all
XL Projects
..designed to support the Council’s Corporate Strategy and Business Plan and to achieve our priorities
- Customers First – a commitment to be a Council that is easy to do business with, at a time and in a way that suits the customer
- Full Sail Ahead – regeneration with an emphasis on the Twin Sails bridge, providing more jobs, affordable housing a vibrant Town Centre with new public waterfront
- Schools for the Future – a central role in the life of communities delivering improved standards, opportunities and a wider community involvement
- Poole Connects – Active Communities – effective new partnerships empowering communities and building local enthusiasm, identity and decision making
- Pride in Poole – working with the community and partners to care for our environment and build our pride in the town
1
How Poole Housing Partnership is contributing
The Council’s Leader and Chief Executive and the Board of PHP have met to explore further how to maximise the benefit of both organisations working together to deliver the Council’s and the Government’s strategic objectives.
An initial review of how PHP is currently contributing is:
Supporting Young People- Delivering Decent Homes; link to educational and health achievements
- Developing estate planning including play facilities
- Apprenticeships with contractors
- Listening to the young; focus groups, participation focussed on youth needs and aspirations
- £35m investment into economy
- Training and employment opportunities with new contracts
- Future additional freedoms and flexibilities for excellent ALMOs
- Use of local companies and local labour
Clean, Green and Safe
- Safe homes
- Safe and pleasant estates
- Energy strategy: fuel poverty and energy efficiency
- Secure by design investment
- Quality cleaning contract
- Caretaking/security services
- Anti-social behaviour work
- Good tenant reward scheme being explored
Strong Sense of Community
- Tenant participation and community development
- Estate planning
- Equalities work focus on hard to reach groups
- Newsletters and information
- Rising satisfaction with ability to participate
- Estate management team focus
- Focus on strong, sustainable communities
- Decent Homes
- Energy Strategy
- Supporting People services:
- Resettlement
- Shopping and cleaning
- Sheltered housing
- Extra-care housing
- Hostels service review
Poole Housing Partnership Ltd Mission Statement and Objectives
The Poole Housing Partnership ‘Mission Statement’
‘To provide the people of Poole with decent homes and high quality housing management services through continuous improvement and striving for excellence.’