Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

Under the long term Management Agreement with Stockport Council, Stockport Homes is required to provide it with a five yearly Delivery Plan.  The Delivery Plan for the 2016 – 2021 was approved by the Council Executive in 2016 and agreed that an annual report on the progress against the five yearly plan would be submitted to the relevant Scrutiny Committee. This is the fourth annual report of the Delivery Plan 2016-2021 and demonstrates how Stockport Homes delivered against its aims and the Council’s objectives in 2019/20.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to comment and note the report.

Officer contact: Andy Kippax on 0161-474-4319 or email: andy.kippax@stockport.gov.uk

The Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) that stated that under the long term Management Agreement with Stockport Council, Stockport Homes was required to provide the Council with a five yearly Delivery Plan.  The Delivery Plan for the 2016 – 2021 was approved by the Council’s Executive in 2016 and it was agreed that an annual report on the progress against the five yearly plan would be submitted to the relevant Scrutiny Committee. This is the fourth annual report of the Delivery Plan 2016-2021 and demonstrated how Stockport Homes delivered against its aims and the Council’s objectives in 2019/20.

The Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport (Councillor Sheila Bailey) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Members noted the relatively low levels of sickness absence at Stockport Homes which it was suggested was indicative of the fact that Stockport Homes was a good organisation to work for with high levels of job satisfaction.

·         It was noted that report identified there were more women in senior officer roles at Stockport Homes than in other similar organisations; however in middle ranging technical officer posts, Stockport Homes didn’t perform as well with men significantly outnumbering women.

·         Stockport Homes had been award ‘Best Place to Work’ at the UK Business Awards 2020.

·         It was commented that Stockport Homes’ private lettings operation was only of only five agencies in Greater Manchester that had equitable lettings agency status.

·         A discussion took place in relation to the use language around ‘customer’, ‘tenants’ and ‘residents’ and the benefits and disadvantages of each.  In response it was stated that this can be a difficult issue as some people identified negative connotations with the word ‘tenant’ whereas customer was seen as more neutral.

·         Members commented on the relative ease with which they were able to communicate and resolve issues with officers from Stockport Homes.

·         With regard to the number of disrepair claims that were successfully challenged by Stockport Homes, resulting in significant savings for the organisation, further information was requested on the number such claims that were not so challenged as means of providing a meaningful comparison.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.