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FAULDHOUSE and THE BREICH VALLEY LOCAL AREA COMMITTEE

HOUSING, CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING SERVICES

REPORT BY HEAD OF HOUSING, CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING SERVICES

A. PURPOSE OF REPORT To provide the Local Area Committee with an overview of the service activities within the ward.

B. RECOMMENDATION For the Local Area Committee to note the contents of paper.

C. SUMMARY OF IMPLICATIONS

I Council Values Focusing on our customers needs

Being honest open and accountable

Making best use of our resources

Working in partnership.

II Policy and Legal (including N/A Strategic Environmental Assessment, Equality Issues, Health or Risk Assessment)

III Resources - (Financial, N/A Staffing and Property)

IV Consultations N/A

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D. Terms of the Report

Housing Performance Information The purpose of this report is to provide the Local Area Committee with an overview of the activities of Housing, Construction & Building Services specific to Fauldhouse and The Breich Valley ward.

Property Void & Let Performance - Mainstream Tenancies Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Void 2010 % 2010 % 2011 % 2011 % 2011 % Period 0-2 wks 10 67% 2 50% 5 83% 7 88% 4 67% 2-4 wks 4 26% 1 25% 1 17% 1 12% 2 33%

4+ wks 1 7% 1 25% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0

Total Lets 15 100% 4 100% 6 100% 8 100% 6 100%

The area team have worked very hard to meet void targets during the reporting period. It is acknowledged that in a small number of cases delays occurred due to severe weather conditions that continued from November and December through to the early part of January. During this period our officers experienced a degree of difficulty in viewing void properties, while essential health and safety repairs and checks also took longer to complete, additionally both new and potential tenants struggled to keep appointments to view and or sign up for their tenancies. Weekly meetings are held to ensure all voids are closely monitored.

Property Void and Let Performance - Temporary Tenancies Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Void 2010 % 2010 % 2011 % 2011 % 2011 % Period 0-2 wks 2 100% 2 50% 1 50% 2 75% 3 100% 2-4 wks 0 0% 1 25% 1 50% 1 25% 0 0%

4+ wks 0 0% 1 25% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%

Total Lets 2 100% 4 100% 2 100% 3 100% 3 100%

In this financial year 130 mainstream tenancies have been let, an increase of 18 on the previous year. Additionally 37 temporary tenancies have been let which is an increase of 2 on the previous year.

At the time of writing this report there are 33 Policy Voids within the ward. Officers continue to liaise with Building Services ensuring all necessary works to these properties is completed as quickly as possible allowing them to be returned to stock and re let.

Arrears Performance Total 2010/2011 £Value April 10 130,887 May 10 144,163 June 10 155,516 July 10 165,101 August 10 163,834 September 10 178,443 October 10 182,090 November 10 177,703 December 10 152,850 January 2011 170,663 February 2011 179,730 March 2011 130,957 2

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Arrear visits were at a minimum for the first three months of this reporting period; again this was due to inaccessibility of estates; however officers contacted those tenants in arrears by telephone or email which was then followed up with written correspondence and a home visit once the weather improved.

Arrears performance increases and decreases over the financial year and it is acknowledged that although there is a decrease in monthly figures, overall the year end target of £113,020 was not met. This does not reflect on the hard work of the area team and their efforts to reduce arrears and meet targets but does highlight that, in some cases, our customers have more issues than just the arrear balance on their rent account and these circumstances are taken into consideration when arrangements to clear their arrear are made.

The Team work very closely with our partner services and agencies to ensure tenants who find themselves in financial difficulties are provided with all necessary advice and assistance.

It has been proven that a direct consequence of our officers’ intensive intervention work is the prevention of our tenants finding themselves in the revolving door of homelessness; however it is concerning that the number of tenants throughout the county being sequestrated appears to be on the increase.

In response to 09th November 2010 Minute Item 5 (2) An arrears panel was arranged for 14th December, however due to the adverse weather conditions at that time only the Area Housing Manager was in attendance. The panel was poorly attended by the invited tenants and again the adverse weather may have been the cause of poor attendance.

In response to 09th November 2010 Minute Item 5 The Council’s aim is to maximise the rental income and to achieve this Housing, Construction & Building Services has a robust rent arrears process in place with the focus on early intervention and prevention. When a tenant falls into arrears of £80 or more the housing officer is prompted to contact and discuss the reason why the tenant has arrears. This contact is normally a visit; if there is no access a letter is left advising the tenant of balance due and offering assistance.

Where contact is made the housing officer will establish if there are any Housing Benefit/Welfare Benefit or Money Advice issues and, where appropriate, refer the tenant to the Advice Shop for further advice and assistance.

If the tenant does not respond and the arrears continue to increase then a Notice of Proceedings for Recovery of Possession is hand delivered. This Notice gives the tenant a further 28 days to either clear the account or make a satisfactory arrangement for payment. During these 28 days the Housing Officer will continue attempting to make contact the tenant in order to resolve the problem.

Once the Notice expires the case will be referred to court with the intention of seeking a decree to recover the property. The court process normally takes around 3 months; during this time the housing officer continues in their attempt to make contact with the tenant, trying to resolve the problem. Eviction is seen as a last resort. To put this into some context we obtained 270 decrees this year and carried out 50 evictions.

We run ad-hoc arrears campaigns through out the year and housing managers also run locally based arrear campaigns, we have in the past ran an Arrears/ Benefits campaign from the Community House.

We also facilitate a local arrears panel where tenants who are in the court process are invited to the local office to meet with the housing manager, welfare advisor and housing benefit representative who can offer advice, practical assistance and reach agreement to repay and reduce the arrear at an affordable rate.

At the point of signing for their tenancy all our new tenants are offered a Benefits Health check and advice.

Within the local Area Office, accommodation is made available for Revenues staff to carry out two weekly Council Tax surgeries. 3

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These surgeries are both very positive and well attended The Area Housing Team also makes use of this service when seeking assistance in respect of some of our more vulnerable customers.

Area Housing Office Activity Locality Planning, Community Engagement

During the extreme weather conditions experienced across West effective teamwork and communication within the Area Team enabled our officers to adapt our working practices which in turn made it possible to maintain continuous service provision to our tenants.

In some cases officers based themselves at which ever council office they could safely reach; including the contact centre. This allowed us to maintain our core service delivery. We had a number of officers from other services areas such as revenues, school transport, libraries and contact centre join us at our office in . This proved beneficial to all with information sharing, gaining an understanding of others roles and very good team working.

A number of Area Housing Office staff walked and in some cases officers who had travelled a considerable distance to get to work were stranded in offices and unable to return to their homes for a few days. Additionally our officers volunteered to help support and contact vulnerable residents of .

Over the Christmas holiday period 18 properties within the ward were affected by burst pipes. Damage level was in varying degrees; Housing Investment Officers liaised with our insurers and contractors to ensure all necessary repairs are completed as timeously as is possible.

In this reporting period; Officers have made contact with new tenants on 86 occasions to carryout new tenant surveys.

Over the reporting period 31 un-programmed garden inspections were carried out.

The team are effective in the Locality Planning Process, participating in joint engagement in ward projects within the community and contributing to themed action groups.

There are a number of complex tenancy management issues within the ward some of which are ongoing. Officers attend case conferences and work alongside police, Safer Neighbourhood Team and social work.

Community Reports

Fauldhouse Locally based officers attend monthly Tenants & Residents Group meetings which are held in the Area Housing Office and continue to work with and support the Group. Our officer will take forward enquiries / concerns and raise them with the appropriate partners on the Groups behalf. The Area Housing Manager and her team played an active role in the recent Fallas Place consultation process.

Addiewell On the 1st of each month a Housing & Police surgery is held in the refurbished Community House. Area Officers meet weekly with Community Police / SNT Officers and carry out joint visits when and where necessary.

Stoneyburn The Area Housing Manager and her team participated in the recent consultation events in the Wee Croft to discuss the future of the Bents Flats. The events were very well attended and comments were positive. Although there is no local surgery, Housing staff & Community Police Officer continue to work together to resolve issues and carry out joint visits when and where necessary. To date this joined up approach has greatly assisted in the progressions of problematic Anti-Social Cases through to Court which resulted in an ASBO being granted in one case.

Polbeth The Area Team continue to participate in monthly meetings alongside our partners working in the Community to help promote services within Polbeth. The housing team and local Police Officers work closely to address issues at an early stage. 4

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Breich Officers continue to be proactive in the Community, working with residents and tenants identifying potential areas of concern and providing an early resolution where possible. Officers continue to work with Community Police Officers, meeting on a weekly basis and carry out joint visits on a regular basis.

Longridge The Area Team continue to be proactive in the Community, working with residents and tenants identifying potential areas of concern and providing an early resolution where possible. Recently the Area Housing Manager and Neighbourhood Response Team Officer visited the parents of children who were causing a nuisance within the Community. Since these visits were carried out the number of complaints received has been greatly reduced.

West Calder The Area Housing Team continues to be proactive in the Community, working with residents and tenants identifying potential areas of concern and providing an early resolution where possible. Our officer works closely with Community Police Officers, meeting on a weekly basis and carry out joint visits on a regular basis.

New Build Update

Following the completion of two hundred and forty-eight houses in Phase 1, Phase 2 process has commenced for a further five hundred and forty-five properties on eight sites throughout West Lothian. A site start is planned in the near future at both Ladeside Avenue in Blackburn and Uphall Station.

It is anticipated that work will commence on two large sites in Dixon Terrace, Whitburn and Inveralmond, Livingston in April 2011. Subject to approval of planning permission and all service provision being made available, work will commence at all other sites by early summer with the first handover of houses expected early 2012.

Phase Two – Eliburn In respect of the site adjacent to Oldwood Place, Eliburn, Livingston; the Council submitted a planning application in November, 2010 for the construction of forty-eight houses and forty-eight four in a block type flats.

Four hundred and three objections to the proposal were received, including those from Graeme Morrice M.P., Angela Constance MSP, Councillor Bruce Ferrie and Councillor Andrew Miller on behalf of constituents in the area.

The planning application was subsequently referred to the Development Management Committee of the Council, who met on 06th April, 2011. Following a vote of four to two from councillors in favour of the proposal the Eliburn development application was approved. It is anticipated that work will commence on the site by summer.

Completion of the majority of the five hundred and forty-five houses in Phase Two will be made in 2012.

The new build project will also provide the opportunity for Council's trade apprentices in Housing, Construction and Building Services to gain experience in new house-building.

Local businesses will benefit from the building of these properties. The main contractor, Lovell’s, has given commitment to use local sub contractors and suppliers. Appropriate vacancies will be advertised locally through Access 2 employment or Job Centre plus.

Local Projects

x Burnlea, Bents Contract; Project is complete and under budget x Church Place, Contract; Project is complete and under budget x Moorelands, Addiewell area upgrades and repairs; Scottish power issues have now been resolved; the work is being retendered and has an expected summer start. 5

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x Loganlea, Addiewell area upgrades and repairs; the project is ongoing; the upgrading of porches has been added to contract following completion of condition survey. x Polbeth Contract; this project was originally a 3 year programme but has been condensed into 2 years. The project is ongoing and progressing well with no issues.

Fauldhouse and The Breich Valley ward also benefits from shares of the following contracts, all of which are ongoing and close to completion.

x Periodic testing - a 'deep clean' of the house electric system, and all associated repairs x Exterior Lights - The fitting of doorway lights for comfort, safety and security. x Handrails - The fitting of handrails to external stairs where required. x Programmed Drainage - Large scale interventions to address underlying problems x Planned Reactive - large scale and high value repairs x Central Heating Upgrades - planned and reactive high value works, including boiler and/or distribution system replacement. Energy Efficiency - loft and cavity wall insulation fitting and renewal. x Aids and Adaptations - assisting healthy living at home. x Asbestos removal - determined by specialist survey and carried out by specialist contractors.

Various other small budget projects will impact on the ward, such as play areas, home security etc.

Tenant Participation

Tenant Participation in West Lothian is organised on a central and local level. Centrally the Tenant Participation Team (TP Team), oversee the development of Tenant Participation throughout the county, while locally, Community Based Housing Officers and Quality Assurance Officers carry out tenant participation as part of their daily duties.

In this reporting period the Central TP Team has been working closely with tenants and service users to further develop Tenant Participation in West Lothian. The following working groups have met and been active;

o Tenant Participation Development Working Group o Editorial Panel o Tenants Information Day Working Group

The Tenant Participation Working Group was formed. This group was formed as an outcome of the recent Tenant Led Inspection into Tenant Participation. The group have drawn-up their development plan and tasks have been identified and prioritised. This development work will form an integral part of the review, which is due to take place late in 2011, of the Tenant Participation Strategy.

The Tenants Information Day Working Group - This group met in February to discuss and evaluate the previous event. They have commenced planning for the 2011 event which will once more be held at the Civic Centre on Saturday 08th October 2011. The group will continue to meet on a regular basis and will contribute to the planning and organisation of all aspects of the day.

The Editorial Panel has also recently been re-established. Procedures have been developed and in partnership with our colleagues in Adult Basic Education, training has been delivered for panel members. The main aim of the panel is to ensure all information which is produced for tenants and service users is understandable – it should be written in plain language, useful and free from jargon. The Panel will develop a work plan for the remainder of the year and will decide which publications they wish to review. Once the panel have approved the content of any new documentation and have ensured it is in “Plain Language, Clear and Helpful” the ‘Tenant Approved’ stamp will be added.

“My Home For Keeps”

Housing, Construction & Building Services worked in collaboration with Adult Basic Education (ABE) to develop a short course over 4 weeks, 1 day per week, 2 hours per day, to give people the information, advice and skills needed to sustain their own tenancy. 6

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This course was developed to help prevent homelessness and is available to those who are in the transition of moving from temporary accommodation into permanent accommodation, and for those who are living in permanent accommodation but are struggling to maintain their tenancy.

The course contents includes topics such as: - tenants right and responsibilities - managing your bills - health and well-being - styling your home art session

All activities are interactive and involve using a range of formats including video, games and discussion to keep it interesting. To help prevent barriers to attending, bus fares are provided as well as crèche places. Our Tenant Networks provided funding to purchase several essential items for a new home such as pots and pans, steam iron, crockery, cutlery etc and these were given to the course participants.

The pilot of 'My Home For Keeps' took place in Blackburn Community Centre recently and feedback from participants was very positive, a full evaluation is currently taking place and we are keen to roll out this course in the future.

The Central TP Team also hosted sessions on:

Tenant Led Inspection Process Falkirk Council is soon to introduce this initiative and visited the Whitburn Resource Centre for a presentation and overview of our process. Our Tenant Led Inspectors have been invited to Falkirk to provide additional training for a group of Falkirk tenants who have expressed an interest in developing this process in their own council area.

Scottish Social Housing Charter West Lothian tenants have been involved in developing the charter and have attended several sessions on this with the Regional Networks and the Scottish Government. In particular one of our Whitburn tenants plays an active role in the development of the Charter. Further consultation on the Charter will follow once it has reached draft stage.

E. CONCLUSION

To note the contents of the report.

F. BACKGROUND REFERENCES None

Contact Person: Ros Edgar, Housing, Construction & Building Services Email; [email protected] Tel: 01506 281360 Date: 21st April 2011

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