There were two changes of membership for this meeting: Councillor Jeffree replaced Councillor Stiff and Councillor Nembhard replaced Councillor Rodrigues.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Ahmed.

There were no disclosures of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 February 2023 to be submitted and signed.

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 February 2023 were submitted and signed.  

The committee to receive a presentation from representatives of Watford Community Housing in relation to maintenance of their properties.

The scrutiny committee received a presentation from Helen Town and Paul Richmond of Watford Community Housing.

During the course of the presentation, representatives of Watford Community Housing (WCH) covered:

·       The establishment of the organisation, the number of homes owned and the corporate objectives.

·       The structure of the governance in place, both internally and externally.

·       Engagement with the Gateway structure, including its scrutiny function, as well as how tenants were engaged in decision-making more widely.

·       An overview of the approach to repairs including the stock condition surveys, responsive works, compliance activities and the capital improvement programme.

·       The inhouse repairs team and the active approach to recruitment and training of local employees.

·       The response to the green agenda in light of environmental concerns, the cost of living and concerns around damp and mould.  This had particularly focused on providing external wall insulation for the worst performing homes for energy efficiency. The goal was to have no homes rated EPC C or below by 2030.

·       Other areas of focus included supporting tenants with air quality and ventilation measures and moving away from gas.

·       Benchmarking data indicated that maintenance on expenditure was broadly in line with other registered providers.

·       How Watford Community Housing understood its asset data including surveys.

·       An understanding of tenants’ satisfaction levels through engagement and monitoring complaints as well as the ways in which tenants and councillors could raise concerns.

During questions following the presentation, the following points were discussed:

·       The development of the inhouse repairs team. Members were advised that this had been successful with a low vacancy rate in a competitive environment as well as the opportunity for apprenticeships and internal progression.

·       Progress to improve energy efficiency ratings of the stock. It was reported that 57 of the worst performing homes had been addressed and assessors had identified a further 275 which required improvements. There was confidence that the 2030 target for EPC ratings would be reached. The focus was on improving and investing in homes to keep them in the social rented sector.

·       It was noted that there had been 14,800 repairs this year but that this included both minor and more major works. There had been a backlog since Covid due to labour and supply chain delays and a team monitored the progress carefully.

·       Triaging of repair needs. Members were advised that emergencies should be dealt with within 4 to 24 hours and use of the digital interface was encouraged to allow residents to track progress.  There was ongoing work to ensure the data was sound and prioritised safety.

·       Benchmarking of satisfaction and complaints. It was noted that this was not currently possible but that consumer regulation was coming into the sector and from 2023/24 KPIs would be collected and published. This would include hard data as well as customer perception. This would be valuable for the organisation too and enable shared learning across the sector.

·       How the gateway model supported community resilience. The committee was advised that it enabled representation and the gateway tenants were supported  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74.

The new Chief Inspector for Watford to make his introductions to the committee and the Community Safety Manager to provide an overview of current community safety objectives.

The committee received a presentation from the Community Safety Manager and Chief Inspector Andy Wiseman.

The Chief Inspector made an introductory presentation to the committee. The key points from his presentation were:

·                 Previous roles in Watford and elsewhere had underlined the importance of partnership working and collaboration.

·                 Hertfordshire was one of the safest counties in the country and the police were well-trained and resourced and well-funded compared to other areas.

·                 Watford’s policing team structure which included response teams, local crime unit, safer neighbourhood teams and community safety team.  Currently based at Shady Lane, the teams would be moving to a new premises at George Street which would serve them well.

·                 There had been overall reductions in crime including criminal damage, theft from motor vehicle and antisocial behaviour. 

·                 Initial areas of focus were street robbery and violence against women and girls.

·                 Key facets of the approach were problem solving, targeted activities and community engagement.

·                 Social media provided an opportunity to publicise the good work that went on. Feedback was also welcomed and the Echo portal gave residents an opportunity to set out areas to focus on.

The Community Safety Manager provided a further update to the committee on statistics and the approach taken by the partnership. Key points made were:

·                 Crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) had seen a 10% reduction on 2019, the most recent comparable year. ASB had seen a huge reduction on 2012 levels from 6200 incidents to 2200 (this data was clarified following the meeting). It was anticipated that this fall would level out.

·                 The data had been scrutinised to ensure it was accurate. Factors identified in the fall are the work of partners, including WCH, in undertaking a prevention first approach and seeking resolutions with residents.

·                 Community triggers were well-used in Watford to ensure responses to issues were timely, proportionate and effective.  Often the outcome was that the actions were effective but could have been more timely with better communication. Victims were given the opportunity to set out all their concerns and there had never been an appeal on the outcome of the triggers.

·                 One key priority remained around ‘reassure and inform’. There was still a need to address perceptions of crime and community days were an important part of this.

·                 The crime data for the previous year was under review and would be used for the forthcoming year’s planning. Violence against women and girls would remain a priority as would violent crime due to the high impact and community wellbeing.

During questions following the presentation, the following points were discussed:

·                 There had been 52 community triggers since they were introduced in 2014 which was higher than other areas. Undertaking 10-12 per year would be proportionate for Watford.

·                 How a narrative was built following a high impact incident. Members were advised that more was shared on social media than in official statements. These statements had to be carefully checked and sometimes took longer.

·                 The role of the council in reassure and inform. A new communications and engagement  ...  view the full minutes text for item 75.

No items have been called-in.

The scrutiny committee noted that there had been no call-in.

The Scrutiny Committee is asked to review the latest edition of the Executive Decision Progress Report and consider whether any further information is required.

The scrutiny committee was invited to review the current Executive Decision Progress Report for 2022/23 and consider whether any further information was required.

RESOLVED –

that the current 2022/23 Executive Decision Progress report be noted.

There have been no meetings of the Health Scrutiny Committee.

The committee noted that there had been no further meetings of the Health Scrutiny Committee.

The scrutiny committee is asked to review the current version of the work programme and consider any additional areas councillors wish to scrutinise.

The committee reviewed the latest version of the work programme. The following changes were noted:

·                 The update on the Report-it system would be taken in the new municipal year alongside the Customer Experience Strategy.

RESOLVED –

that the work programme be noted.

·             Wednesday 15 March 2023, 7pm

The next meeting would take place on Wednesday 15 March 2023. This meeting would start at 7.00pm.