The Committee were informed of the proposed Estate Management Policy as set out in Appendix Two of the report.

The Service Delivery Manager (Housing Repairs) highlighted key points from the point regarding the creation of the Estate Management Policy, the ‘Rate My Estate’ guide, its objectives and the teams plans for the future.

The Service Delivery Manager (Housing Repairs) advised that she was working with the Communication and Digital Teams to get the ‘Make My Estate Great’ survey out by early March 2021. The aim of the survey was to encourage residents to get involved in their estates by telling the Council how they felt about the estate, where areas could be improved and where money was best spent in the estate in the future. The responses from the surveys would be essential in the long-term development of the Estate Management Policy as the Policy would be constantly evolving to suit the needs of the residents.

Cllr Milner praised the Caretaking Service as they undertook an excellent job; Cllr Milner was also glad to see the specifics of their job role included as well as them being named the more neighbourhood friendly ‘Caretakers’ instead of ‘Site Managers’. 

The Service Delivery Manager (Housing Repairs) and the Assistant Director (Housing) fielded questions from the Committee and explained that:

• Infestations and vermin (pigeons, foxes, insects and squirrels etc) were areas that the team would be reviewing as part of the long-term development of the Policy as they could all cause damage to residents’ houses. The Policy would include solutions, deterrents and removal options for any infestations or vermin
• The Service Delivery Manager (Housing Repairs) agreed to raise the issue of tree stumps on Jellicoe Avenue with the Assistant Director (Operations)as it fell under his remit. A response would be brought back to the Committee
• The officers would carry out a ‘blitz’ inspection on the estates to see what works needed to be completed and what could be completed in the short term such as littering picking, grass cutting and hedge trimming. A long-term priority of the team was to reduce the amount of litter on the estates
• The Assistant Director (Housing) added that he was aware of the issues on Jellicoe Avenue and some of the issues fell under the responsibility of KCC; the Estate inspections would allow information to be passed to the relevant department or external organizations such as KCC
• To address the litter, issue the Estates Management Team would work alongside the DSO Team; the Policy was more efficient and allocated more resources to the estates; enforcement action would also be used if particular tenants were persistently breaking the rules
• A review was carried out on the provisions that the estates had for disposing of litter and some did not have any litter bins while others had bins that were a long walk away from the buildings; the review was ongoing, and the intended outcome of the review was to make it easier for residents to dispose of their rubbish safely and easily
• With regards to a Members comment about unruly gardens and waste left in the open, the introduction of the new Housing Management System would enable a much more proactive approach to estate management with all information about tenants being stored in one location making it easier officers to make informed and intelligence led decision and actions regarding estates.

Members agreed to support the implementation of the Housing Estate Management Policy.