Agenda item

The Homes Sub-Committee is asked to receive a presentation providing an update on Culture Change in the Housing department.

The Sub-Committee considered a report set out on pages 33 to 42 of the agenda, which provided an update on Culture Change in Housing Directorate.

The report was introduced by Lara Ashley, Housing Transformation Lead, who summarised the progress made and detailed the key priorities and future plans. She noted that the initial conditions for cultural transformation were quite challenging, which significantly influenced the timeline for implementing the culture change. She estimated that satisfactory results could be expected within three to five years across the directorate. Following the presentation, Councillor Hale underscored the importance of including all staff members in the transformation journey. She also encouraged the Sub-Committee to contribute ideas and suggestions to help ensure that the housing services are delivered in a respectful and empathetic manner.

·       Cllr Lynne Hale – Cabinet Member for Homes

·       Susmita Sen – Corporate Director of Housing

·       Orlagh Guarnori – Finance Manager

·       Beatrice Cingtho-Taylor - Director of Housing, Homelessness Prevention & Accommodation

·       Sue Hanlon – Director of Assets

·       Lara Ashley – Housing Transformation Lead

·       Simon James – Change Manager

The Chair then opened the floor for the Sub-Committee to ask questions. The initial inquiry was about how the Council ensured that the culture change work was extended to the Council’s contractors. The officers explained that while the primary focus was on their staff, the Council played a crucial role in selecting contractors who aligned with the desired values and approach towards working with residents. They highlighted that residents were significantly involved in the procurement process. Furthermore, the officers emphasised the importance of monitoring KPIs to ensure that contractors delivered services in the agreed manner and with due respect. They also noted the seriousness with which complaints against contractors were handled and mentioned the possibility of offering customer service training to contractors, provided it was financially feasible. Following this, the Sub-Committee asked whether it would be possible to include a specific section on culture in the procurement process. The officers confirmed that monitoring elements such as the politeness and courtesy of contractors and the speed with which they resolved issues were already incorporated into the process, although these aspects were not explicitly labelled as 'culture'.

The Sub-Committee's next question referred to the recording and monitoring of calls in the contact centre. The officers confirmed that calls were indeed recorded and monitored within the repairs contact centre. They further emphasised that action was taken when behaviour deviated from the set standard. Officers noted the importance of clearly defining behaviours and standards, and then monitoring adherence to these. They highlighted that implementing monitoring and disciplinary frameworks required time and needed to be introduced gradually. Further queries were raised regarding whether calls between contractors and residents were recorded, and if the Council had access to these recordings. The officers explained that they currently did not have the facilities to record interactions between the Council’s contractors and residents but mentioned that exploring this possibility could be considered. Despite not having access to recordings, the officers reassured the Sub-Committee that they actively investigated the reasons behind cancelled jobs. They also confirmed that behavioural standards were established and communicated to contractors, with the Council conducting mystery shopping exercises to monitor compliance. The Sub-Committee also inquired whether the contractors themselves recorded their calls. The officers responded that phone contact between contractors and residents was generally limited, as bookings were usually managed through the Council, indicating minimal direct phone interactions that would require recording.

Subsequently, the Sub-Committee inquired about the morale and workflow of the staff within the Housing Directorate. The officers explained that the Directorate comprised various groups of staff, each requiring different approaches due to their distinct needs. It was noted that some staff members were less willing to engage in the transformation journey, necessitating additional time and effort. The officers also stressed the importance of continually seeking feedback during staff engagements and making ongoing improvements based on this feedback. The Sub-Committee then asked what measures were being taken to boost staff morale. The officers responded that keeping staff well-informed about the transformation journey, including its actions and milestones, was crucial. Additionally, a new staff award scheme had been introduced across the entire Council to recognise outstanding contributions. They mentioned that once the competency model was fully established, it would be integrated with the directorate’s recognition system. Furthermore, as part of the customer care training programme, a specific recognition system for exemplary customer service was to be implemented. The officers also highlighted that Council-wide benefits were available to all staff members.

The Sub-Committee then inquired about how the cultural transformation within the Housing Directorate was integrated into the broader People & Culture Transformation Strategy. The officers explained that they had representation on the Workforce Board, which serves as the central body where all cultural strategies within the organisation converge. This integration provided an excellent opportunity to collaborate with other departments, particularly in areas critical to Housing such as leadership development. The officers also noted that the Housing Directorate had volunteered to be an early adopter of the new leadership programme currently being procured.

Following this, the Sub-Committee raised concerns about complaints related to the size of the patches allocated to housing officers and queried how the ongoing cultural transformation would address this issue. The officers admitted that they could not provide extensive details at this stage, but assured the Sub-Committee that the allocation of patches and workflow considerations were integral to the ongoing restructuring of the directorate.

Subsequently, the Sub-Committee sought clarification about how the work on cultural change was prioritised alongside statutory obligations. The officers responded that their approach was tailored to meet specific needs. The cultural change team worked closely with different services within the directorate to identify areas facing the most significant challenges, thereby facilitating impactful change. They also highlighted that the current stage of the restructuring process was a crucial factor in identifying the cultural change activities and priority level.

The Sub-Committee inquired about the performance management of staff under the cultural change programme, particularly querying the officers' confidence in implementing the appropriate performance measurement tools before the deadline stipulated by the Exit Strategy. The officers explained that they were required to provide monthly assurances to the regulator, demonstrating that they were on track with their objectives. They also confirmed that both the regulator and the directorate had confidence in the ongoing work. Additionally, from a staffing perspective, the officers highlighted the critical role of appraisals in the performance monitoring process. Further probing by the Sub-Committee focused on how progress was being monitored in relation to the cultural change. The officers responded that their monitoring included reporting on tenant satisfaction measures and assessing the outputs from the appraisal process. This approach ensured that they had a comprehensive view of the progress being made under the cultural change initiative.

Finally, the Sub-Committee inquired about measures to enhance staff's understanding of autism. The officers explained that improving awareness of autism was integral to their commitment to uphold high customer service standards and to recognise the diverse characteristics of residents. They noted that this initiative was part of an ongoing effort to gather data to better understand the characteristics of the Council’s tenants. This data would enable officers to tailor their responses appropriately to meet the needs of all residents effectively.

Actions

Following the discussion of this item, the Sub-Committee agreed the following actions to follow-up after the meeting:

-          The Sub-Committee agreed that they would like to scrutinise patch allocation for housing officers alongside the review of the new Housing Allocation Policy.

-          The Sub-Committee agreed that a visit to the contact centre would be organised along with mystery shopping.

-          The Sub-Committee requested additional information on how the housing department’s staff performance management is assessed effectively, incl. how one-to-one meetings between members of staff and their managers are monitored and what is done to ensure they are taking place considering historic issues of many staff not having regular supervision meetings.

-          The Homes Sub-Committee asked for confirmation that contractors and sub-contractors are recording their calls with residents, and if so, whether the Council has the right to access them when a complaint is made and to proactively monitor customer standards are being met. This is to address the numerous instances where tenants relay information to the council which is contradicted by the contractor/sub-contractor.

Conclusions

Following its discussion of this item, the Sub-Committee reached the following conclusions on the information provided:

-          The Sub-Committee commended the work of the Housing team in putting together a comprehensive culture change programme to improve the culture within the workforce, recognising that a significant amount of the work that had already been undertaken in short timescales. Members asked leading officers to pass on their thanks to all members of staff involved.

-          The Sub-Committee recognised that a key challenge to the pace of delivery was down to capacity issues within the service, alongside ongoing recruitment challenges.

-          The Sub-Committee commended the use of effective graphics to supplement the information provided in the report, making the information on culture change more easily accessible for all.

Recommendations

Following its discussion of this item the Sub-Committee agreed to submit the following recommendations for the consideration of the Executive Mayor:

-          Although the Homes Sub-Committee recognised there had been significant work undertaken to improve the culture of the work force within the Housing Service, there was concern about whether this extended to staff employed by contractors and subcontractors and would recommend that monitoring whether housing contractors/sub-contractors’ culture meet the Council’s expected standards, be included in the scope of the Housing Culture Change Transformation Programme.

-          The Homes Sub-Committee recommends that the Council encourage their contractors to take part in the Chartered Institute of Housing campaign ‘It’s not okay’ which aims to tackle stigma in social housing.

-          The Homes Sub-Committee recommends that the possibility of including a section on culture in the procurement process, be explored.

-          The Homes Sub-Committee recommends that non-financial staff rewards/benefits are explored to improve staff morale and attract people to the workforce.