Camden Housing Repairs Service: in-house

work in progress

Previous relevant blog posts:
Systems thinking in Local Government HERE
Housing Management Performance HERE


London borough of Camden Council 

Housing Scrutiny Committee
Tuesday 30 June 2020 6.30pm  

Agenda item 9. A Proposal for Increased Direct Provision of Repairs Services 

Report of the Cabinet Member for Better Homes 

"In Camden, we believe in the power of public services to improve people’s lives. Camden 2025 sets out a vision for the future of the borough, where everyone contributes to a safe, fair, creative and active community. Delivering this vision through our Camden Plan includes the development of local public services and insourcing work where this represents value for money to the Council and its residents.

Camden 2025 made a commitment to putting our communities and their needs at the heart of everything we do. Council services are critical to achieving this objective and contribute to our shared vision for a fairer, more inclusive borough.

The Council has a large housing stock which has remained in direct Council management throughout. 

The Council brought the repairs service for the Holborn area in-house in April 2019, and the Council launched the new in-house facilities management service in January 2020. Following a successful pilot, works to empty homes are being brought in house with supply chain support from June 2020.

Looking forward, the Council is seeking to deliver all repairs work directly and continue to build on the strengths of its in-house team to provide a comprehensive and high-quality service to its residents and building users.

Since 2013, major repairs have been delivered through an outsourced borough-wide contract and this report proposes that the work is insourced and brought under the control of the repairs team with support as required from a specialist supply chain. Over time the in house team will increase the proportion of work that is directly delivered, taking into account its capacity and other requirements such as leaseholder recharging and obtaining value for money.

This report is coming to Cabinet to agree this approach and support the management and delivery of major repairs by Council staff with supply chain support. This approach provides the Council with the flexibility it needs as it develops its in-house team and the Council will also to seek to procure the supply chain in the local economy where this is possible. 

The proposed approach also allows the Council to flexibly use in-house and contracted resources on other Council properties including schools and corporate buildings. 

The total value of the work over the five-year period is £165.8m, with supply chain contracts over this time being £62.1m, with twelve contracts proposed to be let (moving from a single contract for this work currently). The value of the supply chain contracts is proposed to decrease year-on-year."

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report of the Cabinet Member for Better Homes, which was introduced by the Director of Property Management. 

Officers and the Cabinet Member then gave the following responses to key questions:-

·         The proposals sought to increase the work provided by the in-house team by approximately £2-3M each year for the next 5 years, eventually giving the in-house team a turnover of £25M per year. The report proposed a staged approach to increasing the capacity of the in-house provision, which could undertake major repairs with support from the supply chain as required. This mixed approach to service provision, would provide the right balance of in-house and external provision going forward.

·         The in-house team were seeking to remove management contractor layer (thus reducing costs), provide tenants with an improved customer experience, improve the co-ordination of repairs works, and create an apprenticeship scheme for people to learn appropriate skills and provide future employees.

·       Officers within the service were focussed on improving overall service performance, and they would provide members with information on the current baseline satisfaction data and performance targets going forward. 

           ACTION BY: Director of Property Management (AH) 

·         

     The proposed in-house service was not seeking to undertake specialist services like asbestos removal or scaffolding, as they had high overheads attached and it would be difficult to achieve an economy of scale.

·         Officers would provide Members with further information regarding the training that would be provided to staff in relation to the way all staff within the service would be engaging with people with disabilities, especially the deaf community. ACTION BY: Director of Property Management (SR) 

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

_____________________________

Cabinet Meeting 7pm 1 July 2020

Agenda item 12 A Proposal for Increased Direct Provision of Repairs Services

Report of the Cabinet Member for Better Homes

Decision:

RESOLVED –

(i)           THAT the approach to increase our in-house delivery of repairs to Council homes, with the value of in-house work being delivered over the five year period being approximately £100m, be approved;

(ii)          THAT, subject to consultation and engagement as detailed in the report, the flexible and progressive increase of in-house services through supply chain contracts be supported, and the strategy for the procurement of twelve contracts, each for a period of five years (with a break clause after three years), be approved, noting that the combined value of the procurement is £62.1m over the contract period; and

(iii)         THAT authority be delegated to the Executive Director Supporting Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Better Homes, to, having considered the outcome of consultation and engagement and having considered any equalities implications, award the 12 supply chain contracts.

------------------------

I haven't yet gone through the attached reports yet. I've only read whats written on the Council web-pages re public meetings of the council. I haven't been following what the council have been getting up to, particularly in the area of housing management; tenancy services provision;  council tenant groups etc etc-  via such thing as the minutes etc that are put up on Camden Councils public website homepage HERE

I don't enjoy having to come back to a place I thought I had left behind, a place I didn't like, an environment I thought was bordering on mafia like in how some groups and their people behave.

Its now nearly the end of July 2020, and for over 2 years now I have been trying to manage a not very nice situation I've found myself in, in my home living environment re the property I live in and my Landlord Camden Council. I being a long term secure tenant.

Despite rumours, I have never been evicted by any landlord. This is one  of the lies spread around the tenant participation scene about me, theres been others lies I know of and probably some I don't know off. Its a cesspit in my view and it wasn't for me, I found it harmful, toxic but for some people the seem to thrive in it, aspire to be somebody within it - of influence, authority, etc etc.

Lambeth Council IICSA

The Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has started up again with a continuation of the London Borough of Lambeth strand of the investigation.

You can follow Twitter updates at InquiryCSA @InquiryCSA or read transcripts of hearings, documents etc on the website HERE   #LambethCouncil #InquiryCSA

Its not easy reading (can be very upsetting at times) so caution is advised.

As well as the sexual abuse Inquiry part, Lambeth Council was also known for the Housing Fraud and Corruption problem it had - HERE

2 July 2020: Masked, Muddled Mauraders

During the Covid 19 lock down the tenant below me had been living somewhere else and only come back to pick up post, mow the lawn that sort of thing. I had hoped that she had stopped with the false reporting of a leak [from my bathroom] going into her kitchen to the landlord Camden councils housing repairs department - and people in housing repairs and the housing estate office, going along with the scam.

As mentioned in other posts I had a heart attack on Monday 16  March 2020 - the week before the lock-down - i was in hospital for 5 days [16-21 march 2020]. When I came back I let the 2 tenants here know where I had been. I let the housing office know via email what had happened. No reply from any of them.

3 weeks ago the tenant below and the housing repairs team started again with the trying to get into my flat about a leak - a note was left downstairs in communal hallway for me. I ignored it.

3 weeks go by and on Tuesday gone [30 June 2020] a note with the name Jim Williams is left outside my flat door - urgent it says blah blah blah - again its about the fake leak. I ignored it.

Thursday 2 July 2020 around 9.15am or so - someone knocks on my flat door - long story short its 6 blokes from Camden Councils housing department - repairs and estate officer and they are wanting to get into my flat - let me see the leak then and I will let a plumber in to fix the problem, sort of thing.

Tenant in flat below is in but she won't let me in - to see this leak and the council people are giving me a load of bs about the water gushing down and all the bs i've heard before. I wouldn't let them in but went out to them and I told them a few things - if they want access they can break the door down or send me a court summons.

It just so happens to be rubbish collection day as you can see from the photo below of the 6 strong mob from the councils housing department.

They didn't know what to do - so they, or the housing officer phoned 999 - the emergency services - fire and the police. More photo's to follow.

First a fire engine turns up and a few firemen come over and I set them straight on a few things and they go off and hang about outside.

As this didn't work in getting me or the firemen to get them into my flat, the police where phoned - they turned up and I let them know a few things and whats really been going on and how I believe the people in the council and the tenant are lying and its some sort of scam/fraud and harassment of me, sort of thing - that there isnt a leak and it certainly isn't an emergency.

Low and behold, a copper tells me , after checking the tenants flat, that he believes me - blimey I was expecting the worse I really was - to be arrested at least, but to be believed I was relived and over whelmed. The police left and the only people left lurking about outside where the 6 strong mob from the housing department.

Did they say sorry to me, did anyone say sorry to me - no of course not.

Have they been arrested, has anyone involved in it been arrested, of course that would be too much for the police to do. I guess for now I have to make do with the copper believing me and not jumping to the tune of the 'crooks' in Camden Council. I have it on video of the copper saying he believed me and other stuff.

I am thankful to these Camden based Met coppers for being fair and reasonable.

People from Camden Council housing department wasted the time of our emergency services by phoning them up and misleading them - all to try and get into my flat over a fake leak the tenant in the flat below me keeps reporting.

Tenant didn't look very happy when she was called back to the flat a few times. I guess the scam wasn't going to plan and maybe she thought she would get into big trouble - but of course she didn't and probably won't get into any trouble not with people in the council going along with her/it.

I was very distressed and upset by what happened and I had to try my hardest to keep calm, not freak out or anything - i held my own I think, rather better than they maybe though I would be able to.  They couldn't in my view care less if I had another heart attack and died - brought on by their behaviour towards me.


Monday 6 July 2020
I've  not long finished filling it and submitted a report to the Met Police via their website. I was surprised to quickly receive a phone call arranging a time later on for police to come see me. Part of the complaint is about Camden Council.


Tuesday 7 July 2020
Police woman phoned me instead. I informed her about some of what has been going on.

She/they won't be doing anything other than me having been sent a CAD  number and I was informed that  every time something happens I have to keep reporting it to them.

I would have to report it around 10 tens before they did anything,  they don't even issue harassment warnings anymore apparently. I guess they won't be being 'dealt with by the courts' like I was a number of years ago for a lot less [imo] - well not via the police anyway.

But that being said I am thankful for the fair Copper for saying he believed me re there not being a leak - I recorded it so hopefully it will be of help to me.

Sat 11 July 2020
Transcript of some of what police officer said to me HERE

Wed 15 July 2020
Camden Council  Anti Fraud and Corruption Strategy HERE
last updated Aug 2019

Sun 19 July 2020
The first part of video recording of Thursday 2 July 2020 when 6 men from Camden councils housing department tried to get into my flat - illegally in my view.

I went out of my flat, locked my door and went downstairs to the communal hallway and was having a chat them them. I admit I got a bit annoyed at first as I was so fed up with their  and the  tenants behaviour and no one taking any notice of what I was saying.
https://youtu.be/noU9ANr1aVE


Wed 22 July 2020

This is when the police where leaving the property [2 July 2020] after we had a chat and it was established that there was no leak and for some reason the tenant below left the property when the police left. The 6 council blokes hung around outside for a bit after the fire and police people had gone.

Not so much as a sorry to me from any of them for having been caught out in a 'mis-understanding' by the police, after causing me repeated distress, upset, etc etc even when I had a heart attack.




Monday 27 July 2020
On Camden Councils website HERE, 'Complaints - How do  I report a fraud?'
There are 2 documents:
. Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy July 2020  HERE
  .  Anti-Bribery Policy July 2020   HERE

Thursday 17 Sept 2020

https://www.camden.gov.uk/documents/20142/2782436/Your+tenancy+conditions.pdf/e3d8454f-46ed-8412-d2d1-e004854a5178

Wednes 22 Sept 2021

Looking through the councils website to do with another matter I came across a report HERE  given to the councils Housing Scrutiny Committee of Thursday 7 Nov 2019, agenda item 10 The New Landlord Service . Apparently they piloted the service in Kentish Town earlier in the year. 

" Mary McGowan, Director of Housing Management, took the meeting through the report highlighting that the paper provided an update to the implementation of the new Landlord Service." 

As usual there is already lots of praise for how well they claim the new service is doing across the borough. "The new Landlord Service was now in place boroughwide, and already the way the new service was operating had been positively received. The service was seeking to continuously improve and share knowledge amongst the team, as well as assessing the way it was performing." 

2.9 Key principles that underline the new landlord service include:

 One single trusted point of contact for residents 

 Reduced “hand offs”. Staff pull in support rather than referring on. 

 An understanding of the wider context of people’s lives as well as the immediate issue that the resident presents with 

 An approach that tackles root causes as well as surface issues to help prevent further issues developing and to help residents to grow in resilience 

 A service that’s tailored around a resident’s individual needs 

 Responding early with an emphasis on prevention 

 A shift away from an enforcement-based service towards a more restorative approach whilst responding quickly when this is necessary to prevent harm or nuisance 

 The rights skills, knowledge and experience in teams to meet residents needs 

 A focus on the value work; which is work that helps us achieve our purpose 

 Staff are encouraged to question the way we do things and suggest alternatives to better meet resident’s needs. Reflective practice is encouraged and supported. 

 All staff have a role in identifying and flagging up the things that stop them providing a good service and in contributing to addressing these.

Need I read on for anymore 'fiction' writing. None of the above point seemed to have applied when it came to me in regards to how I have been treated by people in housing repairs and the housing estate office. 

No consideration towards me who they knew has a long term mental health condition as well as long term and additional physical conditions. They weren't interested in my wel-being, in what I had to say

, in how their and the 2 tenants behaviour was impacting on me. 

They may well think that my case is a one-off, but i reckon it isn't and even if it was, why was I treated me like I had no value at all - thats how it felt and if it wasn't for the decent copper helping me out so to speak, the best he could given who he was dealing with [camden council] I don't know what would have happened. I don't know how I would have gone on. 

It still upsets me at times, like now writing more stuff about it. Just because they say something is so, or something is this that and other doesn't make it so.