Performance Panel - previous Meeting Minutes
Performance Panel Meeting - 9 June 2026 Minutes
Present:
- Julie Hood, Housing Equalities and Engagement Facilitator
- Fiona Brown, Head of Strategy and Performance (Interim)
- D. McLaren, Tenant
- E. Middleton, Tenant
Apologies:
- None
Julie opened the meeting and welcomed everybody. Introductions were made.
- Minutes and matters arising
- Complaints and Void Action Plan
- Rent loss through voids
- Engagement Strategy and Impact Assessments
- Any Other Business
- Action Plan
- Next Meeting
Minutes and matters arising
The minutes were agreed as a true record of the meeting.
The following were matters arising:
- Rent loss through empty properties for August 2025 to March 2026 to be sent with the papers for the next meeting.
- Sent with the papers for this meeting
- Fiona Brown, Head of Strategy and Performance (Interim), to be invited to the next meeting to discuss complaints and the voids action plan.
- Fiona invited and attending.
- Engagement Strategy action plan to be sent with the papers for the next meeting.
- Action plan sent with the papers
- Julie to investigate if the number of hits on each page is available.
- All Panel members to think about the performance information tenants would like to be able to access. Also what format should it be in.
Complaints and Void Action Plan
Fiona Brown, Head of Strategy and Performance (Interim)
Complaints
Numbers and response times
| Management measures | 2024 to 2025 | 2025 to 2026 (draft) | National average (source RSH 2024 – 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of stage 1 complaints received per 1,000 homes | 15.9 | 29.1 | 42.5 |
| Number of stage 2 complaints received per 1,000 homes | 4.8 | 4.8 | 5.7 |
| Proportion of stage 1 complaints responded to within the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code timescales | 54.7% | 27.4% | 82.2% |
| Proportion of stage 2 complaints responded to within the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code timescales | 40.0% | 22.9% | 83.3% |
The number of stage 1 complaints has risen but it remains lower than the national average. There are many reasons this could be, e.g. lack of knowledge about how to complain, apathy with the complaints process, under recording, i.e. a complaint is made to an Officer who resolves it so a formal complaint is not made.
The complaints process is:
Stage 1 – the complaint is received and considered. If it is not resolved or is ongoing, it goes to stage 2. The complaint has to be acknowledged within 5 days and responded to within the following 10 days.
This stage has changed this year. To try to meet the timeframes, these complaints are now sent to the Strategy and Performance Team who respond. It was agreed to monitor the responses to stage 1 complaints.
Stage 2. The team within Have Your Say investigate at stage 2
If it is not resolved or the tenant is not satisfied with the response, the complaint can then be sent to the Ombudsman.
Disrepair claims are not part of the complaints process.
Complaints by service area
| Service Area | No. of complaints | % |
|---|---|---|
| Building Services Repairs | 59 | 56% |
| Housing Management | 15 | 14% |
| Housing Options | 5 | 5% |
| Housing Registrations | 5 | 5% |
| Gas | 5 | 5% |
| Capital Programme | 5 | 5% |
| Other / multiple areas | 12 | 11% |
| Total | 106 |
It was noted that although Building Services Repairs has received 59 complaints there have been approx. 2,000 repairs. Capital Projects, with 5 complaints, has completed very few properties. Capital Project work includes new roofs, new bathrooms, new kitchens, rewiring etc.
Building services repairs – main themes
Most complaints relate to delays, communication, and quality of repair with particular concerns around damp, safety, and overall property condition.
- Delays in repairs, e.g. not on time, long wait for repair to be done
- Poor communication, e.g. lack of updates, conflicting information
- Quality of repair, e.g. repeat visits, poor workmanship
- Damp, mould, and property condition
- Missed appointments and access issues
- Accountability and ownership e.g. disputes over responsibility for the repair, i.e. repairs or capital project work
- Safety and urgent issues
- Customer experience during works, e.g. lack of cleanliness, poor service when tenants move to a temporary home
Time was mentioned 30 times (54%) and communication was mentioned 11 times (20%)
Bigger data sets would enable themes and trends to be identified. It was agreed that the panel would monitor for trends and themes.
Voids (empty properties)
Current situation (as at 5 June 2026)
- 138 empty properties
- 18 with works completed and awaiting new tenant
- 18 requiring ‘major work’
- 102 requiring ‘standard’ work
26/27 year to date
66 properties let in an average of 88 days
Our target is 32 days
Benchmark figures from Housemark: Average re-let time (standard re-lets) – Low cost Rental Accommodation – for 24/25 the national median figure was 46 days. When narrowing that down to English Local Authorities with over 5,000 properties excluding London, the median was 63 days.
Average length of time properties are empty
In 2024/25 properties were empty between 5 and 6 weeks
In 2025/26 properties were empty longer than this for 10 out of 12 months
Rent lost through properties being empty:
For the year 2025/26 - £1,165,476.00
The Panel agreed to monitor the length of time properties are empty and the rent lost while they are empty
What’s on the action plan
- Work with Housing and Allocations to reduce the proportion of empty properties returned without notification, particularly where moves into new build or refurbished homes are planned
- Work with Procurement to maximise support from existing approved contractors within current staffing, scope, and financial rules
- Package groups of similar empty properties with full scopes and schedules of rates for external contractor delivery, including direct award where compliant.
- Identify suitable properties linked to downsizing moves early and incorporate them into forward void plans
- Issue guidance for British Gas Stage 1 to Housing Management Officers
- Produce complete training video for end-to-end voids process, to be included within internal training as an annual course.
- Discuss unused Open Housing sub-statuses (e.g. keys received, pest control etc) and whether their use adds value to the process and performance monitoring
- Discuss adding performance monitoring of clearance and cleans to existing reports
- Discuss if there is value in submitting a request for change to add ‘missing’ sub statuses (viewings, refusal reasons, viewings during repair)
- Discuss the value in additional slippage reasons via a request for change
- Remind new Housing Management Officers about the meetings on Tuesday mornings. Discuss in Team meetings.
- Housing Management are struggling to cover sickness and viewings are not always being prioritised. Pre-viewings are not always happening as a matter of course.
- Voids team: there is a lack of flexibility within Building Services for resources. When there are increases in voids, there is not always an increase in resources to match. If there is, it comes too late and voids are already running behind. It is then difficult to catch up. Once void numbers hit 50 or above, there needs to be a review of resources.
The following areas to be monitored by the Panel
Voids monitoring
- Rent lost through empty properties
- Length of time properties are empty
- Number of empty properties
- Number of properties empty with the repairs team and those with Housing Management
- Identify properties that have been empty more than the average time and look for the reason
Complaints monitoring
Stage 1 complaints responded to within timeframes
Trends and themes of complaints with a focus on Building Services.
Action these to be agreed at the next meeting along with the specific issues to be discussed.
Fiona was thanked for coming to the meeting and giving her very informative presentation.
Rent loss through voids
The rent loss for the financial year 2025/26 was sent with the papers for the meeting.
This was discussed in the previous agenda item. The figures were noted.
Engagement Strategy and Impact Assessments
The different action plans sent for this meeting have parts of the actions missing.
Hightown Impact Assessment was identified as being a clear document. They have a separate Complaints Panel, although their Panel monitors complaints in the same way as the Performance Panel anticipate monitoring complaints. It is a useful document to bear in mind when the Impact Assessment is produced.
The web team have provided the figures about how many time each Tenant Engagement page has been viewed. To be sent with the papers for the next meeting.
Actions:
- Action plans to be corrected and sent with the papers for the next meeting
- Web page viewing numbers to be sent with the papers for the next meeting
Any Other Business
Performance information on the website
A list of performance information hosted on the websites of other housing providers has been produced. Fiona will share this to support the panel in suggesting performance information that would be helpful for tenants.
Action Performance information to be sent with the papers for the next meeting
Action Plan
It was agreed to produce an action plan to enable the Panel to include all work
Action Julie to produce a draft action plan and send with the papers for the next meeting,
Next Meeting
Tuesday 8 September 2026, 6.30pm via Microsoft Teams
Agenda Items
- Engagement Strategy and Impact Assessment
- Performance information to be on the website
- Programme of work to monitor voids and complaints