Content

To engage Local
Government East (on a draw down basis) to provide additional
support, challenge and specialist project management to the Housing
Service to:-
 

(1)    
lead delivery of the Housing Improvement Plan;

(2)    
co-ordinate preparing for inspection activities;

(3)    
maintain the Consumer Standards evidence and risk register; and

(4)    
support inspection readiness (and, if required, inspection and
post-inspection activity).

Reasons for the decision

The Regulator of
Social Housing can undertake an inspection during the current
programme window. The Council has undertaken a ‘Mock
Inspection’ and has evidenced improvement priorities.
 
Additional
specialist project management capacity is required to embed
learning, drive delivery of the Improvement Plan and ensure
inspection readiness. Formalising this decision provides a clear
governance and audit trail and enables timely mobilisation.

Alternative options considered

Option 1 –
‘Do Nothing’ and develop robust Housing Improvement
Plan in-house
 
A significant
amount of work has been undertaken by all the teams within the
Housing Service over the last two years. A data collection exercise
has been undertaken recently to identify gaps and highlight areas
for improvement.
 
While that exercise
has provided valuable insight, there is now a clear need to create
capacity to analyse the findings, embed learning, and produce and
manage a robust Housing Improvement Plan, ensuring the Council is
fully prepared for a future Regulator of Social Housing
inspection.
 
To achieve this, it
is proposed to retain the services of Local Government East, whose
support would focus on project management, inspection readiness and
the effective use of data already collected through the data
collection exercise. This is best achieved by using an external
source to give an independent view of our position to date.
Therefore, Option 1 was rejected.
 
Option 2 – Go
to the ‘market’ via a procurement exercise to seek this
support
 
Given the
uncertainty of the inspection timescale and time associated with
undertaking a procurement exercise and the specialist nature of the
support and challenge needed, Option 2 was rejected.