Customer Forum Blog

In February Customer Forum has looked at :

TPAS Governance Standards ( continued) - Jess Hyland

Repairs Update - Jason Cannon & Abi Hanger

Recharge Policy - Laura Brentnall

Technology Roadmap - Jon Drummond (Shaw Consultancy)

Session was packed with information and we haven't managed to discuss everything fully and gain feedback. Therefore we will have longer session in March and continue with some of the topics.

In the meantime watch Repair Stabilisation Project updates here: Repairs Stabilisation Project | YourVoice

• August meeting agenda covered:

Repairs Policy Review - Jason Cannon

Director of Repairs

Rationale for Changes

• Policy due for review and update
• Aligns with our new way of working
• Ensures clarity around our repairs responsibilities for our customers
• Reflects current operating environment
• Allows LHP to engage with its customers and influence the way we deliver a key customer centric service

Repairs - General Updates

• Emerging day planning launch - will drive improved productivity
• Van stock reviewed to improve first time fix rate
• Awaab's Law - working towards go live date of legislation
• Repairs work in progress (WIP) tracking in right direction, developing recovery plan
• Review our ways of working and terms and conditions of operatives
• Materials supplier procurement progressing

Suggested Policy Changes

• Repair priorities - move to 3 defined priority categories
• Updating our performance metrics
• Awaab's Law - Damp & Mould
• Dealing with no access
• Conduct of our workforce and sub-contractors
• Repairing responsibilities - fencing etc. and how presented to customers
• Current legislation and Regulatory Guidance

Questions were then taken regarding views on suggested changes and whether we needed to include/update anything else within the policy

The policy will now be reviewed and sent for approval via LHP Leadership Meeting and LHP Operations Committee/Board.

The updated policy following comments will be circulated to customer forum members for review/reference.

Board Effectiveness Review: Customer Feedback - Jess Hyland

Corporate Head of Governance & Regulation

Jess's presentation covered 2024 Customer Feedback.

General feedback

•Not enough LHP customers get involved - most customer involvement ends at our front door

•The Your Voice platform is not being used by enough customers and that when LHP consults with customers, we don’t give enough feedback on what it’s been heard and what we’ve done with it - one example of this was decent homes. We did not feel we had been given feedback on this

•A perception that the Board are privileged, and the Executive are the same - they don’t know what it’s like to live in social housing or what it’s like to live in Lincolnshire. A perception that these people commute in and are only interested in earning money

Question: What do you expect from an effective Board and what does good look like to you?

•A good Board will listen to customer panel and there could be more interaction between board members and scrutiny panel

•Quite often lots of promises are made, but then actions and timescales for doing things were not clear and a lack of feedback

•Would like the Board and the Executives to go and meet tenants in their own homes, to go and visit voids and see how condition of properties that were being let, and maybe meet customers who have had complaints open for a time

Question: What evidence have you seen that makes you think our Board is effective or not?

•The current chair is much more approachable, very down to earth and interactive than the previous chair who had been quite daunting to talk to

•Observations at Board meetings – it is difficult to understand what is being discussed and we do not know whether the questions or recommendations from CSP lead to change. We currently rotate who attends so there is a lack of continuity as to who gets to receive the papers and hear the discussion.

•Culture concerns –we feel employees are not empowered to do the right thing for customers and numerous processes and policies got in the way of colleagues being able to do the right thing. Employees quite often have an attitude that showed us that they couldn’t care less. They weren’t interested in talking or hearing from customers and that they referred to supervisors quite often to stop doing something and go back to the office

Question: What improvements could we make to ensure effective customer scrutiny?

•We are keen to be more than observers at Board meeting - however require more support to become able to contribute

•The current process of sending a Board pack to the individual customer scrutiny panel member who is attending isn’t working very well - quite often we don’t see the pack when it is sent and then struggle to read and understand in time to attend and contribute.

- Agreed: to give all panel members access to all the Board papers and Governance to attend a panel meeting with a draft agenda to talk through the items and agree which might be ones that they would like to contribute on. Once the papers come out the Panel can ask ELT/CLT questions in advance of the meeting if they to aid understanding

- Agreed: the Chair of the Board be advised which items the Panel would like to say something on in advance of the meeting, to ensure time is allowed at the Board meeting and the Chair can bring them into the discussion

•It would be advantageous for the Panel to have more time to talk to the Chair of Board to ask questions - without any set agenda. We really enjoyed listening to his openness at the colleague conference.

•It would be helpful for us to have a Board Member as our champion to came more regularly to panel meetings and be a go-between and help prepare for board meetings as a mentor or a link between the Board and the Panel

•The Panel mentioned the conversations had with Tpas and that we know of other housing associations where there are customers on the Board they felt this would be something that would be beneficial

•It is important to have a more diverse range of customers involved in governance. In particular, it is important to have some customers to be able to help LHP understand the barriers that disabled customers face. There had been a previous disability forum, but this had been a moaning platform and so was disbanded because it wasn’t very helpful.

Changes made since the last review

Wider Customer Influence:

•Launch of Everyday Better Change Programme with four priorities – Repairs, Data, Customer Influence & Culture

•Board Member trainee programme live with a focus on those with direct lived experience of social housing and / or our communities

•Agreement to include a Customer Committee into the governance committee structure which will include Committee Member vacancies for LHP customers

•Successful positive action to recruit Board Members with disabilities to increase representation of our customers and communities

•Increased opportunities for Board to involve & listen to customers

Improvements to ensure effective Customer Scrutiny:

•Increased support for CSP member attending Board providing a focus on items of interest and time with the Company Secretary to discuss questions and aid understanding

•Board packs shared with all of CSP ahead of meeting for consistency and enhance questions

•Chair advised which items CSP would like to say something on in advance of the meeting to ensure discussion time

•Q&As with Chair, CEO and others at meetings

Board Members observing customer meetings

Still to come...

Wider Customer Influence:

•Launch of Customer Committee (due September with first meeting in November 2025)

•Recruitment of Customer Committee Members and co-design of a development programme to support customers to be effective in their role

•Continuing to take positive action in recruitment of Board Members to ensure representative of the customers and communities we serve

•Launch of updated Board reporting to enhance customer impact, insight and influence in decision making (due September)

Improvements to ensure effective Customer Scrutiny:

•Review appointment of Board Champion to engage with CSP and Customer Forum

Jess then asked what impact has been seen so far from these changes and Panel collectively stated they hadn't as of yet.

Panel also voiced how Facebook is an excellent communication platform and should be utilised more, as it is used by a wide audience covering all different age groups. Panel stated LHP need to post more often about different subjects and consider looking at creating Facebook groups to create more interaction.

Damp and Mould Policy Review - Matthew Fell

Compliance Manager

Matthew explained how the policy needed to be updated to reflect the operating changes, including reference to new legislation - Awaab's Law.

Rationale for Changes

•Policy due for review and update (2025)

•Aligns with our new ways of working with the upcoming introduction of Awaabs Law

•Ensures clarity around our responsibilities in relation to damp and mould for our customers

•Reflects current operating environment

•Allows LHP to engage with its customers and influence the way we deliver a key customer centric service

Damp and Mould General Updates

• Increased resource to planning team - this will drive improved productivity and efficiency
• Van stock reviewed to improve productive time for our operatives
• Awaab's Law - working towards go live date of legislation (27/10/25)
• Damp and Mould case work in progress and tracking in right direction, recovery and resource plan completed and under review
• Review of our ways of working and terms and conditions of operatives
• Materials supplier procurement progressing

Suggested Policy Changes

• Awaab's Law - Damp & Mould
• Updating our performance metrics - to include emergeny D&M related works
• Policy length reduced, keeping information concise and east to follow
• Dealing with no access
• Conduct of our workforce and sub-contractors
• Repair responsibilities - Damp & Mould and how information presented to customers under guidelines of Awaab's Law

Matthew then took comments and questions from Panel on their views of the suggested changes.

• Important News Q&A – Shaun & Nicola

Email has been sent on 20th of June that Our Chief Executive, Ceri Theobald, has decided to step down from his role to take on new opportunities. We thank Ceri for everything he has done and wish him all the best for the future.

To help keep things steady, Shaun Harley, who is currently our Executive Director of People and Change, will now be our Interim Chief Executive for the next 12 months. Nicola Ebdon, our Executive Director of Governance and Regulation, will also take on a new role as Interim Deputy Chief Executive during this time.

These changes will help us stay focused on making things better – especially the services that matter most to you, like repairs, and involving you more in shaping what we do.

We want to reassure you that these changes won’t affect our promises to you. We’re still fully focused on delivering the services you need and continuing to improve.

Nicola and Shaun have attended Customer Forum meeting to say hi and answer any questions you may have.

• ESG Update - Libby

Please see presentation under Documents tab.

• PPE Policy - Daniel

Discussion around PPE policy. Gaining customer feedback and feelings on operatives wearing face mask and hooded mask on all the time during spraying, any considerations and tenants smoking during operative visits.

Panel suggested to include explanations why operatives will be wearing mask in the appointment letter/email/text few days before the visit so that customers can prepare, especially those with autism, learning difficulties or hard of hearing

Daniel explained that customers will also be asked to stay in one room for their own safety. Some may prefer actually be outside.

Operatives will also be wearing boots with overshoes on. We will put lining down to walk across.

Operatives will strictly follow these safety rules.

Customers can smoke in their own properties, however we ask you kindly not to when an LHP employee is visiting or working.

It is against the law to smoke in any communal areas. LHP wishes to ensure staff members and other users of LHP facilities are protected from the adverse effects of tobacco smoke.

Daniel will share draft of PPE Policy in coming weeks, which will be added under Documents tab.

Please feel free to comment any suggestions underneath.

• EDI Programme - Ugo

• Meet New Customer Inclusion Business Partner - Sarah

Sarah is local to Immingham & Grimsby. Her working background always focussed on customers. She started off at Morison's bakery. She then worked as Police Special Constable and also worked in many civilian roles within the organisation. Then moved to mental health at Navigo for 7 years. For the last 11 months she has listened and supported LHP customers as a Call Centre Advisor.

She’ll be working with Elwira and colleagues across the organisation to help to promote and support delivery of our Customer Inclusion and Insight framework, and ensure inclusive practices are embedded in everything we do, from the way we work internally to how we engage with our customers.

June meeting agenda covered:

• Domestic Abuse Policy - Sue Sendall

• Diversity & Inclusion BP introduction - Ugo Akani

• Virtual Customer Feedback - Abigail Iyaho

• TSM Update - John Makinson-Sanders

• Summer Magazine - Sam Douthwaite

Customer Forum Panel has looked at 'No Access Policy' and discussed the process of gaining access to customer's property to carry out necessary compliance checks. Policy has been updated with:

• Change of wording: All mentions of ‘Housing Team’, changed to ‘Neighbourhoods Team’.
• Additional item added to Scope: Awaabs Law 2025.
• Additional mention of Awaabs Law 2025: Section 14-Damp and Mould; Additional mention of Awaabs Law / HHSRS has been added to this section.

Link shared: Housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS): guidance for landlords and property-related professionals - GOV.UK

During the meeting Customer Forum members have also looked at March LHP Pulse performance report.

( which you can read here: Understanding how your landlord is performing | YourVoice )

Nicola Ebdon - Executive Director of Governance & Regulation has joined Customer Forum to give Customer Influence corporate priority update ( presentation under documents tab) and Employee Code of Conduct.

AGENDA:

Sustainability Update - Libby Kerman has joined with latest news Biodiversity Projects | YourVoice

Wendy Walker - Corporate Head of Income & Enforcement has joined Customer Forum to go through Financial Inclusion Policy. You can see more information on consultation here (Consultation on Financial Inclusion Policy | YourVoice )

Repairs Update from Nnamdi and Jo on recent changes. You can read previous updates here:

Improving our Responsive Repairs Service | YourVoice

Consultation on Repairs & Maintenance Policy | YourVoice

February Summary:

•Meet Executive Director of Governance & Regulation - Nicola Ebdon

• Mutual Exchange, Assignment and Subletting Policy

Customer Forum has reviewed Mutual Exchange, Assignment and Subletting Policy at the meeting on 5th February and then were given time to send any additional comments in by 10th February.

Danielle Toyne - Neighbourhoods and Allocations Manager has explained the process at the meeting and clarifications made to the policy such as Key Steps, examples for reasons for refusals, 42 day decision deadline meaning and appendix with legal grounds for refusals. She has also answered questions about Renters Reform bill affecting the process as well as LHP’s tenant alteration process, recharges and conditional consent resulted from this.

Panel has discussed the risk of people exchanging properties without seeing property in person or inspecting it properly. Danielle has reinforced the point of tenant responsibility to mitigate this risk as well as Officers doing all they can to support and provide reasonable adjustments.

Panel has asked for this point to be highlighted more in the policy, so that tenants are aware that they are responsible for adaptions & alterations they would like to add ‘ Please see Conditions of the Home section below for more info on alterations’ under Section 5 ‘What is conditional consent?’ - alterations carried out to the property with consent.

Panel has commented that they would also like to see explanation of RTB and RTA and how discount is affects by Mutual Exchange.

•Safeguarding Policy

Andy Tyler - Empty Homes Manager, has given overview of the policy and internal processes of reporting concerns and working with external organisations to give context and help Panel understand what it means in practice. Panel has asked what are we doing about cases where we have difficulty gaining access to the property. Andy explained that any staff member can report concern and staff & contractors had training on how to recognise and report concerns. Reports from neighbours will also be investigated. Andy has also discussed examples of consent and capacity in Adult cases and ability to raise concerns without consent in Children cases. Panel was impressed with the way policy was written. It was easy to read and it covered all the information that they would want to know. The only thing they have requested was to put full name of EIA (Equality Impact Assessment ) before using abbreviation in the guidelines and include section for carers, especially young carers. Additional comment Panel made was to replace the use of word 'disabled' with 'person with disability'. Panel also suggested doing campaign about safeguarding, reporting concerns and sign posting.

•Equality, Diversity & Inclusion statistics

EDI Working Group | YourVoice

• ARK consultation - Customer Survey

Customer Workshops | YourVoice

Panel members have reviewed Repairs & Maintenance Policy with Glen Finch - Head of Repairs Transformation

You can see consultation here: Consultation on Repairs & Maintenance Policy | YourVoice

Agenda covered:

• Annual Rent Review Letters

We currently have around 16 different letter templates that we have to use, based on tenancy agreements, location and other criteria, and so we have provided the two letter templates that cover the most customers (around 80% of our customers). There is one example for our customers in the ‘North’ (who are on variable service charge agreements), and one example for our ‘South’ customers (who are on a fixed service charge agreement).

The letter templates cannot realistically be altered too much as we have strict governance/statutory criteria that we need to follow in order for the letters to be deemed valid. However, we appreciate any feedback on the layout and content, and where possible, we will take this on board.

• Relocation, Resettlement and Home Loss Policy

Customer Forum agreed that the policy is clear, fair and reasonable and takes into consideration people’s needs. Panel discussed different scenarios of reasons for moving.

Customers especially agree with the point 41 of the policy to allow temporary decant to change into permanent move into alternative property to avoid further nuisance to customers.

They would like to see example of how long they would need to be temporarily decanted to be allowed the choice to stay there permanently or move back.

Customers also suggested to explain in the policy (paragraph 61) that in scenario that they have gone through housing register and gained accommodation with different housing provider, they will not be moving back to original property at later date.

Customers also suggested putting in some information about any support for people whose possessions, especially electric, got damaged while they had no insurance.

Another suggestion was to include any support to pet owners while they decant to different property.

Further consultation opportunity here: Consultation on Relocation, Resettlement and Home Loss Policy | YourVoice

• NAPs progress

(ESG Update has been postponed to later meeting)