Agenda item

Dan Kennedy, Corporate Director of Central Services and Melissa Blower, Housing Programme Manager, introduced the report on the Select Committee’s ongoing Review of Homelessness and the Customer Journey. Colleagues from the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) were also in attendance to provide information about the services provided by CAB and to answer Members’ questions in relation to this.

Jas Nagra, Citizen’s Advice Service Manager at CAB informed Members that she had been with the service for 12 years. Joanna Smith, Citizen’s Advice Senior Adviser at CAB was also in attendance and mentioned that she had been working as an Adviser for over 20 years and had recently completed a housing advance project funded by Nationwide.

Members heard that Housing Advice currently sat within core services at CAB but a funder was being sought to enable CAB to provide bespoke housing advice.  Ms Smith highlighted the high demand for housing advice and the challenges faced due to limited resources. She praised the Council’s housing officers for their knowledge and ability to manage expectations but also pointed out issues with communication and responsiveness.  An example was cited of one particular client who had submitted a housing application. It was reported that the local authority had closed the application because the client had allegedly not responded to an email within the 24 hours allocated to submit additional evidence. It was claimed that the additional evidence had been provided within the deadline. Concerns were raised regarding a lack of cooperation to resolve issues that arose.

Ms Smith shared her experience of submitting complaints to the housing service through the standard local authority complaint procedures; none of which had been successful. She emphasised the need for better cooperation and responsiveness when things went wrong. It was alleged that, the higher CAB went within the LBH complaints process, the less expert and knowledgeable were the responses. The Committee was informed that, if complaints were unresolved at stages 1 and 2, the next step was to contact the Housing Ombudsman, but this was a lengthy process – processing times could reach up to 12 months.

The Corporate Director of Central Services acknowledged the feedback and mentioned the need for a stronger relationship with partners like the Citizens Advice Bureau. He proposed regular meetings to address issues more effectively and improve communication. He also committed to checking on the complaints mentioned by the representatives of CAB.

In response to questions from Councillors regarding the need for a CAB base in Hayes, officers from CAB confirmed that they were in support of this suggestion and would appreciate any assistance in securing a permanent office base at the One Stop Shop in Hayes. 

Members enquired about the primary barriers faced by the Citizens Advice Bureau and how the Council could revise its policies to remove these obstacles. In response to this, the CAB officers outlined the importance of managing expectations as many members of the public were unaware of the reality of the housing crisis. It was recognised that this would take time.

Councillors highlighted the need for better communication and empathy from housing officers. It was confirmed that some housing officers and Councillors were more responsive than others. CAB officers highlighted concerns with the new homelessness application process suggesting that it was not fit for purpose and noting that, if an application were closed through no fault of the client, it could not be reopened or reinstated. Clients needed to submit a new application which was a lengthy and complex process - this was particularly challenging for those clients who were not digitally capable.  It was noted that the CAB then had to spend time helping these clients to submit a new form when they could be helping someone else.

Members noted that some clients tried to find ways around the housing system which could in the end be detrimental to their case, e.g. those who presented as homeless in order to get a different property or move band. Officers confirmed that CAB aimed to offer clients all the options open to them. It was acknowledged that the situation was sometimes complex, and the immigration status of some clients was particularly complicated.

The Select Committee suggested that it would be helpful if the Citizens Advice Bureau could be provided with the contact details of the chief whips to ensure Councillors responded appropriately to requests for information or assistance.

In response to further questions from Members, the CAB confirmed that better communication from housing services was crucial. Regular meetings with housing officers would also be beneficial.

With regard to the alleged unhelpful responses from some housing officers, further training was recommended, particularly for those at a higher level who were responsible for responding to complaints.

The need for better communication and cooperation between the Council and the Citizens Advice Bureau to improve the customer journey for those experiencing homelessness was emphasised. The Corporate Director of Central Services agreed to follow up on individual complaints identified by the CAB. He recognised the need for stronger relationships with partners and committed to regular meetings with the Citizens Advice Bureau and other partners to address issues more effectively and improve the working relationship. He also confirmed that he met with the housing team on a weekly basis to address any issues. It was noted that good customer care and good customer experience were extremely important.

RESOLVED: That the Residents’ Services Select Committee noted the evidence heard at the witness session and sought clarification as necessary in the context of the review of Homelessness and the Customer Journey in Hillingdon.