The Swindon Way

Swindon Borough Council has been classified as likely to achieve the Decent Homes Standard using its own resources and has been given an A1 rating by the Government Office for the South West.

What the Decent Homes Standard is

The Government has introduced Decent Home Guidance for local authorities and registered social landlords, which has set a target to ensure that all social housing meets set standards of decency by 2010, with an interim target to reduce the number of non-decent housing by a third between 2001 and 2004.

A decent home is one that meets all of the following four criteria:

• It meets the current statutory minimum standard for housing
• It is in a reasonable state of repair
• It has reasonably modern facilities and services
• It provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort

The good news for Swindon is that all its homes meet the current statutory minimum standard for housing and most are in a reasonable state of repair and have modern facilities and services. Around 3,700 properties require investment, with over 3,200 needing measures to improve thermal comfort, such as new central heating. In order to improve the thermal comfort of these homes, Swindon has for the second year running committed over £1.5 million, which will allow it to achieve the installation of over 600 new gas central heating systems during this financial year 2002/03. It is anticipated, with a sustained level of funding in future years, that Swindon will achieve the Decent Homes target by 2007/08 - well within government guidelines.

Swindon’s Stock-Profile

Swindon has a housing stock of around 11,400 homes, exclusive of garages and related assets. The most common forms of home are houses and flats, which represent over 50% and 37% of the total stock, respectively. The majority of the stock was constructed after the Second World War, with around 6,000 homes being built, in common with other local authorities, between 1945 and 1964. Therefore, it is no surprise that approximately 44% of Swindon’s total stock was built using non-traditional methods of construction.

How Swindon Borough Council Knows the Condition of its Housing Stock

Swindon has undertaken a stock condition survey on a 10% sample of the housing stock and related assets to assess their current condition, which has identified long-term maintenance needs. The stock condition database provides information for all the different dwelling types (method of construction and built form, eg: terraced, semi-detached etc), by areas and investment requirement by component (such as kitchen units, heating/hot water systems and roof coverings, etc), for the following:

• Catch-up repairs (backlog repairs)
• Future major repairs (repairs that are due in future years)
• Improvement work

Before we started, we agreed the general methodology of survey design, including energy data, life expectancies of building components, benchmark standards for improvement work, schedule of rates and interpretation of the fitness standard with our consultant surveyors. The internal and external surveys were completed on a representative sample of the housing stock by archetype, property type, area and age of construction.

The actual data from the sample surveys was ‘cloned’ to properties not surveyed but of a similar archetype, property type and age of construction to provide a set of survey findings for the total stock. The results were provided on a Microsoft Access database, which included data about the age of building components and their life expectancy. From this information Swindon has been able to produce a 30-year financial model that indicates the following:

• The cost of backlog repairs by dwelling type and related assets
• The cost of future major repairs in five-year bands, eg: years 6-10, 11-15 etc
• The ongoing cost of responsive repairs, voids and cyclical works
• A contingency cost for subsidence, replacing defective wall ties, control of asbestos and concrete repairs
• The cost and savings on a 15-year improvement programme to bring all properties up to a benchmark standard  

How Swindon Borough Council Identifies its Non-decent Dwellings

Using the Microsoft Access database, together with the existing repairs and maintenance and energy software computer systems and local knowledge about the housing stock, Swindon Borough Council has been able to quantify the level of non-decent homes. However, it was not satisfied with the method for collecting this information and identified the need for an integrated computer system, which would involve a radical and innovative approach.

How Swindon is redesigning its Stock Condition Database

A working group is currently developing the process for the collection of information to update the data held from the stock condition survey.

Research has been undertaken into alternative computer systems within the marketplace to assist with the regular updating of the data, including:

• Demonstrations from specialist housing software companies
• Contacting and visiting other social landlords
• Developing the existing repairs and maintenance computer system
• Developing the existing Microsoft Access database

From the findings, a readily-available or developed software package that would meet all our needs did not appear to exist and a decision was taken to improve the current repairs and maintenance system and Microsoft Access database.

This development is being undertaken in partnership with our existing software suppliers. Improvements to the Microsoft Access database will include:

• A more user-friendly data-input interface
• Reconfiguration and restructure of the database to provide a more accessible and robust system
• Rationalisation of the schedule of rates, which are increased in-line with inflation on an annual basis
• Tracking of completed work
• Tagging of surveyed information, thereby preventing unwanted ‘cloning’
• Re-cycling forward costs (annual re-configuration)
• Smoothing out of backlog repairs
• Reformatting of data into individual year bands (1-36)
• Producing specific reports, by individual property, element or house type etc
• Developing an individual module to report on Decent Homes Standard
• Reports for HIP submissions
• Forming links between repairs system and energy-rating software to allow electronic exporting/importing
• Mapping of elements to DTLR groups and lifecycles to match DHS standard

What Swindon Borough Council is Doing to Keep its Stock Condition Database Up-to-date

The scheme details from completed projects and programmes are entered into the database throughout each financial year.

Full stock condition surveys are to be undertaken as part of an audit validation process to replace data from non-surveyed properties with actual results. Swindon is to expand the number of properties surveyed from 10% to 30% during this financial year, 2002/03, as the start of an on-going programme. This will include properties that become void and those included on our Improvement and Major Repair Allowance Programme. The overall aim is to survey 100% of the housing stock to assist and coincide with the target to achieve the Decent Homes Standard by 2007/08.

How Swindon Borough Council is Eliminating Non-decent Homes

Swindon’s stock condition database is able to identify work required as either catch-up, future failure or improvements. These are prioritised, based on need and in-line with targets to reduce the number of non-decent homes and prevent decent homes becoming non-decent. These are developed into annual housing repair and improvement programmes, which form an integral part of the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan.

It is anticipated that the programme of surveys to replace ‘cloned’ data with actual data and improvements being made to the software database will facilitate better and more long-term planning to ensure the effective and efficient use of resources ie best value. This will complement and assist with the development of Swindon’s Housing Strategy and provide links into other council plans and strategies, eg: the 30-year Vision, and the wider Community Plan.

The introduction of the Major Repairs Allowance has contributed much-needed additional funding, and provided this is continued at current levels, Swindon is confident that it can attain the Decent Homes Standard for all the stock and maintain it to at least this level in future years. However, Swindon is eager to pursue and source other avenues of funding and is currently negotiating to partner with energy suppliers to obtain grants by undertaking insulation work to meet the new thermal comfort criteria.

Consultation Undertaken by Swindon Borough Council

Tenants and leaseholders have formed into a group known as Swindon Tenants Voice (STV). This body and the council have entered into a binding Tenant Participation Agreement, which is intended to be a long-term partnership. STV is represented throughout the decision-making process and its views help to change and shape policy and programmes, for instance the Housing Repairs and Improvements Development Plan 2001-06. It meets on a regular basis and is supported by a repairs sub-group. The membership of STV is active and supportive in meeting Swindon’s aim to eliminate non-decent homes.

For information on the NEW decent homes Strategy/Action plan follow the link below:

Decent Home Strategy / Action Plan

Contact

Gerry O’Connor or David Walker
Swindon Services
Swindon Borough Council

Tel: 01793 464539 or 01793 464141
E-mail: goconnor@swindon.gov.uk or dwalker@swindon.gov.uk