Equalities Impact Assessments
Housing
Estate management
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Estate Management, Tenancy Management and Tenancy Audit Services PDF 72K
Summary
Estate Management, Tenancy Management and Tenancy Audit services are provided by the local area housing offices.
The scope of service provided in estate and tenancy management was set out originally in the Housing Management Service Specification of 1996.
Appendix A of this report sets out the on going service scope.
The Tenancy Audit policy is more recent having been introduced in December 2003. This aims to audit 10% of properties on an annual basis.
- The black and minority ethnic community is housed disproportionately in less desirable high rise accommodation as a result of historical allocation processes. Greater dissatisfaction is expressed in a number of areas, participation, contact with us and property condition. This does not translate automatically though into service delivery generally
- There are few other equality issues raised in the report. The reporting and monitoring systems do not easily facilitate analysis of differential impact
- There is a need for greater outreach generally into both 'visible' black and minority ethnic and other 'hard to reach' communities. Better engagement of these communities is required
- At present there is a clear west and east split in the population of the borough housed. With new initiatives such as the More Choice in Letting scheme and as the impact of the regeneration proposals take effect greater dispersal of black and minority ethnic communities will result
- There is no adverse impact demonstrated on the available information. There are though questions about the reliability and the validity of the data available
- There is a need to carry out further reviews of the policy review and performance management functions to ensure that monitoring can produce information that facilitates future impact assessment
There needs to be some investment to fund an externally facilitated Focus group for black and minority ethnic residents. This would allow qualitative data to be gathered. Until a new IT system is procured interim measures are required to enhance monitoring of any potential differential outcomes. A target should be set and maintained for the existing customer satisfaction questionnaire.
There is a need to scrutinize other sources of 'secondary' date. Once this has been done and the Focus group is completed and addendum to this original report should be issued.
Recommendations
There are detailed recommendations set out in an appendix to this report. These significantly are about filling the gaps noted in the impact assessment and also about embedding some of the principles of impact assessment in policy and review processes.
- A series of changes are suggested in the policy review and performance management and monitoring function to ensure that changes required from the impact assessment exercise are embedded. There is a clear action plan appended as Appendix B
- Efforts need to be made to boost the volume of routine questionnaire survey returns. These represent the best source for measuring differential impact for the foreseeable future. These may need to be adapted further to gain information more directly relevant to the needs of impact assessment
Estate Management Action Plan PDF 16K
