Havering Decent Homes

Contract: Havering Borough Council
Service: Decent Homes and Programmed Capital Works in Housing
Total Contract Value: £8M per annum
Commencement Date: April 2004
Contract Term: 10 years

Working in a Collaborative Way

In August 2004 Morrison commenced a partnering term contract with the London Borough of Havering for repairs and maintenance to 13,000 properties, including the replacement of kitchens and bathrooms and also external painting as part of the council’s Decent Homes Programme.

Morrison FS is committed to partnering with its clients and to providing best value and open book accounting. The majority of our contracts are either open book or moving towards open book accounting. The partnering arrangement with Havering has moved from a traditional contract towards full partnering .

A key to the successful delivery of the works programme has been the early communication provided to all stakeholders. The Resident Liaison team publicises the works programme and meets and consulted with local residents groups and community leaders in the early pre-commencement period.

The delivery of the works programme is monitored daily by the Contract Manager. Regular reports are provided and progress meetings are held with the client to review performance and, where appropriate, actions are agreed to correct any shortfalls.

The Resident Liaison Manager (RLM) has a vital role in helping the Contract Manager re-schedule the works by using knowledge of the local area and residents, to identify residents who may be able to accommodate an earlier work start date in order to maintain the schedule.

Morrison has delivered savings to Havering Borough Council by taking responsibility for the surveys (after the council’s own stock condition surveys had been carried out). In order to minimise the risk of incorrectly specifying and/or measuring the kitchens/bathroom fittings, the surveys were undertaken by our supply chain. During the survey, the residents were provided with brochures and samples to facilitate their choice of kitchen and bathroom. The resident’s choice was recorded and the resident signed to confirm the choices made.

Ensuring Tenant Satisfaction

Residents are provided with documentation to explain the programme of works and to advise them on subjects such as health and safety, customer care, contact details, security and protection of belongings/property and also how we will resolve any problems.

The role of the RLM in the Havering Borough is an essential element of our customer care process. Our experience shows that resident satisfaction will be greater when they are kept fully informed and consulted and when they know who to contact if there are any problems. The RLM provides this and has built up mutual trust with the residents by ensuring that we deliver on our promises, e.g. resolving any problems promptly and effectively and keeping the resident informed of progress. The RLM consults with the council, resident’s forums and individual residents in order to identify any persons with special needs. Where necessary, the RLM seeks the advice of carers, relatives and friends in order to determine the best method of delivering the needs. The RLM ensures that any special needs are catered for during the work programme.

All frontline staff, including subcontractors, working on the Havering contract have been trained in customer care, quality of workmanship and health and safety through the Morrison “Passport to Work” scheme. Only staff who have passed the training scheme and been awarded a passport are allowed to work on the contract.

There are residents in the Havering borough that do not speak English. In these cases, our staff have access to language line which provides a translation service. This helps us communicate with the resident. In addition, we seek the assistance of community leaders to help communicate with the residents. All staff are trained in our equalities and diversity policy and treat every resident with respect and courtesy.

The effectiveness and delivery of the customer care policy is monitored through customer satisfaction surveys and the analysis of complaints.