Delivery Plan - Executive Summary

The Delivery Plan of St Leger Homes of Doncaster (SLHD) is an official published document. The plan forms part of the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) governance arrangements and provides the framework for the relationship between SLHD and Doncaster Council.

The Delivery Plan is a result of a working group involving representatives from the Performance and Business Investment Teams and Accountancy. The objectives and full content of the plan have undergone detailed consultation with tenant representatives, the Service Management Team and representatives of the Council.

Government Office, the SLHD Departmental Management Team and the Board of St Leger Homes of Doncaster have approved the plan.

SLHD is an Arms Length Management Company set up by Doncaster Council to manage all Council housing in the Doncaster Borough. Decisions about investment and policies to manage housing will continue to be made by the Council, and SLHD will develop its own policies and procedures within the Council framework and in reference to guidance provided by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

SLHD is a company limited by guarantee; it is managed by a Board which makes decisions independently of Doncaster Council. The Board is made up of five tenants, five Council nominees, and five independent members.

SLHD will deliver a massive programme of investment over the next five years which will result in all Council housing in the Doncaster Borough meeting the Government's Decent Homes standard by 2010.

SLHD aims to provide a quality housing management service and play a key role in working in partnership with the Council and other agencies to provide decent homes in decent and sustainable communities.

The objectives set out in the Delivery Plan are challenging and achievable. SLHD intends to achieve a minimum 2 star Audit Commission rating in order to receive the funding needed to meet the Decent Homes Standard.

The monitoring and review arrangements in the Performance Management Framework are designed to provide contingency planning in the event of targets and objectives not being met. The SLHD Departmental Management Team and the Performance Review Group will rigorously monitor the Delivery Plan and put in place mechanisms to address any areas of under performance.


Strategic Objectives

• Successful transition to the ALMO
• Provide Decent Homes in decent neighbourhoods for the Council's tenants and residents
• Deliver a quality housing service for the Council's tenants and residents and achieve excellence in service delivery with continuous improvement
• Promote pride in local communities
• Contribute to the Council's duty of Best Value
• Demonstrate commitment to equality and diversity
• Encourage environmental sustainability
• Provide an holistic range of services to the Council's tenants and residents
• Engage with all sections of the Borough and work with the Doncaster Strategic Housing Partnership to assist in delivering the strategic direction for the Doncaster Borough
• To work with the Council to ensure efficient investment of resources and to meet performance targets
• Create a culture where tenants feel empowered and involved, being the centre of our housing activity and having an influential role in decision making
• Create an organisational culture where staff feels valued and passionate about the services they provide

Priorities for Improvement to Achieve Minimum 2 Stars

The SLHD Achieving Excellence Project Plan is attached as an appendix to the
Delivery Plan. This plan identifies key tasks to achieve a minimum 2 star Housing Inspectorate rating. The improvement plans are based on self-assessment in relation to Audit Commission Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs) and include Audit Commission recommendations and good practice learnt from other inspections or visits to other authorities and ALMOs.

Over the next 12 months SLHD will concentrate on the following key drivers for

improvement:­

• Effective Governance
• Performance Management
• Customer Focus
• Effective use of Resources
• Delivering Decent Homes
• Creating Sustainable Communities

The Delivery Plan details the following themes that underpin the SLHD approach to service improvement. There are key areas for improvement under each theme to ensure the delivery of excellent services to our customers:­

• Leadership and Governance
• Involving Tenants and Residents
• Performance Management
• Customer Focus
• Effective Use of Resources
• Delivering Decent Homes
• Creating Sustainable Communities
• Effective Governance

This section of the plan details the Governance structure of SLHD, Board membership and how the Board will be empowered to make decisions affecting the future delivery of services.

Performance Management

This section of the plan describes the Performance Management Framework in which SLHD will operate and improve its performance, the objectives of the Service Performance Team, the self-assessment process against the Key Lines of Enquiry, Performance Indicators and the Learning and Development arrangements for staff, tenants and the Board.

Delivering a Customer Focused Service

A customer-focused culture will be embedded throughout SLHD so that customers feel valued and respected. This section of the plan outlines the objectives of the SLHD Customer Relations and Marketing Team, details of Customer Service Standards, arrangements for consulting with tenants, embracing equality and diversity across the organisation, providing choice for tenants, encouraging and dealing with customer feedback and using this to influence changes to service delivery.

Effective Use of Resources

It is essential that the resources received through rent collection and Government are used efficiently and effectively to ensure provision of the best possible service. This section of the Delivery Plan includes details on planned capital and revenue expenditure up to and including 2010, achieving value for money through procurement, Service Level Agreements held between SLHD and the Council, how efficiency savings will be made and how savings will be used, the staffing structure for the delivery of services and Information Technology.

Delivering Decent Homes

This section explains the Decent Homes Standard and how SLHD intends to deliver an enhanced standard for tenants by making efficiency savings in the Decent Homes Programme using the Investment Strategy.

Creating Sustainable Communities

Delivering decent homes in decent neighbourhoods is not simply about improving homes to meet the Decent Homes standard. It is about improving homes, estates and communities and ensuring they remain sustainable in the long term. This section describes how we assess the sustainability of our estates, using a sustainability matrix, and how this is used as a tool for planning services and prioritising resources. The section also details a strategy for dealing with empty properties and a proactive approach to estate and tenancy management.

The Corporate Framework and Contribution to Wider Priorities of the Borough

It is important that SLHD works in partnership with the Council to deliver the overall vision and objectives of the Borough and Housing Strategies. This section demonstrates how SLHD will assist the Council in turning Doncaster into a major northern city.

Audit and Accountancy Arrangements

This section details the financial planning arrangements, budget timetable, capital expenditure, payment of the management fee, annual accounts and budget monitoring arrangements, financial documentation, use of surpluses, HRA subsidy claims and the Delegation Scheme.

Monitoring and Review

The SLHD Achieving Excellence Project Plan incorporates all the improvements and commitments identified within the Delivery Plan, and improvements resulting from self-assessment against the Key Lines of Enquiry, Audit Commission recommendations and good practice learnt from other organisations.

The Service Improvement Plan will be monitored on a monthly basis in line with the mechanisms set out in the Performance Management Framework, and measures to address any areas of under performance will be addressed.

The Delivery Plan will be reviewed on an annual basis and will result in a Performance Report covering the Delivery Plan and performance information against all areas of service delivery.