Performance Monitoring Report for April 2008 to March 2009

DescriptionYear EndTarget31/03/09Performance31/03/09 (Q4)(Cumulative)PerformanceAgainst YearEnd TargetTrend from31/12/08(Q3)Implement an actionplan by 31/03/09 toretain Investors inPeopleaccreditationAction PlanAchievedGInstall 1,500 childsafety equipmentpackages by31/03/091,5001,969GReduce the averagevoids re-let time to50 days by 31/3/09.50 days34.8 daysGAverage number ofdays to completenon-urgent repairs10 days6.10 daysGReduce net rentarrears from£3,130,729 to£2,800,000 by31/03/09£2,800,000£2,473,741.99 G3.2 Analysis identifying the reasons for failure and corrective action beingtaken for each of the red balanced scorecard indicators is provided inappendix 2.4. The Service Improvement Programme4.1 The Service Improvement Programme has been carried forward into2009/10, as many products are not due to be complete until March2010.4.2 A Programme Review Board was held in quarter four and manyproducts were signed off by review board. Any products outstandingfrom Programme Review Board have been externally scrutinized byour Programme Assurance Advisor and a report has been producedwhich highlights improvements that can be made.22

5 Project Updates5.1 The Project Boards met three times during quarter four to discussprogress made against Audit Commission recommendations andweaknesses and to review products due for completion. In quarter four101 products were due to be complete by 31 st March 2009. At the endof quarter four, 52 out of these 101 have been reported as completewithin the agreed timescales. These outstanding products have beenre-profiled and are on track to be completed during 2009/10.5.2 During quarter four some workstreams have been closed due toproducts being completed and signed off by Programme ReviewBoard. These workstreams include the ‘Workforce’ workstream whichsits under the Customer Service Project. The ‘New Stock’ workstream,which was part of the Refurbishing and Building Homes Project and the‘Leasehold’ workstream which reported to the Three Star ExcellentServices Project Board.5.3 There has also been some additions to the Service ImprovementProgramme during quarter four. New workstreams have been addedto encompass new areas of work within the organisation which requireadditional support from workstream members to address areas of work,taken forward in the form of products. These workstreams include‘Investors In People’ and ‘Communication with Customers’. Theseworkstreams are currently being set up and new products identified tobe completed during 2009/10.6 Recommendations6.1 Board is asked to review the performance monitoring report andapprove the actions being taken to address poor performance.7 Next Steps7.1 Performance will continue to be monitored and reported on a quarterlybasis to this board, until the creation of a performance committee.23

Your Homes NewcastleBalanced Scorecard2008 -200901/04/08 – 31/03/09Three star excellent services1. Achieve 81% satisfaction withthe overall housing service by31/3/09.2. Achieve 70% satisfaction withopportunities for participationin management and decisionmaking by 31/3/09.3. 95% of complaints to be givena full written response within10 working days during2008/09.4. 92% of Service Plan actions tobe completed within targettimescales during 2008/09.5. 92% of YHN Programmeactions to be completed during2008/09.6. Reduce net rent arrears to£2,800,000 by 31/3/09.7. Achieve 3% efficiency savingon 2007/08 baseline budget by31/3/09.8. Achieve Level 3 of the revisedlocal government equalitystandard by 31/12/2008.Refurbishing and building homes1. Reduce the average voids re-let time to 50 days by 31/3/09.2. Achieve a 28.55% change in the proportion of non-decenthomes by 31/3/09.3. 5,447 homes to be made decent in 2008/09.4. Develop two scheme proposals for new build housing during2008/09.5. Achieve 90% satisfaction with the investment programme by31/03/09.6. 97% of Modern Homes Programme spend to come within budgetduring 2008/09.7. Achieve 91% satisfaction with the adaptations service by31/03/09.8. Achieve 92% satisfaction with the repairs and maintenanceservice by 31/3/09.Your Homes Newcastle intends to be the best housingprovider in the North East. We will achieve this by investing inour four strategic objectives:o Support and care to communitieso Three star excellent serviceso A quality workforceo Refurbishing and building homesSupport and care to communities1. Achieve 81% BME satisfaction with the overall housing serviceby 31/3/09.2. Make a difference’ involvement volunteers to be representativeof the tenant and leaseholder population in terms of age,gender, ethnicity and disability by 31/3/09.3. 55% satisfaction with the way anti-social behaviour complaintswere dealt with by HASBET during 2008/09.4. Install 1,500 child safety equipment packages by 31/03/09.5. 90% of vulnerable young people who have support fromINLINE to maintain a successful tenancy for 12 months during2008/09.6. Complete a support plan for all sheltered housing clients during2008/09.7. Achieve targets for collecting24customer demographic data forethnicity (95%), and religion and faith (40%), during 2008/09.A quality workforce1. Reduce the number ofsickness days perFTE employee to10.20 days by31/3/09.2. 4% of top 5% of staffwho have a disability.3. 4% of top 5% of staffwho are from anethnic minority.4. 41% of top 5% of staffwho are women.5. Implement an actionplan by 31/03/09 toretain Investors inPeople accreditation.6. Gain externalaccreditation on threein house coursesduring 2008/09.7. Achieve attendance attraining courses of97% during 2008/09.

Reduce the number of sickness days per FTEGood performance is below the targetline of 10.20 days12.5012.2312.0011.5011.42 11.4511.0010.5010.0010.6811.04YHNAverageTarget9.509.002007/0830/06/0830/09/0831/12/0831/03/09Performance Comparisons2007/08performanceagainst target10.20 days31/03/09performanceagainstbenchmark(ALMO's)31/03/09performanceagainsttargetFrom 31/12/08to 31/03/09direction oftravelRR25

Performance Indicator InformationBalanced Scorecard Target. To reduce the number ofsickness days per FTE to 10.20 days by 31/03/09.Performance Report for 2007/08During 2007/8 the target of 10.20 days was notachieved. The target remains the same for 2008/09.Direction of travelQuarter four performance shows the number of sicknessdays per full time employee reaching 11.45 days. Thishas not achieved the target to reduce the number ofsickness days per FTE to 10.20 days by 31/03/09.The projected number of sickness days per FTE inquarter three had reached 11.42 days, this was anincrease from quarter two and was again, moving awayfrom the target of 10.20 days.Corrective Action Taken to Improve PerformanceAbsence management will be the topic of the WiderManagement Team meeting on 13 May 2009. Thebarriers to attendance will be explored and strategiesdeveloped to address these barriers. A series of agreedactions will be adopted in order to expand managementownership and improve performance. AbsenceManagement Board is currently reviewing the absencepolicy and associated procedures.Financial ImplicationsThere are costs involved in paying overtime or employingtemporary staff to cover posts. This also makes it moredifficult to quantify cost of reduced quality of service.Responsible OfficerRoss Atkinson - Director of Finance and Resources26

Top 5% of staff who are womenGood performance is above thetarget line of 41%44.0%42.0%40.0%38.0%TotalTarget36.0%34.0%32.0%2007/0830/06/0830/09/0831/12/0831/03/09Performance Comparisons2007/08performanceagainst target31/03/09performanceagainstbenchmark(ALMO's)31/03/09performanceagainst targetFrom31/12/08 to31/03/09direction oftravelGNot Applicable, thisis a localperformanceindicatorR27

Performance Indicator InformationBalanced Scorecard Target. 41% of the top 5% of staffwho are women.Performance Report for 2007/08At the end of 2007/08, 41% of the top 5% of staff werewomen. This acheived the target set of 34%.Direction of travelQuarter four has seen a reduction in the number ofwomen in the top 5% of staff. 35.7%(15) has beenachieved which has fallen short of the 41% target.Quarter four figures are based on 42 employees in thetop 5%.The target has been achieved in previous quarters.Corrective Action Taken to Improve PerformanceThe performance against target has fallen in quarter fouras a result of two women in the top 5% of staff leavingYHN. Performance will rise again in quarter one of2009/10 when the Head of Finance takes up post. Wewill review our approach to encourage female applicantsas and when opportunities arise in the top 5% of staff.Financial ImplicationsThere are no financial implications if this target is notachieved.Responsible OfficerRoss Atkinson - Director of Finance and Resources28

Satisfaction with Investment ProgrammeGood performance isabove the target line 90% satisfied100%90%89%86% 85% 87%89%80%70%60%50%40%City AverageTarget30%20%10%0%2007/0830/06/200830/09/200831/12/200831/03/2009Performance Comparisons2007/08performanceagainsttarget31/03/09performanceagainst benchmark(ALMO's)31/03/09performanceagainst targetFrom 31/12/08 to31/03/09direction oftravelGThis is a localPerformanceIndicatorR29

Performance Indicators InformationBalanced Scorecard Target. 92% of Service Plan actions tobe completed within target timescales during 2008/09.Performance Report for 2007/08During 2007/8 the target of 92% of Service Plan actions wasnot achieved, the target remains the same for 2008/09.Direction of travel168 Service Plan actions were completed in quarter four outof 243, this amounts to 69%. However, from April 2008 toMarch 2009 467 actions out of 648 have been completed intotal, bringing the cumulative total for 2008/09 to 72%.During quarter four the Chief Executive's division haveachieved 100% with 15 service plan actions completed in theperiod. Business Development achieved 85%, TenancyServices, 65% and the Finance & Resources divisioncompleting 28 actions out of 56, which totals 50%. The targetof 92% of Service Plan actions to be completed within targettimescales during 2008/09 has not been achieved.In quarter three, there was a total of 33 targets due forcompletion. Out of this, 22 had been completed whichamounts to 67%. From April to December 2008, we hadachieved in total 80 targets out of 131, which gives acumulative total of 61%. This had not achieved the set targetof 92%Corrective Action Taken to Improve PerformancePerformance will continue to be reported to each SeniorManagement Team in 2009/10 who are responsible forrecovery actions.Identified Service Plan targets in 2009/10 will also be reportedto Wider Management Team for additional scrutiny.Financial ImplicationsThere are nearly 700 service plan targets, some of which havefinancial implications.Responsible OfficerSheila Breslin - Assistant Chief Executive and Director ofBusiness32

Collecting Customer Demographic DataGood performance isabove the target lines 95% & 40%100%90%80%70%60%74% 75% 76%80%Ethnicity50%46%Religion & Faith40%30%20%10%38% 39% 39%Ethnicity TargetReligion & FaithTarget0%30/06/200830/09/200831/12/200831/03/2009Performance Comparisons2007/08performanceagainsttarget31/03/09performanceagainst benchmark(ALMO's)31/03/09performanceagainst targetFrom31/12/08 to31/03/09direction oftravelNew Target for2008/09This is a localPerformanceIndicatorR33

Performance Indicator InformationBalanced Scorecard Target. Achieve targets for collectingcustomer demographic data for ethnicity (95%) and religionand faith (40%), during 2008/09.Performance Report for 2007/08This is a new target for 2008/09.Direction of travelIn quarter four the target for collecting customer demographicdata has been achieved with regards to religion and faithwhich exceeded the 40% target with data collected for 46% ofcustomers. The data collected for ethnicity also increased to80%, although did not reach the target of 95% of customersduring 2008/09.Customer demographic data collected had increased slightlyin quarter three, with 76% collected relating to ethnicity, thiswas still significantly below the 95% target. Data for Religionand Faith remained the same with 39%.Corrective Action Taken to Improve PerformanceData collection exercise has been carried out betweenDecember 2008 and March 2009. Staff worked out of hoursto contact customers who have not responded to previousattempts to collect demographic data.At the end of quarter four, 6830 visits to tenants have beenmade. Data collected has been input into the Northgatesystem. This will allow us to deliver appropriate services tomeet the needs of the customer.Briefing sessions to be carried out with Community HousingOffice staff regarding the 'getting to know our customer'procedure to ensure accurate data is collected.Financial ImplicationsNot having this information may result in resources not beingcorrectly targeted.Responsible OfficerSheila Breslin - Assistant Chief Executive and Director ofBusiness34

Making a Difference VolunteersGood performance isabove the target lines 40.95% &34.45%45.00%40.00%35.00%36.30% 36.10%37.05%30.00%25.00%20.00%19.60%21.37%20.92%Male25-4415.00%Male Target10.00%5.00%25-44 Target0.00%30/06/200830/09/200831/12/200831/03/2009Performance Comparisons2007/08performanceagainsttarget31/03/09performanceagainst benchmark(ALMO's)31/03/09performanceagainst targetFrom 31/12/08 to31/03/09direction oftravelNew Target for2008/09This is a localPerformanceIndicatorR35

Performance Indicator InformationBalanced Scorecard Target. Make a difference involvementvolunteers to be representative of the tenant and leaseholderpopulation in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and disability by31/03/09.Performance Report for 2007/08This is a new target for 2008/09.Direction of travelThe Male 'Making a Difference Volunteers' have increased to37.05 in quarter four, which has hit the tolerance and istherefore representative of the tenant and leaseholderpopulation.The aged 25-44 group of volunteers has increased again sincequarter three and is currently at 20.92 % but has not achievedthe target of 34.45% which reflects the current tenant andleaseholder population.It is important to note that the target is constantly changing dueto the natural fluctuation in population.Corrective Action Taken to Improve PerformanceThis was a new target for 2008/09 and therefore the first timethe 'Making a difference volunteers' have been monitored inthis way. This target is being taken forward as part of theservice plan for 2009/10.The monitoring of this target has identifed areas within the'Making a Difference volunteers' that had not yet beenidentified. The age 25-44 group has been identified as hard tohear. A promotional campaign will target tenants in this agegroup to raise awareness of involvement methods.Financial ImplicationsNot achieving this target would require a dedicated resource tocarry out further work to ensure volunteers were representative.Responsible OfficerSheila Breslin - Assistant Chief Executive and Director ofBusiness36

Level 3 Local Government Equality StandardGood performance is above thetarget line of Level 33.503.002.752.952.502.50 2.502.001.501.000.500.002.00LevelTarget2007/0830/06/0830/09/0831/12/0831/03/09Performance Comparisons2007/08performanceagainst target31/03/09performanceagainstbenchmark(ALMO's)31/03/09performanceagainsttargetFrom 31/12/08to 31/03/09direction oftravelNew Target for2008/09This is a localPerformanceIndicatorR37

Performance Indicator InformationBalanced Scorecard Target. Achieve Level 3 of therevised local government equality standard by31/12/2008.Performance Report for 2007/08This is a new target for 2008/09.Direction of travelIn quarter four, again progress has been made towardsachieveing Level 3 of the local government equalitystandard and a peer assessment has been undertaken.However, a formal assessment has not been undertakenand the target to achieve Level 3 by 31/12/2008 has notbeen met.In quarter three, some progress had been made toachieving the target, although it had not been achievedby the set deadline of 31/12/2008.Corrective Action Taken to Improve PerformancePeer Assessment has take place with GatesheadHousing Company. Review broadly supports ourapproach with some minor amendments in the areas ofprocurement, performance and involvement.Actions to address improvements identified byGateshead to be undertaken whilst working on an actionplan to migrate to the new Equality Standard for LocalGovernment.Financial ImplicationsExternal Assessment may incur financial costs. To bedetermined.Responsible OfficerSimone Doyle - Diversity Manager38

Tenant Satisfaction with opportunities for participation inmanagement and decision making72.00%Good performance is above the targetline of 70%70.00%68.00%67.08%66.00%64.00%62.00%63.00%63.80%City Average60.00%Target58.00%58.38%56.00%54.00%52.00%2005/062006/072007/082008/09Performance Comparisons2007/08performanceagainst target31/03/09performanceagainst benchmark(ALMO's)31/03/09performanceagainst targetFrom 2007/08 to2008/09direction oftravelRR39

Performance Indicator InformationBalanced Scorecard Target - Achieve 70% satisfaction withopportunities for participation in management and decisionmaking by 31/03/09.Performance Report for 2007/08During 2007/08 the target was not achieved with 63.80% oftenants satisfied with opportunities for participation inmanagement and decision making.Direction of travelThis indicator is calculated from an annual tenant satisfactionsurvey using the STATUS methodology. In 2008/09 58.38%of tenants were satisfied with opportunities for participation inmanagement and decision making. This is below the target of70% and has shown a reduction in satisfaction compared to2007/08. However, tenants who indicated levels ofdissatisfaction remain low at 6.26%.Corrective Action Taken to Improve PerformanceDetailed analysis of the STATUS Survey has beenundertaken and a report produced for YHN ManagementTeam. The report highlighted the biggest decrease insatisfaction related to how good tenants felt that their landlordwas in keeping them informed of things that might affect themas tenants.The area tenants were most dissatisfied with was withcommunications and involvement and their satisfaction withthe final outcome following contact being made with theirlandlord about an issue.In oder to address these issues, a workstream has beenintoroduced into the Service Improvement Programme to lookat Comunications and Involvement for tenants andleaseholders and to fully investigate opportunities of how toimprove outcomes for tenants following the reporting of aproblem or issue.Financial ImplicationsNot applicableResponsible OfficersSheila Breslin - Assistant Chief Executive and Director of40

Tenant Satisfaction with the overall housing service82.00%Good performance is above the targetline of 81%80.00%78.00%78.00%76.00%74.00%74.00%74.39%73.05%City AverageTarget72.00%70.00%68.00%2005/062006/072007/082008/09Performance Comparisons2007/08performanceagainst target31/03/09performanceagainst benchmark(ALMO's)31/03/09performanceagainst targetFrom 2007/08 to2008/09direction oftravelGR41

Performance Indicator InformationNational Indicator NI160. Balanced Scorecard target. Achieve81% satisfaction with the overall housing service by 31/03/09.Performance Report for 2007/08During 2007/08 the target was achieved as 78.0% of tenantswere satisfied with the overall housing service.Direction of travelThis indicator is calculated from an annual tenant satisfactionsurvey using the STATUS methodology. In 2008/09 73.05% oftenants were satisfied with the overall housing service. This isbelow the target of 81% and has shown a reduction insatisfaction compared to 2007/08.Corrective Action Taken to Improve PerformanceDetailed analysis of the STATUS survey has been undertakenand a report produced for YHN Management Team. The reportshowed an overall decrease in satisfaction compared to2007/08.A workstream has been set up as part of the YHN ServiceImprovement Programme to specifically look at the overalldecline in satisfaction and in particular to look at STATUS andidentify a process to improve satisfaction in future years.Financial ImplicationsNot applicableResponsible OfficersSheila Breslin - Assistant Chief Executive and Director ofBusinessNeil Scott - Director of Tenancy Services42

BME Satisfaction with the overall housing serviceGood performance is above the targetline of 81%90.00%80.00%78.40%70.00%64.05%71.05%67.84%60.00%50.00%City Average40.00%30.00%Target20.00%10.00%0.00%2005/062006/072007/082008/09Performance Comparisons2007/08performanceagainst target31/03/09performanceagainst benchmark(ALMO's)31/03/09performanceagainst targetFrom 2007/08 to2008/09direction oftravelGR43

Performance Indicator InformationBalanced Scorecard Target - Achieve 81% BME satisfactionwith the overall housing service by 31/03/09.Performance Report for 2007/08During 2007/08 the target was achieved as 78.4% of BMEtenants were satisfied with the overall housing service.Direction of travelThis indicator is calculated from an annual tenant satisfactionsurvey using the STATUS methodology. In 2008/09 67.84%of BME tenants were satisfied with the overall housing service.This is below the target of 81%.Corrective Action Taken to Improve PerformanceDetailed analysis of the STATUS survey has been undertakenand a report produced for YHN Management Team. Thereport showed an overall decrease in satisfaction compared to2007/08.A workstream has been set up as part of the YHN ServiceImprovement Programme to specifically look at the overalldecline in satisfaction and in particular to look at STATUS andidentify a process to improve satisfaction in future years.Financial ImplicationsNot applicableResponsible OfficerSheila Breslin - Assistant Chief Executive and Director ofBusinessNeil Scott - Director of Tenancy Services44