Agenda and minutes

Items
No. Item

1.

Question from: County Councillor Beverley Baynham Subject: Housing Tenants Routine Repairs in Lockdown

 

Question From:

County Councillor Beverley Baynham

Subject:

Housing Tenants Routine Repairs in Lockdown

Question To:

County Councillor James Evans

Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Housing & Regulatory Services

 

Question:

 

Please could you explain to me why a PCC housing tenant in my ward who is currently self-isolating has received a letter from Heatforce Wales Ltd requesting access to her property to survey the heating system in her house. In the letter there is no mention of any safe guards regarding Covid-19 and it states that access is needed to every room in her house. The letter made her very anxious and she informed me she did not want anyone in her property as she didn’t feel it was safe, I will of course assist her with this.

But I would like an explanation as to why these letters are being sent at this current time.

 

Minutes:

Response by the Portfolio Holder:

 

I refer to your question, raising concerns about a tenant receiving a letter from Heatforce Limited, relating to heating works being undertaken on behalf of the Council.

 

Heatforce is a contractor working on the Council’s Welsh Housing Quality Standard programme.  The contractor is experiencing a few organisational challenges at the moment with staff on furlough and the Administration Officer, who normally deals with Powys Contracts, being on leave. The company’s Contracts Officer acted on their own initiative to send the survey letters out in advance, to help speed up the return to work when the lockdown is ended.  This was done in good faith to help support the programme to improve the heating systems in the homes of the Council’s tenants.

 

However, the incorrect letter was inadvertently sent out. This has now been corrected.  They have put in place a letter bespoke to the current situation that should be used. This letter states: “If you do not wish the survey to take place due to any concerns you may have regarding the current Covid 19 situation, could you please let us know so that we can reschedule for when the restrictions have been lifted”.

 

Please accept on behalf of Housing Services my apologies for any distress this may have caused. I can assure you that we will make sure this does not happen again. The focus of our work during the Covid-19 event remains on void properties and tenanted properties only where the tenant is happy for work to be undertaken, and where that work can be undertaken safely and in accordance with all relevant guidance.