Issue - meetings

This report, deferred from the meeting on 25 March,  provides details of the recent procurement exercise undertaken, suggests a future direction for the gas servicing and maintenance works to council dwellings, and seeks approval for an amended repairs partnership Service Level Agreement (SLA) to improve the quality, productivity and cost of the service to customers and the Council.

RESOLVED: That Option 1, which involves in-sourcing the gas servicing work, be approved and that the Housing Repairs Partnership be amended to include the whole of the gas servicing for the City.

REASON:      To secure service quality and value for money on behalf of the Council’s tenants.

Members received a report which presented the results of a recent procurement exercise undertaken in relation to gas servicing and suggested a future direction for the gas servicing and maintenance service to council dwellings.  This item had originally been included on the agenda for the Executive meeting on 25 March 2008, when it was deferred for further information.  That information had now been obtained and incorporated in a revised report.

In November 2003 the Executive Member for Housing had agreed a two-fold approach to gas servicing, with an external contractor undertaking all works in the City area and the Council’s Neighbourhood Services (NS) department all works in the Acomb area, under a partnering agreement.  Following expiry of the external contract on 31 March 2008, a new approach was proposed.

The recommended approach (Option 1) was to amend the existing Housing Repairs Partnership, under which NS now carried out the majority of maintenance repairs, to include the whole of the gas servicing for the City.  The alternative approach (Option 2) was to ask Officers to undertake a formal tendering process for the servicing and maintenance of gas heating appliances in council dwellings.  Option 1 was recommended on the basis that it would enable the delivery of efficiencies that would significantly reduce cost and improve performance in this service area. 

Having noted the advice of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: That Option 1, which involves in-sourcing the gas servicing work, be approved and that the Housing Repairs Partnership be amended to include the whole of the gas servicing for the City.¹

REASON:      To secure service quality and value for money on behalf of the Council’s tenants.