More than 60 per cent of Sheffield Council housing repairs are overdue

Sheffield Council is behind on more than 60 per cent of its housing repair jobs and 29 homes have recently been evacuated due to maintenance problems.
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The shocking figures were revealed in this month’s full council meeting following a number of questions by councillor Sophie Thornton.

In response, councillor Paul Wood, co-operative executive member for housing, said there were 12,798 open repair jobs and of those, 8,091 were overdue as of January 23.

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Sheffield Council is struggling to catch up with its backlog of council housing repairs and more than 60 percent of jobs are overdue.Sheffield Council is struggling to catch up with its backlog of council housing repairs and more than 60 percent of jobs are overdue.
Sheffield Council is struggling to catch up with its backlog of council housing repairs and more than 60 percent of jobs are overdue.
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He added: “This increase is attributable to a significant number of operatives absent due to Covid (an average of 50 operatives per day), coupled with introduction of the new IT system. We are undertaking validation of the data since going live on November 30, 2021.

“We know this isn’t good enough, and this is why our Housing Revenue Account Business Plan we are investing heavily. We’ve committed to getting this right and delivering for tenants and as part of our ‘better repairs project’ we will tackle the backlog.”

Long waits and delays

Coun Wood said the average waiting time for a council house repair issue was just over 16 days in October and November last year.

The oldest job has been awaiting repair for more than two and a half years due to the council not being able to gain access.

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Council housing repairs are reported over the phone and the average waiting time was 44 minutes in recent months.

In the worst case, someone was waiting two hours and 46 minutes shortly after the council’s new IT system was implemented.

Coun Wood said: “Performance and waiting times were seriously impacted by the launch of the new repairs system Total Mobile at the end of November: training time and a high number of ongoing teething problems with this system and its new processes, resultant tenant chase calls (300 per day) about missed and rearranged appointments with no tenant contact, high sickness, vacancies and then training new starters during this time.

“In addition, extended call handling times as callers enquire about several new or existing repairs in most calls has impacted performance levels.

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“Calls answered have increased from over 300 a day during the worst weeks of issues to over 650 a day this week as processes are refined, sickness reduces, and trainees become operational.”

Over the last three months, 3,692 repair orders were closed as a result of not being able to make contact with a resident.

Evacuations

There are currently 29 homes that have been evacuated on a temporary basis due to maintenance issues.

Coun Wood said of those, seven were fire damaged, 15 were damp and had leaks, six involved legal disrepair cases and one was a result of a car accident that caused structural damage.

Reporting a council housing repair

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The council said residents can report repairs by phone, arrange their own repairs, or make use of the Handyperson Service if they are aged 60 years or over.

It warned to avoid calling on Monday mornings as this is its busiest time.

For information on reporting a council housing repair to Sheffield Council, visit https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/council-housing/council-housing-repairs