A bit more about us
Stroud District Council is the only council in Gloucestershire that still manages its own housing stock with over 5,000 properties located across an area of 400 square miles. As a social housing landlord we must comply with government regulations for social housing, as well as strategic decisions made by the Council’s democratically elected Housing Committee.
Governance of the Housing Service
Our Housing Committee is made up of Councillors who provide focused governance of the housing service. The Councillors set a strategic direction and priorities for the Housing Service, and monitor the performance of the service against these strategic priorities. Housing Committee also has responsible for ensuring that the housing service is compliant with regulatory standards and relevant health and safety legislation. Housing Committee reports and papers are published in advance of each meeting, and you can also watch live and previous webcasts of committee meetings.
The Housing Oversight Board meets prior to each Housing Committee to have detailed oversight of the key activities of Stroud District Council's housing functions and performance. The Housing Oversight Board prepare a report on performance for Housing Committee and escalate any concerns to Committee.
Our Housing Improvement Group meets monthly to oversee key housing projects and monitoring of service performance. Performance and any areas of concern are escalated to Housing Oversight Board.
We are currently developing an Action Plan which will look at providing different opportunities for residents to be involved in scrutiny and oversight of the service.
Management structure
Our housing senior management team are responsible for managing the activities of housing staff and advising Housing Committee Councillors on the potential implications of political decisions.
- Keith Gerrard: Director of Communities
- Andy Kefford: Strategic Head of Housing
- Tara Skidmore: Head of Assets and Investment (Council Housing)
- Stuart Pattison: Head of Tenant Relationships
- Pippa Stroud: Head of Housing Solutions
Additionally:
- Named Health and Safety Lead: Jonathan McKinlay, Safety Health and Compliance Manager
- Fire Safety and Building Safety Lead: Jonathan McKinlay, Safety Health and Compliance Manager
- Consumer Standards Champion: Andy Kefford, Strategic Head of Housing
- Members responsible for complaints: Councillor Gary Luff and Councillor Lucas Schoemaker
Key areas of work
The Housing Service’s work includes:
- The building of new affordable council homes across the district comprising properties for rent and shared ownership.
- Ensuring the council meets consumer standards set out by the Regulator of Social Housing.
- Investing up to £12m each year on planned works, cyclical painting, and repairs to homes to help meet all regulatory standards. Including improving the energy efficiency of homes through the installation of loft, cavity wall, and external wall insulation to help tackle fuel poverty.
- Providing a directly delivered effective and efficient repairs and maintenance service.
- Involving tenants in the service, listening to their views and acting on them.
- Ensuring tenants abide by the terms of their tenancy agreement including Dealing with Anti Social Behaviour (ASB), fraud, condition of gardens and inside the property, fire risk assessments on communal blocks and taking legal action against serious offenders including injunctions and evictions where appropriate.
- Collecting all rental income due to the Council (around £23 Million per year) and other income related charges.
- Delivery of an Independent Living service, utilising site officers for maintenance tasks and support officers for landlord based support to tenants.