If you are now reading this then you have already taken the first step towards shaping the future of the repair and maintenance of Council homes in Rotherham. Please read the information below and discover if you would like to take a more active role in the exciting changes ahead.

Background

In July of 2009 the Board of the ALMO, and subsequently the RMBC Cabinet, approved a process to seek providers for the delivery of the Repairs and Maintenance Service currently provided by 2010 Rotherham’s In house Service Provider (IHSP). The need to undertake this piece of work is driven by the obligation to demonstrate value for money in respect of this service and the wishes of tenants to see improvements in the quality of delivery. The 2008 Audit Commission inspection made the following recommendation: “ensure the IHSP is providing Value for Money with a robust approach to market testing the service”.

The existing provider is able to bid for up to 50% of this work. There is no guarantee of outcome and no right of award in respect of the current provider and it is possible that all provision may be externalised. All existing staff have rights under TUPE and these will be respected regardless of the end result.

Tenant Involvement

2010 Rotherham is seeking tenant involvement in this process of reviewing and selecting contractors for the future provision of the repairs and maintenance service. In partnership with Rotherham Federation of Tenants and Residents (RotherFed), council tenants are being invited to be involved in two ways:

i) To join a Tenant Steering Group that would be involved in briefings and site visits. As well as two or three briefings between January and July 2010 this will involve some direct meetings with potential contractors and acting in a consultative role in respect of developing the scope of service provision. It will be possible for some members of this group to attend site visits – however, this would require travel outside Rotherham, each visit taking a day. There is no time commitment to be on this group – you can opt in and out of meetings – in respect of site visits however if you wish to be considered for this group you would be encouraged to attend all visits if at all possible.

ii) To be a Tenant Advocate, requires a greater commitment and a responsibility to report back to the Tenant Steering Group. Advocates will be required to be fully involved with the procurement process including attendance at Tenant Steering Group meetings outlined above. Tenant advocates will carry out a review of written submissions from contractors with a particular focus on how any proposed solution addresses the specific needs of tenants and residents as a whole – this activity involves reading the written submissions and scoring them against set criteria within a prescribed time scale and attending site visits. Please note that this is a major voluntary commitment and could involve up to 150 dedicated hours over the period February to July 2010.


Initial Meeting

All Rotherham Borough Council tenants were cordially invited to the initial meeting of the Tenant Steering Group in February. 2010 Rotherham Ltd outlined the process of selecting a provider and Steve Ruffle from RotherFed led a discussion on how tenants wish to be involved in the selection process, including the role of, and support for, Tenant Advocates. If you didn’t attend this meeting, there is still lots of time to get involved. For an information chat, contact:

Sneh Soni on 01709 336950
Christine Staniforth on 01709 334952