Agenda item

The CCTV Control Room Manager presented the report to the Scrutiny Board, outlining that the Cabinet had approved the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) – Housing Investment Programme report on 18 October 2017, which set out a refreshed 10-year HRA investment plan to enable the delivery of new build projects, continued investment into existing stock and communal spaces.  The report contained an allocation of £1.2 million to help prevent crime and anti-social behaviour by extending our coverage of CCTV.

A resident consultation on the planned proposals relating to the Upgrade and Expansion of the Council's CCTV & Concierge Service was scheduled to be completed by the end of November 2021 and the phased planning to implement these proposals was now underway.

The current service provided a 24-hour 365-days a year CCTV and

Concierge service to approximately 50% of the Council’s high-rise blocks. Residents without access to these services had regularly requested provision which would bring parity of service delivery across all high-rise blocks and would enable all tenants to benefit from the following:-

• Intercoms and door entry systems linked directly to our Control Room.
• Remote controlled access to all high-rise blocks, monitoring of visitors and restricting access to unwanted callers.
• A 24-hour service that linked tenants properties to the Council’s control room operators via intercom handsets in their flat which could be used to report repair’s, anti-social behaviour and crime, building safety concerns or any other general enquiries relating to their block of flats.
• CCTV monitoring for flatted estates including internal cameras covering ground floor communal spaces, lifts, entrances and surrounding areas.

It was explained that these services made a significant contribution to ensuring community safety and perceptions of safety for residents, not least some of the most vulnerable residents.  Over the past year the team had dealt with 101,647 intercom calls via the concierge service, providing additional support and advice to tenants and issuing immediate warnings to those identified as acting in an anti-social manner both within communal areas and outside blocks.  CCTV footage had also enabled other sanctions to be taken against identified individuals where this had been necessary.

Currently tenants paid a service charge of £8.57 a week, which consisted of:

• £3.69 for CCTV
• £3.18 for Concierge service
• £1.70 for secure door entry provision

Should all high-rise blocks receive the service the increase in number of tenant’s paying a service charge would reduce individual payments to approximately £6.87 per week or £357 per year.  These charges were covered by Housing Benefit and the Housing Costs element of Universal Credit for those in receipt of it.

The procurement process was set to take place in the new year and the CCTV Control Room Manager hoped that the scheme would be welcomed by residents.

From the comments and questions raised by members of the Scrutiny Board, the following responses were made, and issues highlighted:

-        For those eligible to receive Universal Credit the service charge would come out of their housing costs element.

-        Officers had been petitioned several times by residents to receive this service.  Approximately 90% of responses to the resident consultation were positive, further detail was outlined in the report. The Service Manager for Housing Management stated that the he had never received any negative feedback on the CCTV and Concierge service since he had joined the Council.

-        It was felt by members that the cost quoted was fair and that the service was something residents appreciated in Sandwell.

-        The Service had begun a benchmarking process to receive an accreditation.

-        Councillor Fisher advised the Board that he had arranged a visit to the Control Room.  The CCTV Control Room Manager explained that additional measures were now in place due to COVID but that members could book an appointment to visit the Service.