I arrived at Overview and Scrutiny  to see that the work programme had been amended at the previous meeting I couldn’t make (because I was laid up with the flu).  The plan was to question some Kings Forest tenants and find what they thought of Kings Forest and how they thought things could be improved.  Apparently the Tories thought that we should only speak to them after they have signed a ‘Service Level agreement’ with Kings Forest. 

So we will get to speak to the tenants but only after after it’s too late to input any ideas, suggestions that could be incorporated into the Service agreement - which is six years late anyway!   Another great idea!

Last Night I was at a Forest Heath Overview and Scrutiny meeting where we recieved a report on the performance of King’s Forest Housing.  King’s Forest is the arms length housing association that runs Forest Heath’s old council house stock and helps provide the majority of the social housing needs for the district. 

One of Kings Forests first actions was to build a plush new office complex in Mildenhall. Meanwhile whilst all this was happening it transpires that 1 in 12 routine repairs are not considered satisfactory - a more than doubling of the level since it took over. Virtually every satisfaction rating has fallen and it has been given a fairly intensive action plan to improve. 

Conservative controlled Forest Heath for its part has failed in 5 years to draw up a legally binding contract with King’s Forest to set and monitor minimum standards of performance and satisfaction levels. Such an agreement is stated in the consultation document of October 2003.  

A set of action points as long as your arm to improve, truly terrible for this district and those in need of social housing that it has come to this.