Use of smart technology to improve maintenance in Council managed social housing

The request was successful.

Dear Babergh District Council,

I am a post graduate student currently undertaking research in to whether the use of internet enabled 'smart' technology can be utilised to improve the efficiency of maintenance in the social housing sector.

Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would therefore be grateful if you could respond to the following questions:

1. Does your authority retain ownership and management of its social housing stock? If not, please could you provide contact details for the Housing Association(s), ALMO's etc., to whom your stock was transferred?

The following questions need only be answered if you continue to own and manage your social housing stock.

2. Does the Council currently use any form of internet enabled smart technology to assist in the maintenance of its properties e.g. smoke alarms linked to a portal so maintenance personnel can identify when the alarm has been disconnected/failed? If so, please could you provide details of the types of devices utilised? Would you be willing to discuss your experience in more detail?

3. If the Council is not currently utilising any such technology, has the issue ever been considered? If so, please could you provide details as to why it was not pursued?

I thank you for your consideration of the above queries and I look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Yours faithfully,

Phil Hiscott

BMSDC Data Protection,

Dear Sir,

Freedom of Information/Environmental Information Regulations request

Thank you for your request to Babergh District Council dated 18 January 2020. Your request will be answered within 20 working days.

If you have any queries about the handling of this request please do not hesitate to contact us. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Kind regards,

Data Protection
Tel: 0300 1234000 Email: [email address]
www.babergh.gov.uk www.midsuffolk.gov.uk
Babergh & Mid Suffolk District Councils - Working Together
Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2BX

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BMSDC Data Protection,

1 Attachment

Dear Sir,

 

We refer to your recent request for information.

 

Request:

 

1.  Does your authority retain ownership and management of its social
housing stock? If not, please could you provide contact details for the
Housing Association(s), ALMO's etc., to whom your stock was transferred?

 

The following questions need only be answered if you continue to own and
manage your social housing stock.

 

2.  How many socially rented properties do you currently own?

 

3.  Does the Council currently use any form of internet enabled smart
technology to assist in the maintenance of its properties e.g. smoke
alarms linked to a portal so maintenance personnel can identify when the
alarm has been disconnected/failed? If so, please could you provide
details of the types of devices utilised? Would you be willing to discuss
your experience in more detail?

 

4.  If the Council is not currently utilising any such technology, has the
issue ever been considered? If so, please could you provide details as to
why it was not pursued?

 

Response: (please note this is for both Babergh and Mid Suffolk District
Councils)

 

1.  Does your authority retain ownership and management of its social
housing stock?  Yes

 

The following questions need only be answered if you continue to own and
manage your social housing stock.

 

2.  How many socially rented properties do you currently own? Around 6400

 

3.  Does the Council currently use any form of internet enabled smart
technology to assist in the maintenance of its properties e.g. smoke
alarms linked to a portal so maintenance personnel can identify when the
alarm has been disconnected/failed? If so, please could you provide
details of the types of devices utilised?

Alarm systems (Fire and Personal Safety) call through to our call centre

CCTV linked to central base

Staff Personal Safety panic alarms and phone apps call through the central
centre.

Tablets and phones that link to our data base with direct reporting into
our data base remotely, we update property details and job lists direct
from site.

Would you be willing to discuss your experience in more detail?
Unfortunately we do not have time to discuss further.

 

4.  If the Council is not currently utilising any such technology, has the
issue ever been considered? If so, please could you provide details as to
why it was not pursued?  We are always looking at new tech to assist us.

 

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. You are free to use it for your
own purposes, including any non-commercial research you are doing and for
the purposes of news reporting.  Please contact us if you wish to re-use
the information for commercial purposes so that the appropriate licence
can be issued (in some instances a fee will be payable).  Additionally,
you must ensure that you gain permission before reproducing any third
party (non Babergh/Mid Suffolk District Council copyright) information.

 

If you are unhappy with this response you may request an internal review
of this matter via the Council’s corporate complaints procedure.  If you
are not content with the outcome of the review you have a right of appeal
to the Information Commissioner at the following address: Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9
5AF. Tel: 01625 545 745 Email: [1][email address].

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Data Protection

Tel: 0300 1234000

Email: [2][email address]

[3]www.babergh.gov.uk  [4]www.midsuffolk.gov.uk

Babergh & Mid Suffolk District Councils - Working Together

Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich IP1 2BX

 

[5]email

 

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References

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