Frances Swann shares the successes of CambsHIA and working with 3 local authorities to ensure best practice. For more information, please contact Frances directly frances.swann@cambshia.org

1. CAMBS HOME IMPROVEMENT
AGENCY
WORKING FOR 3 LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Frances Swann
10th March 2020
Tel: 01954 713330

2. INTRODUCTION
 Cambs Home Improvement Agency
(CHIA) is a shared council service
working across Cambridge City
Council, South Cambridgeshire and
Huntingdonshire.
 We cover c: 700sq miles
 DFG Budget: £2.8m plus £1m from
districts = £3.8m
 Discretionary Budget: £400k
 Governed by a Shared Service
Board, Shared Service Agreement
and Memorandum of Understanding
with Cambs County Council
 Fees 15%
 Two Tier Authority area
www.CambsHIA.org

3. 1ST SHARED SERVICE IN THE OPERATING AREA
 Issues:
 Our configuration – City staff/Hunts IT/SCDC
location
 3 different political landscapes, 3 different priorities
and approaches – now achieved one “county wide”
Adaptations Policy
 Budgets, high demand, pooling resources across
the Better Care Fund to meet objectives
 High cost of living area – recruitment challenges
 Procuring contractors on behalf of 3 districts
 Delivering aligned practices

4. LEAN SYSTEM REVIEW
www.CambsHIA.org
WE IDENTIFIED 64 OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE
FORMING - STORMING - NORMING AND PERFORMING

5. HIGHLIGHTS
 Highlights:
 Benefits of joint working – learning together,
outward looking, shared knowledge
 Savings – we believe we are lean – staff to DFG
budget ratio is 1: £320k
 Easier for OT’s – Single Point of Contact, one
system, one set of contractors
 Reducing the postcode lottery
 Creating a recognised “label” – CHIA
 South Cambs 2019 Team of the Year

6. COMMERCIALISM & CUSTOMER CARE
One shared service annual report.
www.CambsHIA.org
Our Latest Annual Report

7. COMMERCIALISM & CUSTOMER CARE
www.CambsHIA.org
One set of leaflets and paid advertisements

8. COMMERCIALISM & CUSTOMER CARE
One lot of social media
www.CambsHIA.org

9. HIGHLIGHTS
PERFORMANCE
 Time taken to complete adaptations has more than
halved since 2017/18
 Time taken to complete works <£10k was 40.6 wks, in
2019 it is 16 wks
 Time taken to complete major works was 58.3 wks in
2019 it is 22 wks
 Complete about 370 adaptations PA
 Staff have now trained as Level 4 Trusted Assessors
 CDM & Procurement Compliant
 Locally recently referred to as an “Exemplar of Good
Practice” as a shared service.

10. Thank you for listening. For more
information, please contact me at
Cambs HIA:
Frances.swann@cambshia.org
or 01954 713456