A council tenant helpline which costs over £13,000 received just 70 calls last year.
The Tenant Support and Wellbeing Service is open to Bassetlaw council housing tenants facing issues including financial, legal and mental health problems.
The most common calls were from people facing work problems, health issues like anxiety and depression, or family issues such as relationship breakdowns and bereavement.
It was introduced in October 2022 to relieve pressure on the council’s housing teams, but has received only 70 calls since then.
The council says the service should be measured in the help it provides, rather than the number of calls it receives.
It paid a provider £13,730, giving an average cost of £196 per call.
It has been renewed for a further 12 months at a cost of £13,405.
The council leader admitted that there had been “low uptake” during the first year, but predicted it would increase.
According to council figures, the service works out at a cost of £2.05 for each of its 6539 homes. However, only 22 individual people used it.
A total of 59 per cent of users received “in the moment” emotional support, the according to a report which went before the council’s cabinet on Tuesday (November 29).
The remaining 41 per cent were referred to specialist external support agencies.
The service is regularly promoted through council leaflets, magazines and online to increase use.
Leader Councillor James Naish (Lab) said: “The uptake has been low, but this is expected to increase as it embeds.”
Councillor Jonathan Slater (Lab), Cabinet Member for Housing said: “The value of providing this service should not be measured on the number of calls that were received versus the cost, but the support that is available to all of our tenants.
“We have more than 6,500 tenants and the Tenant Support and Wellbeing Service is available to all of them in their time of need, whenever that may be, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Over the first year of the service, in the majority of cases, calls were made for ‘in-the-moment’ emotional support, with the most frequently reported issues being around health, family and work related issues, with the callers experiencing anxiety and depression.
“Over the last 12 months, we have all experienced cost of living pressures and we know that some of our tenants are going through a really tough time. Especially against the backdrop of Wilko going into administration and thousands of Bassetlaw people losing their jobs.
“The service provides a wide range of support and advice both over the phone and through online resources. As it becomes more embedded and well known over the next 12 months, we anticipate that more and more tenants will turn to this valuable resource as a method of support.”
The report noted that council tenants were increasingly struggling with problems which were beyond the housing team’s expertise.
It is hoped the support will prevent people from losing their tenancies.
The service is outsourced to wellbeing service Life & Progress.
