Agenda and minutes

To consider any apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Nanouche Umeadi.

There were none.

Broadcast of the meeting

The Chair to announce the following: ‘In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on our website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you have asked to address the meeting, you are deemed to be consenting to having your contributions recorded and broadcast, including video when switched on, and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.’

Any other announcements

Broadcast of the meeting

The Chair announced that the meeting was being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and could be viewed on the website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts were archived and could be made available upon request. Those who had asked to address the meeting were deemed to be consenting to having their contributions recorded and broadcast and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.

There were none.

To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 21^st February 2023.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 21^st February 2023.

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the meeting held on 21^st February 2023 be approved and signed as a correct record.

Requests to speak at the Committee on a matter within its terms of reference must be made in writing to the clerk named on the front of this agenda by 5pm two working days before the meeting.

There were none.

To note the terms of reference of the scrutiny committee as set out below

‘To scrutinise the Council’s policies and the provision, planning, financing, management and performance of services relating to housing provided by the Supporting Communities Directorate and other service providers’

Consideration was given to the terms of reference as set out in the agenda papers.

RESOLVED –

THAT the terms of reference of the scrutiny committee as set out in the agenda papers be noted.

To consider the appointment of Ifrax Mahamoud, Beverly Chambers and Andrea Radice as co-opted members for the 23/24 municipal year.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Property Management

The Chair advised the meeting that following on from the recommendations made by the scrutiny committee back in December 22, she would be proposing that Ifrax Mahamoud, Beverly Chambers and Andrea Radice be recommended fill the 3 co-opted members positions on the scrutiny committee for the 23/24 municipal year.

RESOLVED –

THAT Ifrax Mahamoud, Beverly Chambers and Andrea Radice be appointed as the 3 co-opted members for the 23/24 municipal year.

Report of the Director of Housing

This report provides an update on the transformation work underway within Housing

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Housing.

Glendine Shepherd, Director of Housing, took the meeting through the report and she along with Simone Melia, Head of Housing Solutions, Gerry Crowley, Head of Allocations, and Maria Jacobs, Head of Neighbourhoods, gave the following key responses to questions:

·       Officers had developed a plan for delivering high quality housing services for the borough’s tenants and residents. This plan was RAG (Red, Green Amber) rated to show whether the approach was on the right path and being delivered, had included information regarding tenant’s satisfaction and how housing services dealt with complaints and feedback. The plan and its delivery would be monitored by a Housing Transformation Board, the Council’s Chief Officer Meeting, Housing Scrutiny Committee, and the Housing District Management Committees.

·       The Council had baseline information regarding tenant’s views on its housing services that was obtained through an initial tenant’s satisfaction survey. A further tenant’s satisfaction survey would be undertaken in the autumn which would provide an official position regarding the views of tenants and residents. This survey outcome would show the authority whether it was on the right path.

·       Homelessness applicants that presented themselves to the Council often came via many different routes. These applicants may already be in temporary accommodation and been assessed whilst they were there, some maybe still lived where they approached the authority from. The Council would at first seek to support them to remain where they were by helping to sustain their existing tenancy, along with receiving further advice and support from officers to maximise their income. People who presented to the authority as homeless did not always need to go into temporary accommodation or need permanent accommodation in the future. Where people did need temporary accommodation then the Council’s approach was to try to place them in-borough first, then work outwards from the borough whilst seeking to place them as close to the borough as possible. Last year out of 900 applications just under half of them were placed via tenant transfers.

·       Some tenants had sought to remain in temporary accommodation for approximately 10 years due to personal reasons. The Council’s aim was to move people from temporary accommodation into a more settled solution. As part of the work being done in the Allocations, Lettings and Private Housing Services Team officers were seeking to develop a temporary accommodation reduction strategy that would give each household a moving-on pathway to a more settled solution. Also additional hostel accommodation would become available for the Council to use to place families. This though was proving to be very challenging with a 400% increase in the number of families presenting to the Council.

·       Due to the current problems in the housing sector, there had been a 41% reduction in the number of private rented sector homes available to place people in temporary accommodation. Private rented sector rents had also substantially increased meaning that the single room rate available to some tenants did not cover this cost in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Report of the Director of Housing

This report provides information on the Council’s programme of resident participation and engagement across all of its estates and street properties.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Housing.

Oliver Jones, Interim Director of Recreation, took the meeting through the report and gave the following key responses to questions:

·       The Council had opted to choose Ampthill Square and Ossulston estates in the first phase of the engagement programme so that it could trial out the approach being followed. The lessons learnt from the engagement days would then form the template for future sessions. Having an existing tenant’s infrastructure already in place would help officers as part of the trail for when officers then had to go into an estate that did not already have this framework in place. Officers were already learning that the door knocking was proving to generate more contacts and information than the pop-ups. Officers would ensure that those estates without tenant’s infrastructure were part of the engagement programme. Also officers would seek to feedback to informal groups of tenants on an estate regarding the outcomes from the Estate Action Plans. The Estate Action Plans would be published on the Council’s website for tenants to view, along with possibly doing letter drops again to tenants. Officers would also see if as a result of this undertaking, capacity building of a tenants infrastructure for the estate could be achieved   

·       At the Ampthill Estate engagement session, officers engaged with two thirds of the tenants and obtained comments from over 40% of the households. This was providing officers with a huge amount of information to go through regarding the issues identified by tenants on the estate. The conversations with tenants were mostly positive, with tenants mostly appreciative of where they lived but wanted improvements to their homes and the surrounding area.

·       Tenants would receive a letter a week before the session, then a door knock would be undertaken for those tenants who were not deemed to be vulnerable, had a red flag, or had health conditions. If when the tenant opened the door they did not wish to speak to anyone then they were left a card about what was happening and how they could get involved, along with a phone number and email address if they did not wish to do this in-person.

·       The housing officers separate tenants visit programme was a more in-depth exercise than the summer engagement programme set out in the papers. Officers would not be duplicating roles, as the housing tenant visit sought to enable the housing officer to go into the tenant’s home, where issues like occupancy, cost of living issues, and financial issues could be discussed. Whilst the summer engagement programme was more of a light touch conversation with tenants and residents, which would have neighbourhood managers and officers present (who had received appropriate briefing from senior managers regarding what their roles would be) and would also involve officers from other services. Both approaches were providing the council with data regarding their tenants and the tenant’s needs, which in turn would be shared with other council services as appropriate.

·       The Tenant  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

To consider the report from the Cabinet Member Better Homes

Consideration was given to the report of the Cabinet Member Better Homes.

Councillor Meric Apak, Cabinet Member Better Homes, took the meeting through the report and gave the following key responses to questions:

·       The transformation of housing services was a key priority for the council and would be driven by both external (through the new regulatory framework) and internal new Housing Transformation Board. Officers understood the direction of travel for housing services and were committed to meeting the objectives set out in the transformation programme.

·       It was important that officers engaged and communicated with tenants and residents effectively and in a timely manner. Officers should ensure that tenants were aware of who to contact when a staff member was absent.

·       The master key programme sought to ensure that officers of the council were able to access street property communal areas without the need to call a tenant to ask them to let them in. This programme would enable staff to undertake key health and safety works (e.g. checking or fitting communal fire alarms) in communal areas as and when necessary.

·       The loss of nearly £70M due to the previous government’s rent reduction programme had impacted on the council’s ability to deliver its housing services.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Housing

This report suggests a possible work programme for the scrutiny committee

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Housing

The meeting was advised that in relation to the September meeting there would be a report on Council’s Corporate Performance Quarter 4 end of year 22/23 added to the agenda. The November meeting would be considering the Resident Safety Programme – Implementation of the Fire and Building Safety Acts (Cabinet Report). Also that the Cabinet Adviser report on leaseholder services would be added the meeting in February 24 rather than January as listed in the work programme.

The meeting agreed to ask for a report to the September committee setting up a scrutiny panel on Homelessness. The panel would undertake a deep dive into a specific part of the issue and come up with recommendations on how processes and procedures could be improved. The panel would be 3 or 4 members and cross party.

Programme of meetings (new items in bold)

Items:

·       Family friendly housing and overcrowding

·       Building Safety Act

·       New regulatory standards

(This report to include the new tenant satisfaction measures)

·       Council’s Corporate Performance Quarter 4 end of year 22/23

·       Scrutiny Panel - Homelessness

·       Cabinet Member better Homes – Update

·       Work programme

Items:

·       Repairs and improvement

(This report to include information on planned maintenance and the retrofit programme; roll-out of CCTV across the borough, damp and mould)

·       Housing Association update report

(A report on the activity from Housing Associations in the borough – including the build of new homes; how they are tackling key issues such as damp and mould).

·       Housing Services Performance Update

·       Resident Safety Programme – Implementation of the Fire and Building Safety Acts (Cabinet Report)

·       Cabinet Member better Homes – Update

·       Work programme

·       Housing needs and allocations

·       Housing Supply:

-       CIP deliveryincluding small sites (Cabinet report)

-       Temporary Accommodation Purchasing Programme

-       Private rented sector

·       HRA Budget Update

·       Cabinet Member better Homes – Update

·       Work programme

JANUARY 2024

·       HRA rent setting(Cabinet report)

·       Tenancy arrears

·       Cost of Living issues

·       Cabinet Member Better Homes – Update

·       Work programme

FEBRUARY 2024

·       CIP annual report  

·       Cabinet Member Better Homes annual report

·       Report of Cabinet Adviser: Leaseholder billing and service charges

·       Work programme

Yet to be programmed

RESOLVED –

THAT the report work programme be revised as outlined above.

There were none.