Agenda item
Draft 2009/12 Tower Hamlets Housing Strategy (CAB 069/089) To Follow
Decision:
Councillor Rofique U. Ahmed declared a personal interest in Agenda item 7.1 “Draft 2009/12 Tower Hamlets Housing Strategy” (CAB 069/089). The declaration of interest was made on the basis that:
· The report contained recommendations relating to the Olympic Park and Councillor Ahmed was a Board Member - Olympic Delivery Authority - Planning Decision Team.
· The report contained recommendations relating to the Ocean Estate and Councillor Ahmed was a resident of the Ocean Estate.
Councillor J Peckdeclared a personal interest in Agenda item 7.1 “Draft 2009/12 Tower Hamlets Housing Strategy” (CAB 069/089). The declaration of interest was made on the basis that the report contained recommendations relating to housing strategy and initiatives with housing associations and Councillor Peck was a member of the governing body of the Gateway Housing Association.
Councillor S Islamdeclared a personal interest in Agenda item 7.1 “Draft 2009/12 Tower Hamlets Housing Strategy” (CAB 069/089). The declaration of interest was made on the basis that the report contained recommendations relating to housing strategy, including potential partnership between the Authority and Tower Hamlets Community Housing in a Local Homes Initiative Pilot Project, and Councillor Islam was a representative of the Authority on the governing body of Tower Hamlets Community Housing.
Reasons for Special Circumstances and Urgency agreed.
Resolved:
1. That the structure, content, policy commitments and timelines proposed in the Draft 2009/12 Housing Strategy (CAB 069/089) be noted; and
2. That the consultation approach and provisional timeframe set out in section 5.12 of the report (CAB 069/089) for the final Housing Strategy to be returned [to Cabinet} for decision, be agreed.
Action by
INTERIM CORPORATE DIRECTOR DEVELOPMENT AND RENEWAL
(P. EVANS)
Service Head, Strategy, Regeneration and Sustainability, Development and Renewal (J Odunoye)
Interim Housing Strategy Manager, Housing Strategy and Development, Development and Renewal (A. Cahill)
Minutes:
Councillor Rofique U. Ahmed declared a personal interest in Agenda item 7.1 “Draft 2009/12 Tower Hamlets Housing Strategy” (CAB 069/089). The declaration of interest was made on the basis that:
· The report contained recommendations relating to the Olympic Park and Councillor Ahmed was a Board Member - Olympic Delivery Authority - Planning Decision Team.
· The report contained recommendations relating to the Ocean Estate and Councillor Ahmed was a resident of the Ocean Estate.
Councillor J Peckdeclared a personal interest in Agenda item 7.1 “Draft 2009/12 Tower Hamlets Housing Strategy” (CAB 069/089). The declaration of interest was made on the basis that the report contained recommendations relating to housing strategy and initiatives with housing associations and Councillor Peck was a member of the governing body of the Gateway Housing Association.
Councillor S Islamdeclared a personal interest in Agenda item 7.1 “Draft 2009/12 Tower Hamlets Housing Strategy” (CAB 069/089). The declaration of interest was made on the basis that the report contained recommendations relating to housing strategy, including potential partnership between the Authority and Tower Hamlets Community Housing in a Local Homes Initiative Pilot Project, and Councillor Islam was a representative of the Authority on the governing body of Tower Hamlets Community Housing.
The Chair informed members of the Cabinet that the special circumstances and reasons for urgency associated with the proposals were detailed on the front page of the report. The Cabinet subsequently agreed the special circumstances and reasons for urgency as set out on the front page of the report and also set out below:
· The report was unavailable for public consultation within the standard timescales set out in the Authority’s Constitution, because of the expected publication of the Mayor’s Draft London Housing Strategy in late November 2008. The Mayor’s document will eventually be a statutory document that local housing strategies will need to broadly conform to. It was considered necessary to delay the release of the Committee Report and the Draft Housing Strategy in order to gain an early appreciation of the Mayor’s overall intentions, including any significant announcements that might impact on the Council’s proposed approach. The Mayor’s document was published on 20 November 2008 and has necessitated some changes to both the Committee Report and the Draft (Tower Hamlets) Housing Strategy itself.
Councillor Francis, Lead Member Housing and Development, in introducing the three reports (Agenda item 7.1 “Draft 2009/12 Tower Hamlets Housing Strategy”, Agenda item 7.2 “Local Homes Initiative - Pilot Project”, Agenda item 7.5 “Responses to the Scrutiny Working Group - Choice Based Lettings Scheme”, summarised the salient points contained therein:
· Commenting that:
o Tower Hamlets needed to have in place a strategy to tackle the current housing issues in the Borough.
o The Draft Housing Strategy set out in the report had been brought forward alongside the Local Development Framework which provided a planning framework for the Authority and both were intended to be congruent.
o The ambition of the Draft Housing Strategy was huge and no other local authority in London or of comparable size was endeavouring to bring forward anything of similar significance. However he considered that the scale of the ambition matched the scale of recognised need in Tower Hamlets for example homeless single people, highlighted by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the large numbers of households trying to get a foot on the housing ladder and especially those living in overcrowded conditions.
· Highlighting the following key elements:
o Delivering Decent Homes
¨ The former Deputy Prime Minister had set an ambitious Decent Homes standard and target approximately 10 years previously for local authorities, and the Authority had endeavoured to meet this through Stock Transfer and Housing Choice.
¨ There had been some successes resulting in some estates with social housing of a high standard, and some of these were now moving on to achieve environmental improvements as well.
¨ However there had been some failings with Housing Choice and the Authority was now endeavouring to address this through the ALMO (Arms Length Management Organisation or Tower Hamlets Homes).
¨ Huge levels of resources, approximately £400 million, were required to achieve the Decent Homes Standard across all housing estates in the Borough.
¨ As Lead Member he acknowledged that there was a shortfall even though it had submitted bids for £250 million from Government. Also these resources for capital investment would only be released to the Authority if there was a significant improvement in Housing Management performance and the achievement of a two star rating from the Audit Commission. Significant work is needed to secure this, although there were some encouraging signs of improvement from Tower Hamlets Homes for example the caretaking service.
¨ The Draft Housing Strategy set out what could be achieved if the Authority improved its housing management performance and the resources for capital investment in housing stock was unlocked.
o New Housing Supply
¨ As Lead Member he recognised that this posed a challenge for the Authority particularly in the context of the current downturn in the housing market. Over the past decade the Authority had operated in a benign environment and the relationship between the achievement of objectives by property developers and securing of funding for the achievement of the Authority’s objectives had proven productive. Although Tower Hamlets was fortunate to have the advantage of the 2012 Olympics and Docklands, the economic downturn was causing property developers to abandon development projects and this would impact on the Authority.
¨ In this context the Draft Housing Strategy shifted the Authority’s approach with Social Housing Grant from Government now to be applied to delivering social housing. Bids in partnership with Housing Associations had been made to Government for approximately £200 million to deliver affordable housing for social rent and also for ownership: 5000 homes altogether.
¨ Councillor Francis noted the recent inflation of the targets for new supply for places such as Tower Hamlets by the Mayor of London without an evidence base and commented that to achieve the new target additional funding would be required.
o Reducing Overcrowding
¨ It was estimated that there were currently 9000 overcrowded households on the Authority’s waiting list for housing. This had acute implications for children: with infectious illness and disease known to spread in such conditions also a detrimental impact on their educational attainment with no space for quiet study and disturbance of sleep impacting on sustained concentration levels. There was also known to be a negative impact on the wellbeing of parents for example stress and depression.
¨ Members recognised the issues because of the volume of such cased encountered at their advice surgeries and acknowledged that more needed to be done.
¨ The Draft Housing Strategy included significant initiatives to mitigate overcrowding:
ü Releasing small sites in partnership with Housing Associations such as Tower Hamlets Community Housing and Poplar HARCA to provide family sized social housing, and it was anticipated this would deliver 100 new homes in the next 18 months.
ü Buying back properties bought under the “Right to Buy” legislation with this initiative focusing on 3 to 4 bedroom family sized units.
ü Reform of the Choice Based Lettings Scheme: a detailed and positive response to the recommendations of the Scrutiny Review Working Group which Councillor Heslop had led.
¨ Other local authorities in London such as Newham, Hackney and Islington were now starting to explore a similar approach to prioritising overcrowding.
¨ It was anticipated that the new approach of refocusing priority on overcrowdiing would help 500 overcrowded households, and if successful consideration would be given to repeating this again in future.
· Addressed the matters raised by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, held on 2nd December 2008, in relation to the report; as set out in the tabled sheet of questions and comments presented by the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee earlier in the proceedings:
The Authority has a successful track record of securing funding from Government, including gap funding, although the Authority remained uncertain as to the final amount it would secure. New Social Housing Grant would support an ambitious package of housing initiatives and the Authority had been given notice that it had secured £33 million of such funding for affordable housing providers (mainly housing associations) to deliver more new housing. There would be further opportunities to bid for the unused allocation of other local authorities and Councillor Francis was optimistic that Tower Hamlets would secure the most part of the funding it had sought.
· Formally extended his thanks to Mr Cahill, Interim Housing Strategy Manager, and Ms Odunoye, Service Head for Strategy, Regeneration and Sustainability, together with their team of officers for their contribution to producing the draft Housing Strategy.
· Concluded by remarking that the scale of the ambition within the draft Housing Strategy compared very favourably to the limited ambition of the housing strategy of the new Mayor of London. He considered that this allowed Conservative-led Outer London Boroughs to fail to address housing need and instead to put public resources into the hands of those aspiring to home ownership at the expense of social housing. He gave an assurance that Tower Hamlets would not follow this approach but would chart its own course which delivered housing which met the needs of its community.
A discussion followed, during which the draft Housing Strategy and in particular the scale of its ambition and potential positive impact was universally welcomed, the vision of the Administration commended, thanks extended to Councillor Francis, Lead Member for Housing and Development, for his commitment in taking this agenda forward over recent months and to both him and the Officer team for their contribution to the production of the draft Strategy. The Local Homes Initiative Pilot Project and Response to the Scrutiny Working Group on Choice Based Lettings Scheme were also broadly welcomed. The following points were also made:-
Housing Strategy and Local Homes Initiative – Pilot Project
· The level of housing need and in particular overcrowding in the borough, as reflected in levels of casework brought to Ward Councillor surgeries, was acknowledged.
· The detrimental impact of overcrowding on children and family wellbeing was noted.
· The initiative to buy back properties bought under the Right to Buy was welcomed, particularly in the context of owners living elsewhere and sub-letting such properties with a consequent correlation in anti social behaviour.
· Partnership with housing associations such as Tower Hamlets Community Housing and Poplar HARCA to deliver family sized homes was welcomed. The anticipated positive outcome for St Dunstan’s and Stepney Green Ward was noted.
· The significant level of resources required for initiatives within the draft Housing Strategy such as the buy back of family sized properties bought under the Right to Buy was noted and an assurance sought that confirmation of available funding, understood to be approximately £20 million, would be expeditious.
· Whilst recognising the Local Homes Initiative as an extremely positive initiative and noting the positive outcome it would deliver for Mile End and Globetown Ward, concern was expressed in respect of the proposed number of two bed units as opposed to three and four bed units given acknowleged needs.
Choice Based Lettings Scheme
Councillor Hawkins, Lead Member Children’s Services, speaking in her capacity as Chair of the Corporate Parenting Steering Group, the remit of which was to safeguard the interests of Looked After Children in Tower Hamlets:
· Noted that there were currently approximately 350 such children and 75 per cent of these were looked after outside the borough. Councillor Hawkins considered this to be of great concern in the context of the Authority’s goal to improve their outcomes, as they were isolated from their social networks and unable to benefit from the excellent and improving Children’s Services in Tower Hamlets.
· Commented, with reference to Recommendation and Response 8 within the Action Plan at Appendix 1 to Agenda item 7.5 “Responses to the Scrutiny Working Group - Choice Based Lettings Scheme”, [prioritising housing for foster carers], that she understood there were a number of families approved to foster babies and older children if adequate housing space was available, and more work and innovative thinking was required to address this issue.
· Accordingly Councillor Hawkins proposed an amendment to the recommendation set out in paragraph 2.1 of the report, for the consideration of members of the Cabinet, as follows:-
“That the Action Plan be approved subject to the revision of Response to recommendation 8 to include that the work between Children’s Services and Development and Renewal Directorates continue with a view, after consultation with the Lead Member Children’s Services and Lead Member Housing and Development, to identifying housing solutions that accommodate more Looked After Children.”
The Chair summarised with the following comments:
· Having grown up on a housing estate in an overcrowded household he had a good understanding of the conditions faced by many of his constituents who continued to live in overcrowded conditions, and this had been reinforced by a recent visit with the Interim Service Head, Housing Strategy and Development, to an overcrowded household to see conditions first hand.
· He considered the Labour Government was to be commended for investing additional resources in housing.
· The Labour Administration in Tower Hamlets had, since 1994, invested a huge level of resources in bringing housing stock up to standard and he considered it was appropriate that the work of the past 10-12 years continued, although he recognised that the current problems could not be resolved overnight.
· The Lead Member Housing and Development was to be commended for his vision and the scale of the ambition contained in the draft Housing Strategy to expedite the delivery of decent homes and mitigate overcrowding in the Borough.
· The innovative reform of the Choice Based Lettings Scheme was to be welcomed.
· The initiatives to relieve overcrowding were also welcome particularly the buying back of larger property, bought under the Right to Buy, to house overcrowded families.
· The Draft Housing Strategy alongside the Local Homes Initiative Pilot project and Choice Based Lettings Action Plan would, he considered, yield transformational change in housing provision.
· Extended his thanks and those of the Cabinet to the Officer Team’s contribution to the proposals in all three reports.
The Chair then Moved:
· The recommendations set out in the report “Draft 2009/12 Tower Hamlets Housing Strategy” (CAB 069/089).
· The recommendations set out in the report “Local Homes Initiative - Pilot Project” (CAB 070/089).
· The recommendations set out in the report “Responses to the Scrutiny Working Group - Choice Based Lettings Scheme” (CAB 073/089), taking account of the proposed amendment from Councillor Hawkins.
Resolved:
1. That the structure, content, policy commitments and timelines proposed in the Draft 2009/12 Housing Strategy (CAB 069/089) be noted; and
2. That the consultation approach and provisional timeframe set out in section 5.12 of the report (CAB 069/089) for the final Housing Strategy to be returned [to Cabinet] for decision, be agreed.
Supporting documents:
- Draft 2009 12 Tower Hamlets Housing Strategy Final CAB 031208, item 7.1 PDF 81 KB
- Draft 2009 12 Tower Hamlets Housing Strategy Appx, item 7.1 PDF 593 KB
- Housing Strategy Appx Evidence Base, item 7.1 PDF 2 MB