Good evening and welcome to the Housing and RegenerationScrutiny Sub Committee my name is Councillor Dipa Das and I will be Chairing this meeting. Please note that this meeting is being recorded and will be available to view via the Council’s website by tomorrow morning. Thank you all for participating in this meeting under these new circumstances. It is important that these formal scrutiny meetings resume as the Council must continue to demonstrate transparency and openness in its decision-making and include scrutiny as part and parcel of the Council’s operations for and on behalf of the residents of Tower Hamlets. Following Government advice to avoid all but essential travel and to practice social distancing, this will be a virtual meeting. If during the meeting a technical error occurs with the transmission which cannot be resolved within a reasonable period of time, then the meeting will be closed and the remaining business will be deferred to a subsequent meeting of the Committee on a date to be determined, and notified by way of the publication of the agenda on the Council’s web site. Everyone (whether participating or listening-in) including Committee Members and the Officers are accessing this meeting from remote locations.

Please could everybody ensure that mobile phones are switched off or on ‘silent mode’. Members and Officers will be speaking at various points during the meeting and those speaking may switch their cameras on at that point, but I would ask that with the exception of myself as Chair, at all other times you keep your microphones switched off as this will help to minimise any background noise and interference and to ensure the connection remains as stable as possible. If any Members and officers wish to raise a point or question, they should use the ‘Meeting Chat’ facility accessed via the teams toolbar signified by the conversation icon, and simply type “Speak?” and I will come to you in the order I receive requests.  Please do not use your microphone until I invite you to do so. Can I please ask the Members and guests to introduce themselves when they speak for the first time at the meeting.

We will now go through the agenda.  

Members are reminded to consider the categories of interest in the Code of Conduct for Members to determine whether they have an interest in any agenda item and any action they should take. For further details, please see the attached note from the Monitoring Officer.

Members are reminded to declare the nature of the interest and the agenda item it relates to. Please note that ultimately it’s the Members’ responsibility to declare any interests and to update their register of interest form as required by the Code.

If in doubt as to the nature of your interest, you are advised to seek advice prior to the meeting by contacting the Monitoring Officer or Democratic Services

No declarations were received at this meeting.

That the unrestricted minutes of the last meeting held on 21^st were approved as a correct record of the proceedings. Copy to sign.

Subject to the following amendment:

1. Delete from list of attendees Sandra Fawcett Chair of the Tower Hamlets Housing Forum (THHF); and
2. Insert in the list of attendees Pam Bhamra Director of Operations Tower Hamlets Community Housing (THCH)

The Sub-Committee will be asked to consider in regard to Covid-19:

     I.        An assessment of how the Council has handled the response;

    II.        An assessment of recovery phase; and

  III.        What key challenges remain and how to improve future Pandemic Plan.

The Committee received a report that provided an update on the Councils response to rough sleeping during the corona virus and the impact of Covid-19 Private Rented Sector.  The main points of the discussion may be summarised as follows:

The Committee noted that:

Responding to rough sleeping during the corona virus

·         Since mid-March – following a directive from government all rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping had to be accommodated to facilitate social distancing/self-isolation, regardless of priority need, local connection, or recourse to public funds.

·         Over 200 individuals either rough sleeping on the streets or at imminent risk of rough sleeping where been found emergency accommodation by the Council. Most being from Tower Hamlets with over 40 have no recourse to public funds.

·         Rough sleeping in the Tower Hamlets had reduced dramatically during the lockdown. Entrenched rough sleepers being accommodated in commercial hotels. Ad hoc bookings in the portfolio of emergency Bed and Breakfast accommodation was increased to provide accommodation to those judged to be at risk of rough sleeping or who claim to be rough sleeping.

·         A large supply of hotel accommodation was also procured for rough sleepers by the GLA at the start of the pandemic. There are 350 rough sleepers in GLA hotels in Tower Hamlets. Individuals have been accommodated under Housing Act 1996 s.188(1) duty and Housing Act 1996 s.205(3) statutory powers, and Localism Act 2011.

Responding to rough sleeping during Covid-19 – Health and Welfare

·         The Council had commissioned 24/7 on-site support and floating support at the commercial hotels as most rough sleepers brought in directly off the streets have complex needs.

·         The value of these arrangements has been shown by the relatively low number of evictions and abandonments from the hotels and the low rough sleeping numbers during the 3 months of the lockdown. Public Health have led on implementing an operational plan to minimise the risk of an outbreak and spread of infection.

·         To date there have been no reported outbreaks in any of the hotels used by the Council or in the Council’s commissioned hostel sector. Given the high levels of substance misuse among the rough sleepers in commercial hotels a priority has been to assess individuals and help them access substance dependence treatment. .

·         The physical health of most rough sleepers in the commercial hotels had been assessed by a nurse. Most have been assessed as having a ‘mental health’ support need, and a number have been referred to mental health services.

·         Full board has been included in the block-booking contract with several hotels and a meal delivery of 3 meals per day has been provided to complex needs rough sleepers at other hotels. Within the wider range of emergency accommodation used by the Council, fridges and microwaves have been provided for people in their rooms to enable social distancing and support with self-isolation.

·         The majority of the Borough’s homeless are in accommodation and the Council are working with its partners to arrange safe housing options for the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.1

The Sub-Committee that Councillor Marc Francis be appointed as the Vice-Chair for the remainder of the current Municipal Year.

There was no other business discussed.