Agenda item
SCRUTINY SPOTLIGHT
The Lead Member for Housing, Heritage and Planning, Councillor Marc Francis, will attend to report on his portfolio.
(Time allocated – 30 minutes)
Minutes:
Councillor Marc Francis, Lead Member for Housing and Development, gave a detailed presentation on aspects of his portfolio, focusing on areas set out below:-
Achievements during 2009/10 included:
- Launch of the Borough’s Housing Strategy
- Development of Overcrowding Reduction Strategy for Tower Hamlets
- Agreement of new allocations policy, that would deliver greater transparency, efficiency and opportunity to those on the housing register.
- Buy back of 75 ex-council RTB family sized properties as part of the Overcrowding strategy
- Secured £2.5 million from the HCA to start building Council Housing.
- Procured auditors for Leasehold service audit
- Delivered the Strategic Housing Market Assessment
- The Homeless and Housing Advice Service gained the Customer Service Excellence accreditation, providing external recognition of the work done to date on improving the service provided to residents
- Month-on-month reduction in the number of households in temporary accommodation, with numbers heading towards 2,000 by year’s end, in comparison to approximately 3,000 in 2006
- Delivery of 1916 affordable homes in 09/10, of which 44% were family homes, in addition to bringing back 27 non-decent empty properties back into use.
- The council’s Carbon Management Plan was approved by Cabinet in April 09, committing Council to 60% CO2 emissions reduction (on 2007 levels) by 2020
- Delivery of 137 adaptations to enable disabled occupants to remain living independently in their own homes
- Ocean Estate - Successful procurement and appointment of RSL/Developer Partner to deliver major refurbishment of 1200 homes, environmental improvements, a vibrant new shopping area, new community facility and the development of 819 new homes, including 400 affordable homes for rent and shared ownership. Commencement of pilot refurbishment scheme in selected blocks: refurbishment works to 120 homes on route to completing 180 homes by May 2010.
- Blackwall Reach: In a difficult economic climate, negotiating with project partner the HCA to proceed with the regeneration project. The projected scheme will deliver a minimum of 1,600 new homes, additional education and community facilities, improved open space and new commercial space.
Challenges in relation to planning and building control would include:
- Managing the impacts of new or amended legislation. e.g. Localism: What will it mean for Planning? Will the Community Infrastructure Levy replace s106 for infrastructure?
- Continuing to deliver a high quality service with fewer resources e.g. next generation of planning documents lead the way on major projects
- Building control remaining competitive in a trading environment
- Viability v Expectations. Will we be able to continue to deliver affordable housing and infrastructure?
- Managing the demands of growing population in an historic environment
Opportunities in this area would include:
- Aiming to maximise opportunities from the huge investment on our doorstep with the Olympics, Crossrail and Wood Wharf
- Development Opportunities at Blackwall Reach circa 1600 – 2000 homes
- The Marsh Wall Development corridor and hundreds of new homes
- Creation of a new Town Centre at Bromely by Bow with a new anchor store, primary school, hundreds of new homes
- Starting the regeneration of Fish Island within a conserved environment to include new employment, new housing and improved connections to the Olympic Park and Stratford City
Challenges for housing would include:
- Reduced funding
- Increase affordable housing numbers especially family homes
- Improve access to private rented sector
- Further enhancements to lettings procedure to increase transparency
- Changes to housing benefit regulations
- Ocean Estate - The successful completion of the refurbishment of the Councils retained housing on the Estate, together with the delivery of over 350 new affordable rented and intermediate homes through the Partnership with East Thames HA and Bellway Homes“
- Successful delivery of Blackwall Reach
- Tower Hamlets Homes - attainment of two Stars and attraction of Decent Homes funding
Members of Overview and Scrutiny Committee then posed a series of detailed questions to which Councillor Francis responded. The question and answer session was centred on the following points:
- The increasing population in the Borough and the consequent effects on housing requirements for local people, together with the Council’s obligations to meet that need.
- The requirement to address issues arising from overcrowding that affected people’s aspirations and life choices. The Cabinet aimed to maximise the provision of socially rented homes and break the cycle of deprivation that had existed for many families.
- The devastating effects of the cuts in housing benefit.
- The need to put pressure on RSLs to keep rents down and not to increase in line with inflation
- Whether RSLs were still the best way to provide housing and were there any future stock transfers planned
- The expectation that a 2 star rating would be achieved and what would happen if not
The Chair thanked Councillor Francis for his detailed presentation.