Agenda item
SCRUTINY SPOTLIGHT - DEVELOPMENT AND RENEWAL DIRECTORATE
To receive an oral presentation from Councillor Rabina Khan, Cabinet Member for Housing, with a focus on Decent Homes.
Minutes:
Councillor Rabina Khan, Cabinet Member for Housing, gave a detailed presentation (PowerPoint slides Tabled, a copy of which would be interleaved with the minutes), focusing on Decent Homes and challenges/ opportunities for housing in the borough. Jackie Odunoye (Service Head Strategy Regeneration & Sustainability), Alison Thomas (Private Sector & Affordable Housing Manager) and Jamie Carswell (Director of Investment Tower Hamlets Homes) were also in attendance for this item. The following points were highlighted:-
· THH Decent Homes (DH) -£94 million funding secured (second largest allocation nationally and programme progressing. The 2010 DH pilot achieved 802 against target 771 decent homes. Programme now being managed differently to optimise community benefits via local economy (examples given eg sponsorship work on TH Foodbank). Work with Registered Providers (RPs) on DH outlined including improvement needed on East End Homes estates at Island Gardens Mile End and Poplar HARCA at East India.
· Progress on Housing Choice promises
· Revised Lettings Allocations scheme approved and implemented - simpler for residents to understand and sanctions to discourage bids/ subsequent offers/ no move.
· Highest number of affordable homes built and New Homes Bonus in country - Council nominated for awards.
· Funding approved for 2 new Council housing schemes -? and Blake Way.
· Homeless Statement approved. Welfare reform impacting on homelessness - £2.2million invested in temporary housing so people not homeless but living in Tower Hamlets
· Overcrowding and Under occupation measures taken forward – pensioners not affected by benefit cap so Council working with partners on bespoke solution to address this. Under occupancy reduced from 2000 households to 1300 under current Lead Member term.
· Highly proactive response to welfare reform in place – other councils seeking to follow this good practice.
· Local Plan and Managing Development Document taken forward – pioneering “pod analysis” being used as basis for joint Judicial Review undertaken with neighbouring boroughs.
· Challenges included:-
- Welfare Reforms
- Decent Homes target
- Overcrowding and homelessness
- Building new Council & social/affordable housing
o Fuel Poverty
- Project 120 – Council/ RPs working to address housing needs of residents with complex disabilities and medical problems.
A comprehensive discussion followed, which focused on the following points:
· Welcomed the Lead Member’s highlighting of partnership working with RPs in contrast to the Mayor’s recent criticism of them. It was the duty of the Mayor and Lead Member for Housing to praise RPs or hold them to account as appropriate, and the Lead Member did so eg writing to the HCA on the failings of the Guinness Housing Association.
· Clarification/ assurance sought and given on the mechanism used to prioritise blocks for Decent Homes, given anecdotal information of some blocks being favoured for priority, particularly in the context of the forthcoming 2014 Mayoral and Local Government elections. Blocks were prioritised for DH on the basis of stock condition surveys undertaken by the Council together with the logistics of the managing the DH Programme. The DH Programme must be completed to timescale or face losing GLA funding.
· Clarification sought as to whether Tower Hamlets Homes (THH) staff attended households in the late evening to resolve housing issues. Yes, examples cited.
· Clarification sought and given regarding recent TV adverts promoting the DH Programme and the associated process for residents to phone to ascertain when DH works were scheduled for their block. What was the process? What data was captured? What feedback was made to residents? What was the cost of this process? What advertising was being undertaken for residents that did not watch ethnic community TV or were not ICT fluent? What was the ethnic breakdown of residents responding to the adverts? How quickly were enquiries dealt with and would a site visit by the Scrutiny Lead Member be possible to identify if turnarounds could be matched elsewhere in the Council? A map on the THH website updated weekly as the DH Programme changed allowed residents to identlfy when DH works would be undertaken also drop in sessions and Section 20 consultation. Residents were given a telephone number to call and a response was made to tenants within 2 days, emails were responded to standard response timescales. THH was not aware of commercial TV adverts on this matter. The Chair Noted that the Lead Member for Housing had agreed that a site visit by the Scrutiny Lead Member for Development & Renewal to the Call Centre dealing with responses to the TV adverts discussed earlier would be facilitated.
· Concern expressed that THH was unaware of the TV adverts. OSC formally requested information on the commissioning process for the adverts. Clarification also sought as to whether a letter in response to resident enquiries to the number advertised promoted the achievements of the Mayor. Was the Lead Member and relevant Service Head aware of the adverts promoting DH programme and the response letters to residents promoting the achievements of the Mayor before the OSC meeting? Who had approved expenditure for the initiative and whose idea was it? Councillor Khan and Ms Odunoye had been aware of the adverts. Ms Odunoye had not been aware of the response process for resulting phone enquiries. Councillor Khan undertook to provide a briefing note to OSC on all the information requested.
· Clarification sought and given as to the source of the £94 million funding secured for the DH Programme and whether the funding had been earmarked by the Labour Government. When the Coalition Government had been formed councils with outstanding DH schemes outstanding were asked to rebid for available DH funding, with new competing bids permitted. LBTH had bid for a higher figure but had not secured all funding sought as with other councils. DH figures had been discussed with civil servants under the Labour Government, but a sum had not been allocated as LBTH had been in the last round for funding.
· Clarification sought and given as to what action could be taken to mitigate the unaffordable private rented housing market. Also the current position on empty homes. The Council had limited regulatory functions for this sector comprising 38% of homes in the borough. It was working with other east London councils and the better landlords to address the significant rise in numbers of homeless previously living in private rented property.Work to provide grant to landlords to bring empty properties into use for people on the Housing Waiting list and action by Environmental Health officers to address health and safety concerns in private sector properties.
· Clarification sought and given as to the changing balance in the affordable housing market, including impact of changes in Section 106 resources for such schemes. There was a trend for groups of affluent professionals to rent former Right to Buy property.
· Clarification/ assurance sought and given as to the average expenditure per DH home: whether this was comparable with other London boroughs and provided value for money. THH was confident that competitive rates had been achieved from contractors undertaking DH works and the supply chain was being managed to achieve cost savings. Quality assurance mechanisms were also outlined.
· Clarification/ assurance sought and given as to how THH provided support to residents experiencing problems with DH contractors.
The Chair Moved and it was:-
Resolved
1. That the information given in the scrutiny spotlight presentation/s, be noted.
2. That a further report be presented for future OSC consideration on the TV adverts promoting the DH Programme, and related issues raised by the OSC.
Action by:
Jackie Odunoye (Service Head Strategy Regeneration & Sustainability, D&R)
Alison Thomas (Private Sector & Affordable Housing Manager, D&R)