Agenda and draft minutes

No apologies were received for this meeting.

No declarations were made at this meeting.

To approve the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting on 29 November 2023.

RESOLVED – That the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 29 November 2023 be approved as a correct record.

Members are asked to note the Sub-Committee’s Action Tracker.

The Sub-Committee received the actions tracker and noted the following:

1. Regarding the action in respect of vehicle charging points, feasibility studies identified that many of the sites needed more remedial work to the electrical installations than originally anticipated. The Chair highlighted the changes that were expected regarding the abolition of the purchase of fossil fuel consuming motor vehicles and encouraged officers to look at infrastructure, and more innovative technologies that were available for use on City of London Corporation’s estates.

2. An officer provided an update on automatic door devices in which they confirmed that an access audit was to be conducted across all of the estates and a report shall be brought to the Sub-Committee at its next meeting advising Members of the next steps needed.

3. The Chair had asked for a report to be brought to the Committee at its next meeting regarding the arbitration panel being a part of the complaints process,

4. An officer provided an update concerning the new repairs and maintenance contract, advising Members that the consultant (Pennington) tender documentation and that all issues had been discussed with Pennington and raised with both the Corporation’s Legal team and Procurement team. In response a Member asked when the Sub-Committee shall be able view and comment on the tender document, and it was agreed that once a draft had been produced that it shall be circulated to Members for comment.

5. A member raised a question regarding the September 2022 Customer Service Review and asked officers for the results of this exercise and what actions the City of London Corporation had taken already; the potential costs to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) were mentioned also. Officers confirmed that repairs dominated the review, and a resident focus project was formed which aimed to improve policies,

Report of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub-Committee received a report which considered the current governance arrangements and recommends how these arrangements should be provided in the future.

The Assistant Town Clerk advised the committee that the report had already been considered by the Community and Children’s Services Committee, the Barbican Residents Committee and the Barbican Estate Residents Consultative Committee. The Assistant Town Clerk advised Members that the decision sought by this Committee was whether it had any feedback to the recommendations listed in the report that it would like to make to the Community and Children’s Services Committee.

The Chair asked if more clarity could be given on the annual workplan and was keen to know when an update would be given to the Sub-Committee to which officers confirmed that this would be provided at the next meeting.

A member raised a concern, which had previously been raised at the Community and Children’s Services Committee meeting held on 25 January 2023, that it was of their opinion that the Chair of the Community and Children’s Services Committee should not be Chair of the Housing Management and Almshouses Sub-Committee. The creation of a wider management team and a demanding workload were highlighted as factors for their concern.

RESOLVED, that - Members agreed, to the recommendations listed in the report.

Report of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services providing an update on the Housing Major Works Programme.

During the discussion and questions, the following points were noted:

• Work on wider windows had been continuing and consultation on William Blake Estate had begun. Officers were exploring all possible technologies available including vacuum glazing.

• There had been advancements on Golden Lane Estate and a pilot project had been ongoing at Crescent House. Feedback regarding this project had exceeded officers’ expectations, as the pilot project had received positive reviews, and officers confirmed that vacuum glazing had helped to improve thermal comfort inside the property due to the creation of effective insulation. Officers informed the committee that an architect had been living in the property to ensure that the property is properly tested to its full potential; the architect had been monitoring heating costs and testing the creation of moisture and humidity within the property. Officers also met with residents in the week prior to demonstrate how the ventilation system works.

• Officers referred to the appendices of this report, explaining the data presented and asked Members for feedback in terms of how to better present this information.  An update on Avondale Estate was provided and majority of works there had been completed however there were certain clashes with other programmes (Cadent replacing the Gas Infrastructure) whilst also managing several contractors on site which consequently caused a temporary pause on certain works due to be carried out. Officers advised that the estimated costs listed in the appendices were unfunded and that a quantitative surveyor had been tasked with revising these costs to ensure that they were current to modern day values and to ensure any inflation had been applied. A member acknowledged that that a good number of works had

Report of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services, providing an update on the planned survey of the City Corporation’s tenants.

Officers informed the committee that this was the first year that the tenant satisfaction survey became mandatory, and the results were expected to be supplied to the Social Housing Regulator by 30 June 2024. Performance had increased since the last survey, however repairments needed improvements in the years to come. More analysis of the results was expected to be conducted and a report was expected to be produced for the next meeting. A member asked officers why there were tenants who had not completed the survey and whether an 18% return rate was good in comparison to previous return rates. Officers responded to Members and explained that there was no clear reason as to why tenants had not filled out the survey, alluding to multiple factors such as personal preference, and that the minimum return rate was based on the tenant population. Acuity, the social housing consultancy firm who conducted the survey, calculated the number needed to meet the central government threshold and officers suggested that the City Corporation would exceed this threshold in the following year. However, the statistics were reliable since there were more tenant responses than both tenant and leaseholders combined in previous years.

A Member asked officers if there was more work that the City of London Corporation could do to help tenants who were struggling with the impact of the current cost of living. Officers confirmed that whilst there were ongoing initiatives, such as the Green Doctors Scheme and Winter Measures Programme, there could be more work to be done and if Members had any areas that they would like further insight on that these areas could be included in

Report of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services, providing an update on the current rent setting policy.

A Member asked officers whether tenants in receipt of Housing Benefits or Universal Credit would be covered by these benefits mentioned regarding the increase to their rental charge. Officers confirmed that tenants would be covered by these benefits.

RESOLVED, that - the report be received and its contents noted.

A Member asked if the Committee could receive a report which provided further details on the progress of the new buildings and projects being constructed to which the Chair advised that this question was related to an item of business which would be picked up under item 10.

Chair discussed the target set for the building of social and affordable housing and how this was not expected to be achieved in the estimated time given and suggested for these targets to be reset. The Chair asked for a report to be brought to committee at a later date and asked officers to provide more information on the matter.  Officers confirmed that the original target had been to build 3,700 new homes; 700 of which are to be social housing units developed on existing housing estates and a further 3,000 on land acquired by the City of London Corporation. They expected that by the end of 2025, 370 of the 700 units will have been built and identified potential for further developments on other estates. Officers informed the committee that an estimated timeline had not been established in the initial report concerning the building of social housing and that officers can report to Members a target that might be more feasible. In regards to Avondale Estate, and it’s potential for the development of social and affordable housing, this would require demolition and regeneration of the estate to which officers suggested investigating a different approach due to financial constraints.

It was confirmed that a report would be brought to the next committee meeting detailing the status of affordable housing built, in relation to the 3,700 target, and the expectations of the London Wide Plan and what the City of London Corporations’ local plan originally set out to achieve.

MOTION - That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

To approve the non-public minutes of the meeting on 29 November 2023.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 29 November 2023 be approved as a correct record.

There were two non-public questions.

There was no other business.