Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from the Deputy Chair (Jim Durcan), John Taysum, Monique Long and Fiona Lean. Both Monique and Fiona have sent representatives for this meeting with Stuart Lynas representing Mountjoy House and Helen Hulson representing Ben Jonson House.

There were no declarations.

To agree the minutes of the Barbican Residents’ Consultation Committee (RCC) held on 24 June 2024.

RESOLVED, that – the public minutes from previous meeting held on 24 June 2024 be approved as a correct record subject to the following amendments:

• Page 7 under the subheading ‘Brandon Mews Canopy’ to replace “Andrews House” with “Brandon Mews”
• Paragraph 6.1, ‘Major Works Programme’, to be replaced with ‘Major Works Programme – Redecorations Project’.
• Page 9, 7a) delete phrase in square brackets

Matters Arising

• Regarding the Barbican Highwalks, the Assistant Director agreed to confirm the source of the £50k contribution and inform Members at the next meeting since there was still some confusion over the source of funding as well as which party was responsible for its overall maintenance.

• The Assistant Director also agreed to liaise with the property services team and provide a further update regarding the planned maintenance work carried out on the Lambert Jones roof at the next meeting.

• Whilst there was no update available for the audit of invoices for the balconies situated on Ben Jonson House, the Assistant Director advised Members that once the audit had been finalised then he would be in position to provide the Committee with further information.

• The Assistant Director confirmed that it was the template for registering expiring contracts, which was used for the car parking working party group, that would be used to create the register of contracts.

• The representative of Willoughby House advised the Committee that they were still not satisfied with the redecoration work carried out and wanted to know how the final cost would reflect their dissatisfaction. The Assistant Director confirming that the BEO were in the process of quantifying what work was needed to be redone to Willoughby House, Speed House, Cromwell Tower and Ben Jonson House and the associated costs due to this. A report detailing the funding options would then be

To receive the minutes and reports of the various working parties.

In respect of the lift programme, Members of the RCC remained concerned that lifts on the Barbican Estate were still in a state of disrepair with some being out of action for a number of weeks. It was their expectation that the lift programme would be commencing soon and were keen to know what the BEO was doing to resolve this. The Assistant Director advised the Committee that the BEO was aware of the ongoing issue with lifts and a lot of work was needed to resolve the issue. Their aim was to employ an expert consultant and target lifts, which required repairs, in a more structured way. The mechanical plant which supported the lifts across the estate was deemed to be in a fairly good state. However, the electrical components in most lifts were obsolete and needed replacing. The Assistant Director advised Members that ILECS, an expert industry-leading consultant, would be most appropriate in establishing a project with the BEO to resolve the ongoing issues with the lifts.

The RCC were still awaiting further information from the Highways Department and the Cleansing Department, whom are responsible for processing their output from the Garchey. As well as further input from Thames Water.

A Member raised a question about the redecorations service management and supervision costs. The sum of £85,000, a recharge to residents via service charge, was viewed as a large amount and they were of the view that the City Corporation would undertake this amount. The Assistant Director advised the RCC that the project was outside the day-to-day management scope of the BEO since it was Major Works Project, and as a result its resourcing was from colleagues (City of London employees) not within the BEO with their time being charged for managing this project. The Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services further advised the Committee that she had employed a housing consultant, who had previously worked both with the Housing Revenue Account and Barbican, to assist with the Barbican Transformation Project and it was ensured that the City Corporation funded that post; their employment was specific to a point in the timeline of the transformation.

The Member asked if amelioration in the process was possible to reduce this cost with the Chair confirming that the Assistant Director shall review the costs after the completion of the redecorations project.

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

The Committee received a report of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services in respect of a review of the fire doors across the Barbican Estate

During the discussion, the following points were noted:

1.     There was some confusion as to which doors were going to be replaced with the Assistant Director confirming that it was both the doors and the units surrounding the doors which shall be replaced. However, the Assistant Director was unsure whether the glass surrounding the Fire Doors situated on Andrews House would be replaced and agreed to investigate and provide an update at the next meeting.

2.     The Assistant Director agreed to liaise with the Project Manager to identify which doors shall be self-closing since a Member highlighted a potential security risk.

RESOLVED, that – the report be noted.

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

The Committee received a report of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services in respect of sprinklers situated on the Barbican Estate.

During the discussion, the following points were noted:

1)    The improvement of fire notification systems within the Tower Blocks was strongly advised and the Assistant Director suggested that the proposed Barbican App would help to provide residents with further methods of communication since the App could send phone alerts, text messages and could be used in emergency situations. It was also mentioned that a resident engagement strategy, for the Building Safety Act, would help to initiate a series of webinars where residents would be invited to understand and ensure that they knew what the fire strategy was in their buildings and what to do in the event of a fire. However, the App wouldn’t be a reliant method of communication in emergency situations.

2)    The Chair asked the Assistant Director to confirm the location of both the smoke detection systems and alarm systems. He confirmed that these were present in car parks, tower blocks, plant rooms and overall buildings that the BEO manage. However, they were not present in residential corridors.

RESOLVED, that – the report be noted.

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

The Committee received a report of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services in respect of the Housing Repairs and Maintenance Contracts Report.

During the discussion, the following points were noted:

1.     Members registered their intention for further involvement within the evaluation process, most noticeably an observer role in regards to quality assessments. The Head of Services, Community and Children’s Services reminded the Committee that this was discussed at a recent meeting of the Barbican Repairs and Maintenance allocated working group and advised that the allocated Members shall be evaluating the customer care question for Lots 2 (Overall Barbican Repairs and Maintenance) and 3 (Water Penetration and Specialist Lot). At the time of this meeting, the procurement process was midway through to completion. The appropriate contractors had now been identified with the intention of executing contracts by the end of the calendar year and mobilising the new contractors by the 1^st April 2025. Costs shall be evaluated, and a report shall be submitted to Court of Common Council at the beginning of December for approval. The Head of Services advised that the key dates listed within the appendices of the report were expected to be achieved. The allocated Member(s) reiterated their intention to be involved further in the evaluation process and the Executive Director confirmed that they shall raise this with the procurement team and update Members at the next meeting.

2.     In response to a question raised about repairs to properties, the Head of Services informed the Committee that any technical questions shall be evaluated by technical experts that sit within the Barbican Team which include Quantity Surveyors and Contract Managers.

RESOLVED, that – the reports and its contents be noted.

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

The Committee received two reports of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services in respect of the BEO’s engagement with Spike Global on an initial proposal to develop a bespoke app for the Barbican Estate.

During the discussion, the following points were raised:

1.     The Assistant Director outlines the Altair report as the basis for requiring an Improved use of technology, having aresident portal and single point of contact is one as well as drawing on his own professional experience when asked by the committee.

2.     The Assistant Director confirmed that the figure of £52,332 was made up of the initial £15,000 set up costs and year 1 subscription fee (not including VAT) the Assistant Director was clear costs for years 2/3 should be reviewed and signed off by committee again for transparency.

3.     The CoLP and Corporate IT departments have both been provided security and GDPR information by the provider Spike for review. To date there have been no concerns shared.

4.     The Assistant Director was clear it was difficult to deliver tangible saving figures at this moment in time. The App would be used for identifying trends, monitoring trends, operating reports automatically and could better serve working parties, BEO staff and residents. Overall, it would streamline communication coming in and out of the BEO, such as regular updates and reporting of faults/issues. It would encourage a change to working practices to ensure the App could be used to its full potential. The Assistant Director was confident this would drive some savings the committee asked these were attempted to be quantified.

5.     The proposal was the app would be service charge recoverable and there was some discussion by the committee on this.

6.     The Asst Director confirmed that alternative arrangements would be made for those residents who chose not

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

The Committee received a report in respect of a proposal to engage with ILECS, an industry leading lift consultant, to provide an improved value for money in both contract management and capital project management.

During the discussion the following points were raised:

·       The Assistant Director reaffirmed his intention to partner with ILECS who would oversee all lift management on the Barbican Estate and made the Committee aware of the various technical problems concerning lifts across the estate.

·       A Member raised a question regarding the figure of £26,000 to be spent on the initial asset overview, commenting on the position that the BEO already possess some details. The Assistant Director advised that the critical part of the overview would be the inspection criteria; the condition of lifts and the mechanical components themselves. An initial asset overview was deemed necessary since the former lift replacement programme had taken place many years ago and whilst there was some information which could be used it was necessary for an updated review to determine the full extent of necessary works ILECS needed to carry out.

·       In respect of charges related to project management, Members wanted to know of the comparison between the previous contractor (Butler and Young) and whether under ILECS if it would be a completely new arrangement or similar method to previous contractor. The Assistant Director advised that Butler and Young’s method was to charge on an hourly ad-hoc basis and it was proposed that with ILECS each project would be reviewed and if the figure of 10% was deemed to be excessive it would ultimately be challenged as there would be more commercial negotiations that could be held, with involvement from Programme Board and Service Charge Working Party where appropriate. Any commitment would be channelled via the standard consultation process under section

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

The Committee received a report in respect of the Barbican Estate Office receiving some service charge/rent payments for the Barbican Estate and other HRA developments. The report sought to identify those risks and provides a recommendation on how to phase cash payments out.

During the discussion, the following point was raised:

·       The Chair asked the Assistant Director whether it was possible to extend the range of methods and modes of payment and he confirmed that this was indeed something that could be investigated further.

RESOLVED, that – the report and its contents be noted.

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

The Committee received a report in respect of the Barbican Estate Office in respect of a temporary workers contract with Hays (“the Hays Agreement”) over a five-year period starting in 2017 without consulting affected long leaseholders under Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

During the discussion, the following point was raised:

1.     A Member registered his intention of sending a note to the BRC in relation to the previous appointment of temporary workers and the relevant costs were incurred due to this.

RESOLVED, that – the report and its contents be noted.

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

The Committee received a report in respect of identifying material risks (identifying which type of asbestos if any is in situ) in all areas within the common parts of the Barbican.

During the discussion, the following points were raised:

1.     Members of the Committee were keen to know the scope of asbestos which may be present in common parts of the Barbican. The Assistant Director confirmed that it was a substantial project which, at the time of the meeting, facilitated urgent restrict access and remove of which 247 areas of asbestos were removed at the cost of £95,000. In terms of section project terms, under section 20., further removals were expected. 542 enclosures, of which there were 15, and encapsulations, of which there were 2256. However, these were viewed as not high-risk asbestos that would need removing imminently.

2.     The magnitude of cost was quoted to be in the region of £1.5 Million - £2 Million for the entire project. The Chair asked if these costs were likely to fall within one year and registered her dissatisfaction that this project had been outstanding since 2022. The Assistant Director acknowledged that it was a very large cost but was keen to seek involvement from the Programme Board, as well as resident engagement, to assess the available options and decide the best course of action.

3.     The Assistant Director confirmed that a report would be brought to Committee at a future meeting detailing how this project affected other ongoing projects on the Barbican Estate with fire door replacements and meter installations being mentioned.

RESOLVED, that – the report and its contents be noted.

To note the actions tracker for the Barbican Residents Consultation Committee (BRCC) and the Barbican Residential Committee (BRC).

Prior to the meeting a newsletter was circulated to Members of the Committee which sought to give residents and leaseholders, further information and active updates in terms of the Transformation Programme. The Assistant Director provided a verbal update at this meeting to provide further context. Following this, the Committee received the actions tracker.

During this discussion, the following points were raised:

1.     The Chair highlighted that the RCC should be a receiving a report on the Transformation Programme at every meeting as a standing agenda item and tasked the Town Clerk with ensuring that it was included as a standard agenda item going forward.

2.     A question was raised in relation to the timescale of the Transformation Programme, since it had increased to an estimated five years for completion. The Assistant Director confirmed that after the completion phase 3 he would be in a better position to determine the successes of the programme and if it needed to be terminated earlier than five years as he was hopeful that the programme would be successful and completed before the five year mark.

3.     The Assistant Director issue a point of clarification regarding ongoing projects. He advised the Committee that he was referring to projects that were cyclical in nature, such as internal/external redecorations, and highlighted that the Transformation Programme had significantly impacted the output of projects such as these.

4.     The Chair cited the newly established Major Works Programme Board, which were expected to convene at the end of September 2024 and acknowledged that at the time of this meeting the necessary work had not been undertaken yet. The Assistant Director agreed to provide the Committee with further information regarding phase 3 in the next Transformation Update.

RESOLVED, that – the report and its contents be noted.

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

The Committee received a report of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services in respect of sales and lettings agreed since the last meeting of the Committee. A Member was keen for the Committee to be provided with further information on the amount of lease extensions granted and the costs surrounding this. The Executive Director advised the Committee this shall be provided at a future meeting.

RESOLVED, that – the report and its contents be noted.

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

The Committee received a report of the Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services advising members of the current arrears in respect of tenants and leaseholders on the Barbican Estate.

RESOLVED, that – the report and its contents be noted.

A Member raised a question which stemmed from news of a fire that engulfed a Dagenham housing block. They were concerned of the City Corporation’s responsibility in the event of a proposed disaster and its commitment to residential safety and support. The Executive Director alleviated their concern by stating that humanitarian assistance is the Corporation’s responsibility in its capacity as both a local authority and housing association.

Following a question raised regarding increased service charge, the Assistant Director advised the RCC that affordability was at the forefront of the programmes mentioned previously and that it was the work of the Programme Board to ensure that residents and leaseholders were getting value for money. The Chair was also minded to review paid services that were not received and investigate what could be done to recoup this.

There were no non-public items of urgent business.