Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Jason Pritchard.

The Revd Stephen Haines (Senior Commoner) moved that Alderman David Graves to the Chair. 

There were no declarations.

To elect a Chairman in accordance with Standing Order 29.

The Committee proceeded to elect a Chairman in accordance with Standing Order No. 29. John Fletcher, being the only Member expressing willingness to serve, was duly elected Chairman for the ensuing year.

To elect a Deputy Chairman in accordance with Standing Order 30.

The Committee proceeded to elect a Deputy Chairman in accordance with Standing Order No. 30. Mary Durcan, being the only Member expressing willingness to serve, was duly elected Deputy Chairman for the ensuing year.

The Committee received its Terms of Reference.

To approve the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting on Monday, 20 July 2020.

RESOLVED – That the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on Monday, 20 July 2020 be approved as a correct record.

Members are asked to note the Sub Committee’s Outstanding Actions List.

Tenancy Visits

The Sub-Committee was informed the reference to meeting in the tracker was from the meeting 23 March 2020.

Housing Risk Register

The Sub-Committee was informed that this would be removed from the action tracker.

New Portsoken Community Centre – Governance options

The Sub-Committee was advised that this was an item to the Grand Committee but was deferred. A report on this will be presented to the Sub-Committee at a later date.

Housing Revenue

The Sub-Committee was informed that this would be removed from the action tracker.

Fire safety

The Sub-Committee was updated that that as part of the overall fire safety report to the Sub-Committee, the fire safety update will also be included in that report.

Visit the north and south estates

The Sub-Committee was informed that due to COVID-19, no visits are viable; this will be left until the new Committee is appointed in May 2021.

Great Arthur House – Recladding Works

The Sub-Committee was informed that all the necessary submissions relating to the appeal had now been made. The appeal will not be heard until January 2021 at the earliest and as such, this will be left on the action tracker.

Housing Policies Renewal Timetable

The Sub-Committee was advised that the critical policies will be reviewed

first and as such, some of the policies will be presented to the Sub-Committee in 2021. A revised timetable will be presented to the Sub-Committee.

Draft Parades Policy

The Sub-Committee was informed that the work to develop a Draft Parades Policy could not be undertaken due to COVID-19, and Members agreed to park the policy for the interim.

In response to a question from a Member, it was confirmed that there is no current Parades Policy.  

Tenancy Renewal Policy

The Sub-Committee was advised that this was agreed in March 2020

Report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services on the Housing Major Works Programme – Progress Report.

The Sub-Committee was informed that COVID-19 continues to have a significant impact on the Housing Major Works Programme. Nevertheless, the City of London continues to make good progress with several projects. . The Department has decided to temporally defer the heating project at Middlesex Street to allow the completion of other projects to minimize disruptions to residents.

The Chairman asked as to when the Major Works Programme would come to an end, as Members have asked for a timeline for the work period so that this can be tracked. A Member commented that there is funding in place for the current Major Works Programme but, not for future works identified as part of the Savills Stock Condition Survey. With the current loss of income from commercial tenants, there is significant pressure on the HRA and, future funding streams cannot be confirmed at this stage.

The Assistant Director agreed to bring a report to the Sub-Committee on the future Major Works Programme every other meeting cycle to ensure it remains on the radar. 

A Member expressed concern that the report indicates that the Window Replacement Programme is showing an end date of 2026, which is significantly beyond the remainder of the current five-year programme. It was explained that the majority of the window programme is expected to be completed by 2022/23. The Member also asked as to where the reroofing programme will sit.

The Assistant Director agreed to bring to the Sub-Committee an update report that sets out the incremental changes from the initial programme to the current one. Members were reminded that the existing Major Works Improvement Programme has increased significantly to incorporate over £25million of extra works including

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

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of Community &

Children’s Services on the Estate Inspections Performance – November 2019

to March 2020.

The Head of Housing Management stated that the Members had requested

six months data, but the report sets out data from the last five months was due to COVID-19.

The Chairman noted that there is a new and robust reporting system in

place, which will allow the City of London to keep track of the works that are

being carried out within the Estates. The new system will enable Members to

appraise the services across the Estates.

A Member asked how the new system relates to the Service Level Agreements

and who is responsible for the inspections. The Head of Housing Management

responded that not all estates have Service Level Agreements in place, but

Officers are working towards addressing the issue. The inspections are carried

out by the Estate Officers and the Estate Service Manager. All the Officers are

trained to carry out the inspections, which are moderated.

A Member commented that the narrative on page 40, which states that 75% is

the minimum threshold, this will trigger an improvement plan, but he

observed that the rating on Middlesex Estate is 60%, an improvement plan would be instigated. The Head of Housing Management responded and reassured the Sub-Committee that an improvement plan for Middlesex Estate had been initiated, which was due to the low results caused by a poor inspection result in a car park, but other areas within the Estate had rated well. Officers are waiting for the latest result from September 2020 to check the most up-to-date data on the matter.

A Member questioned if the Service Level Agreements can be rolled out across

all the Estates within the City of London. The Head of

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

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services on the Service Improvements Following the Tenancy Visits Project

The Head of Housing Management informed the Sub-Committee that the project had come to an end last year with visits to 95% tenancy households within the City of London being visited; this was later complete with further audits and visits. The project was well executed by the Project Manager and the wider team; the Department is now awaiting a new reporting system, which will permit the pathways for further improvements in the way the City of London deliveries its services across the Estates.

This was followed by a Member who queried about the Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) for disabled residents, as this is a statutory duty upon the City of London.  The Head of Housing Management informed the Sub-Committee that the Department does not currently have a PEEP for every resident who needs one but will update Members on this later on. He assured the Sub-Committee that the vulnerable resident's list is renewed every three months.

The Assistant Director commented that residents are asked to advise their Estate Offices of any disability or vulnerability so that we can act appropriately in case of emergency.  

The Chairman asked that the PEEP is added to the outstanding action with the intention of a report being brought to the Sub-Committee at a future meeting.  

As the City of London has gathered a large number of email addresses of residents across the Estates and if the plan is to rely on email communication, the City of London needs to be sure that a large number of residents can access to the internet, as we know there are at least 50 families on the Golden Lane Estate who do not have internet access.

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

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services on the Compensation Policy Review.

The Sub-Committee was informed that this is an existing policy which had been reviewed with no material changes and requires approval from the Members. A report on this will be presented to the Sub-Committee at its next meeting. Furthermore, Members agreed to review the policy every three years.

RESOLVED – That the Sub-Committee approved the Mutual Exchange Policy for use by the Housing Service.

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

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services on Mutual Exchange Policy Review.

RESOLVED – That the Sub-Committee approved the Mutual Exchange Policy for use by the Housing Service

Report of the Head of Audit & Risk Management.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services on the Social Housing Tenancy Fraud – 2019/20 Annual Report.

The Sub-Committee was informed by the Head of Audit & Risk Management that the Department had managed 16 successful outcomes of tenancy fraud cases. When found that tenants were using their properties unlawfully, the Department works with the tenants  to hand over their properties back to the City of London without having to go through the court process, saving the City of London further money on the court cases, however where required a court action is initiated. 

A Member asked that as there are no evictions notices at present, whether this was open to abuse. The Department had managed to bring back six priorities from residents who were no longer eligible for social housing.

RESOLVED – That the Sub-Committee noted the report.

A Member asked about the drainage issues on the Golden Lane Estate. Officers assured the Sub-Committee that the City of London has recently developed a drainage plan for the Golden Lane Estate and across the City of London. Officers agreed to report back to the Committee with the details of the drainage plans.

This was followed by another Member who asked, in terms of the reroofing, if the

Sub-Committee could explore energy-saving methods across the Estates. The Member had a supplementary question on having hand sanitizing points installed across the Estates.

The Assistant Director, Barbican Estate & Property Services, responded to the Member that the City of London is exploring at every opportunity through the Major Works Programme. We can make improvements. An example of solar panels being installed in Middlesex Street was noted. The City of London is working with Community Groups to install solar panels at lower levels, which will provide a reduced electricity price across its estates. The Department intends to look at all its buildings and come up with efficiency savings where possible.

The Assistant Director, Barbican Estate & Property Services, agreed to come back to the Sub-Committee on the question with a response to the hand sanitizers.

This was followed by a comment from another Member who observed that the green roofing provides insulation to the building. This is in line with the Climate Change Strategy and may become statutory duty subject to it being approved at the next Court of Common Council.

The Chair of the Grand Committee (CCSC) had requested a report on the funding of the Climate Action Strategy.  The Assistant Director, Barbican Estate & Property Services agreed that a report would be presented to the Grand Committee as well as the Sub-Committee.

Roof Plant Installation on Crescent House, Golden Lane Estate

In response to

There was no other business.

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.

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To approve the non-public minutes of the meeting held on Monday, 20 July 2020.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on Monday, 20 July 2020  be approved as a correct record.

There were no non-public questions.

There was no other business.