Agenda item

A Member asked whether residents at the Middlesex St estate had been informed that the estate would be managed by temporary agency staff, and sought further details on the arrangement bearing in mind the sense of dislocation at that estate.

The meeting heard that the five estate supervisors across the estates were all recruited on a permanent basis and that a permanent estate supervisor would start in late July to replace the current interim one at Middlesex St. The meeting also heard that only three of the five planned resident services officers had been recruited due to recruitment difficulties in, and that a further two permanent staff were to be recruited with revamped job descriptions by October 2022.  Estate-specific training was provided, and contact details for estate supervisors had been circulated.

A Member commented that the training should include customer service training, and the meeting heard that training needs in that area was expecting to be refreshed.

A Member commented that a small ball games area existed on the Golden Lane estate that appeared to not be managed appropriately, and queried whether a policy existed around the timings during which play areas could be used, whether the CoLPAI MUGA was accessible only to tower block residents, and whether railings were secure taking into account safety and suicide risks.

A Member asked whether housing was considered at CoL suicide prevention risks, and the meeting heard that all tall buildings were taken into account.

The meeting heard that timings and management for the play area would be confirmed, and signage opportunities would be clarified and that the terms of a local lettings plan in respect of people transferring to CoLPAI would be confirmed, which was responsible for the MUGA, whose management plan was expected to be submitted during July 2022. It was expected that the MUGA would not be accessible to non-tower block residents, and that decision was down to the school. The meeting noted that the issue was likely be raised at a CCS meeting.  The meeting heard that railings complied with all applicable regulations and that further information would be provided to the Committee.

 A Member asked what elements of those issues related to London Borough of Islington, and the meeting heard that LBI and CoL had 50% of nominations for estates, with LBI having larger flats.            

A Member asked whether all options had been explored for giving all residents support during the winter period in view of insulation issues and energy prices. The meeting heard that the matter had already been raised at Grand Committee level and would be discussed further.