Agenda item

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

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Executive Director, Community & Children’s Services concerning update members of the Housing Management and Almshouses Sub-Committee on some key issues currently being dealt with by the Social Housing Team.

The following points were noted:

• Policy Approvals: The sub-committee reviewed several policies, including compensation, fire safety, repairs and maintenance, damp, mould and condensation, and the empty property void policy.
• Damp and Mould: Concerns were raised about the response times for addressing damp and mould issues. A Member suggested that the current seven-day response time was too long. Officers agreed to review and potentially tighten the response times.
• Self-Assessment: The housing damp and mould self-assessment was discussed, highlighting the importance of addressing these issues promptly. The Deputy Chairman emphasised the need to ensure all recommendations from the self-assessment were included in the policy.
• Grenfell Inquiry: The sub-committee discussed the Grenfell Inquiry Phase Two report and the toolkit developed by London Councils and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Officers suggested using the toolkit for a self-assessment to improve practices.
• Impact of New Repair Contracts: A Member expressed concerns about approving the repairs policy while the new repair contract was still being negotiated. They questioned whether the policy would be affected by changes in the contract, such as penalties for non-compliance.

RESOLVED – That, subject to comments and feedback made by Members, approve of the following policies:

·        Compensation Policy – Appendix 1

·        Fire Safety Policy – Appendix 2

·        Repairs and Maintenance Policy – Appendix 3

·        Damp, Mould and Condensation Policy – Appendix 4

·        The Empty Property (Voids) Policy – Appendix 5

·        Observations Received – Appendix 6