Agenda item

Presentation from the Head of User Involvement and Policy Development, Community & Children’s Services.

The Sub Committee received a presentation from Carla Keegans, Jacquie Campbell and Karen Tarbox outlining the three key priority areas for Housing, namely, responding to national reforms, technical services and estate services.

A number of questions were asked and the following points were noted:

Due to the new Welfare Reform Act, from April 2013, housing benefits would be paid directly to the tenant rather than the Housing Department. This could result in an increased level of rent arrears.

Any savings made within the HRA were legally ring fenced and would not be pooled with the City of London Corporation’s savings and/or budgets. A report to clearly show where the savings had been spent would be produced and circulated to tenants as well as officers. There was a legal requirement to balance the HRA. There were various options to explore in terms of what the HRA surplus could be spent on in the future for the Sub Committee to consider at a later date.

If a vulnerable tenant were to fall in to rent arrears or face eviction, one of the tenant support officers would be assigned their case and work closely with the tenant and other outside agencies that may already support the tenant. If a tenant was evicted from one of the City of London housing estates situated in another borough, the borough in which they resided would become responsible for them.

We are shortly to inform all our tenants about changes to the legal Right to Buy scheme but will not be actively promoting it due to our small housing stock and the corresponding negative effect on the HRA business plan that increased sales would bring.

Short term tenants were often reluctant to engage with the local community but investigation could take place in to an estate network for recycling of unwanted items and whether this would improve tenant relations. A good neighbour scheme was also proposed, to allow volunteers to assist with vulnerable neighbours.

RECEIVED.