Agenda and draft minutes
PDF 133 KBVenue: Ground Floor Meeting Room G02A - 160 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QH. View directions
Contact: Amit Alva Email: amit.alva@southwark.gov.uk
| No. | Item |
|---|---|
|
Apologies
To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: There were no apologies for absence. |
|
|
Notification of any items of business which the chair deems urgent
In special circumstances, an item of business may be added to an agenda within five clear working days of the meeting. Minutes: There were no items of business which the Chair deemed urgent. |
|
|
Disclosure of interests and dispensations.
Members to declare any interests and dispensations in respect of any item of business to be considered at this meeting. Minutes: Councillor Jane Salmon disclosed that she was leaseholder in a council property, and the property is on the district heating network.
Councillor Esme Hicks disclosed that she was also leaseholder in a council property and a member of a TMO.
Councillor Ketzia Harper disclosed that she is also a leaseholder in a council property, and the property is on the district heating network.
|
|
|
Minutes
To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 23 July 2024 as a correct record. Supporting documents: Minutes: Minutes of the meeting held on 23 July 2024 were approved as a correct record.
|
|
|
The role of TRAs' and TMOs' in wards
To receive a report from Cheryl Russell, Director of Landlord Services and Nat Stevens, Resident Involvement Manager on the role of TRAs’ and TMOs’ in wards. Supporting documents: Minutes: The commission received a report from Nat Stevens, Resident Involvement Manager and Hakeem Osinaike on the following points.
· 123 TRAs’ and TMOs’ in the borough, managing 4600 properties in total; TRAs’ carry out 2600 inspections every year. · 8 TRAs’ supported communities with food, shelter clothing during the winter of 2023; 17 TMOs’ in Southwark showing some highest satisfaction results in tenants’ surveys. · Significant increase in no. of TRAs in Southwark; Draft Resident Engagement Strategy is out for consultation; strategy puts residents’ involvement as the main approach for landlord services. · Regulator appreciated the number of TRAs’ in Southwark and support and resources provided by the council, however there is room for improvement. The commission then asked questions on the following themes.
· Increasing resident involvement in TRAs’ with a focus on young people as part of the resident engagement strategy · Strategic ways of supporting TRAs’ and residents who carry out unpaid work in the management of estates. · Importance of the growth in numbers of TRAs; Skills required for TRA Chairs; Strengthening TRAs and providing more resources for their role in the community. · Increasing visibility and signposting of TRAs through community events; Attracting more young people to TRAs by providing training; Nat explained to the commission that there are 46 organisations in the ‘Get Involved’ grants, the Southwark Black Tenants Forum who approach communities to increase participation in activities such as mental health, well-being drives and summer activities for young people. The council is working on digitalisation of services to attract young people.
The commission heard from the Nat the council appreciates the enormous amount of work carried out TRAs’ and their unpaid volunteers, volunteers often undertake massive initiatives such as breakfast drives for 300 people. The council supports the TRAs’ with grants and revenue generated from housing supplements and also provides training for TRA Chairs’.
Hakeem informed the commission that it’s important to have existing TRAs’ delivering quality service and support to residents rather than just having more TRAs.
Nat explained to the commission that the people in committee of TRAs’ and TRA Chairs are highly qualified academics and accountants with the requisite skills sets. Furthermore, in Sept 2022 there were only 7 TRAs in Southwark which has now increased to 123 TRAs. Specialist trainers have been brough on board to upskill TRAs’. Southwark has a very high number of TMOs (17) when compared nationally. The average on the Black Tenants Forum is 23 and community events help in galvanising support and encouragement for people to join TRAs. Efforts are also being made in digitalisation and technology for TRAs’, 80 laptops are being provided to 80 TRAs’.
The commission then asked further questions on the following topics.
· Inaccuracies in council databases maintained for TRAs and TMOs; Reviving defunct TRAs and their responsibilities of community spaces. · Income for TRAs being reinvested in the community; Learning from the closure of TMOs · Auditing of TRA finances with regards Coronation and Xmas Grants; Election of TRA Chairs and Committee members; Major works on estates and involvement ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
|
|
Excessive gas consumption in district heating networks and prohibitive costs for leaseholders'
To receive a report on gas consumption in district heating networks from Tom Vosper, Strategic Project Manager and Simon Holmes, Head of Engineering. Supporting documents: Minutes: The Chair introduces the item noting its focus on excessive gas consumption in district heating networks across Southwark but particularly North Peckham estates. He then welcomed Officers Tom Vosper, Strategic Project Manager for Heat Networks and Simon Holmes, Head of Engineering, accompanied by Hakeem Osinaike, Strategic Director of Housing, thanking them for the report.
The context for the report was noted with the Chair telling the Commission that that a group of leaseholders had been campaigning on the issue of higher-than-normal heating costs on the estate and that a representative of the group had spoken on the issue at Council Assembly and subsequently with a Cabinet member.
Tom then introduced the paper, outlining:
· and expressing gratitude for the work residents on the North Peckham and Gloucester Grove Estates had done to understand the heating costs and issues involved · the focus of the report, namely the North Peckham heating network and others across Southwark (of which approximately 100 in total) · the higher average gas consumption for the council’s heat networks against individual boilers and the reasons for this (e.g. losses from the boilers and networks, and, sometimes, higher consumption within dwellings) · that from a technical, heating efficiency perspective, heat networks tend not to be more efficient than individual boilers – their advantages come about for different reasons such as efficiencies of maintenance, their modularity allowing alternative heat sources to be ‘plugged in’ etc · the issues in Peckham which relate mainly to the fact it is a higher temperature heat network, has more pipes and the boiler is further from dwellings · the Council’s response which, since 2021, has focused on improving heat networks based on priorities of reliability, affordability and low carbon · that Heat Networks Market Regulation legislation will come into force in 2025 with Ofgem regulating all networks in the country and also giving residents greater protection and the Council greater powers of scrutiny
The Chair then asked Commission members for their questions which included:
· if the data on consumptions and efficiencies presented by residents was new to their work · whether, given the scale of the heating consumption in some areas, there are further lessons to draw in terms of monitoring and maintaining the Council’s heating networks · whether the North Peckham situation was handled wrongly in terms of speaking with residents over efficiencies and cost savings · whether likely network and/or boiler upgrades will mean additional costs for leaseholders and how the Council might ameliorate these if they arise · whether owners of new build properties connecting to North Peckham’s network would face the same costs · whether calculations of heat loss had been made · why the North Peckham boiler house renewal happened without a heating network optimisation study · how much network heating costed above individual boiler heating · why some estates with improved boilers and/or distribution systems continued to show costs above the Ofgem averages cited in the report · how incoming regulations were affecting heat meter dwelling installation · what work had been done to compare individual heating systems · how the North Peckham boiler house ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
|
|
Proposed Work Programme 2024-2025
To consider the work programme for the 2024-2025 year. Supporting documents: Minutes: The commission agreed to schedule the Cabinet Member Interview for 25 November 2024 meeting, in addition the commission also agreed to invite representatives of TRAs and TMOs to feedback on the Draft Resident Engagement Strategy subject to timelines.
|