Agenda and minutes

Housing Scrutiny Commission - Monday 28 July 2025 7.00 pm

Venue: Ground Floor Meeting Room G02A - 160 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QH. View directions

Contact: Adam Wood, Scrutiny Officer  Email: adam.wood@southwark.gov.uk

Note: Please note this meeting has been rescheduled from the 15 July 2025. 

Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES

    • Share this item

    To receive any apologies for absence.

    Minutes:

    Apologies were received from Councillor Ketzia Harper.

2.

NOTIFICATION OF ANY ITEMS OF BUSINESS WHICH THE CHAIR DEEMS URGENT

    • Share this item

    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 late items of business.

3.

DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS AND DISPENSATIONS

    • Share this item

    Members to declare any interests and dispensations in respect of any item of business to be considered at this meeting.

    Minutes:

    Councillor Emily Tester declared that the Kirby Estate which would be a subject of discussion under items 5 and 6 was within her ward of North Bermondsey.

     

    Ina Negoita declared an interest in items 5 and 6 of the agenda as she was a resident leaseholder of Devon Mansions. Ms Negoita did not take part in the meeting in her role as a non-voting co-opted member as she intended to present evidence to the Commission on the works at the Estate from a resident’s perspective.

     

    Councillor Richard Livingstone declared that he had attended a briefing on the Kirby Estate with Neil Coyle, MP, and officers.

4.

MINUTES

    • Share this item

    To note the minutes of the housing, community safety and community engagement scrutiny commission meeting held on 22 April 2025.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    The minutes of the Housing, Community Safety and Community Engagement Scrutiny Commission’s meeting held on 22 April 2025 were noted.

     

    Note: The remit of this new housing commission had substantially changed in the new municipal year hence the minutes were noted rather than agreed.

5.

OUTCOME OF THE REVIEW OF THE CANADA ESTATE 2017/18, FAIR STREET/DEVON MANSIONS 2018/19 AND KIRBY ESTATE 2018/19 QHIP MAJOR WORKS PROJECTS

    • Share this item

    To receive and comment on:

     

    ·  The outcome of the Task and Finishing Team’s internal review of the Canada Estate (Phase 2) 2017/18, Fair Street/Devon Mansions 2018/19, and Kirby Estate 2018/19 QHIP Major Works Projects.

     

    ·  The outcome of the independent external reviews carried out by Pellings.

     

    ·  The action plan submitted by the Director of Repairs and Maintenance in response to the recommendations made in the respective reports of the Task and Finishing Team and Pellings contained at item 6.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    The Chair introduced the item by briefly explaining the background to the reports.

     

    He then read out a written submission from the Leader which stated (in summary):

     

    • the poor management of works led to unacceptable outcomes for tenants and leaseholders
    • the Leader apologised on behalf of the Council for the sub-standard works
    • while Cabinet Member for Council Homes, she had introduced new processes for contract management and works oversight in response to the issues found
    • engagement with tenants and leaseholders had also been reviewed and a new senior management team appointed
    • she would work to rebuild trust between the council and affected tenants and leaseholders

     

    The Chair then invited Ward Councillors Sam Dalton and Emily Hickson for London Bridge and West Bermondsey to address the Commission in respect of Fair Street / Devon Mansions.

     

    The ward councillors reported:

     

    • the length of time for which residents were let down and failed to get answers to their questions about the works
    • the significant time required for the investigations to begin and to be completed
    • the investigations focused on four key areas including the cost of the works, the poor quality of works and their risks, communications with residents, and the Council’s performance
    • the aims of the investigations were for residents to pay only for works completed to a high standard and to receive answers as to why works went over budget, over time and were of poor quality
    • that Council promises to residents that they would have advance sight of the reports under discussion were not fulfilled because of their delayed publication

     

    The ward councillors made a number of recommendations regarding the processes and structures through which residents could have greater input into and scrutiny over works before, during and after their delivery. They also recommended improvements to the process for inspecting and signing off works still outstanding or deemed not to be completed to the appropriate quality.

     

     

    Subsequently, Ward Councillors Stephanie Cryan, Bethan Roberts and Kath Whittam for Rotherhithe addressed the Commission in respect of the Canada Estate, reporting that:

     

    • many of their experiences and those of residents matched those reported by the Councillors for London Bridge and West Bermondsey
    • the Pellings’ report (and work processes leading to it) for the Canada Estate did not seem to match the insight provided in the Devon Mansions report
    • detail contained within some recommendations needed to be attended to e.g. around the commitment to monitor the brick work on low rise buildings every two years (amongst others)
    • challenges remained around how leaseholders could be protected from paying for substandard/incomplete work whilst also ensuring that tenants were similarly protected from subsidising those works through their contributions to the Housing Revenue Account
    • ongoing issues remained about the cleaning of windows (e.g. safety and responsibility for cleaning)
    • the standard of work for the new windows was poor and a new contractor should be appointed to make good all defects as a matter of priority
    • the contractor’s self-certification of works for windows was not enough to ensure their  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

MANAGEMENT RESPONSE TO THE OUTCOME OF THE REVIEW OF THE CANADA ESTATE 2017/18, FAIR STREET/DEVON MANSIONS 2018/19 AND KIRBY ESTATE 2018/19 QHIP MAJOR WORKS PROJECTS

7.

HOUSING SCRUTINY COMMISSION WORK PROGRAMME 2025-2026