Agenda item

To hear from and ask questions to Councillor Stephanie Cryan, Cabinet Member for Council Homes and Homelessness in respect of the various aspects of her portfolio (circulated with the agenda).

In introducing the item the Chair informed the committee of the areas the cabinet member for council homes and homelessness had been asked to cover as part of her initial presentation which were as follows:

·  The delivery of new homes and estate renewal

·  Temporary accommodation (and conditions)

·  Allocations

·  Repairs

·  Fire Safety/Cladding

Councillor Stephanie Cryan provided the committee with a brief overview of issues in connection with the areas requested.

Delivery of new homes - Councillor Cryan reported that the council was on target to build 2500 new council homes by May 2022. 

Temporary accommodation - Councillor Cryan reported that there were ongoing pressures with Temporary Accommodation (TA). There were currently 3500 households in TA, the numbers were however expected to go down.  Councillor Cryan explained that it was getting harder to find homes in Southwark, and within London, particularly with the local housing allowance rates, the cost the council had to pay for those of rent, competing with other London Boroughs, payment of landlord fees, the cumulative effect being increasing costs in TA.  Councillor Cryan stressed that the Council would always provide help and support to people who are homeless where it can, but there was a need to look at how costs could be maintained, and there was a Budget Recovery Group established to look at how this could be done without sacrificing the service provided.

Allocations - Councillor Cryan informed the committee that a new housing allocations policy would be submitted to cabinet in the autumn.  Consultation on the policy was undertaken last year, and the council was working through the results of the consultation.  Councillor Cryan reported that an Individual Cabinet Member decision was due to be made prior to the pre-election period which would see a change in the local lettings policy [increased to 100%], so that more people from a local area could stay in their local area, enabling them to access support networks and stay in their local community.  There would also be a change in the definition of ‘deliberate overcrowding’ which needed to be changed.

Repairs – Councillor Cryan report that there was a regular scrutiny review of the Housing Repairs improvement plan.  The improvement plan had been put in place, but stopped due to Covid, resulting in the need for safe working practices for both workers and residents which meant a lot of internal repairs could not be carried out.  The council was currently working through a backlog, which was now down to around approximately 300 cases.  The council wanted to look at having a dedicated repairs contact centre that sat within the housing department, (and not customer services), and with trained housing operatives that could help support the system as well.  This would enable residents to track repairs from start to finish and no repair signed off until residents were satisfied with a repair.

Fire Safety and cladding – Councillor Cryan informed the meeting that there was not any cladding on council owned buildings.  She did however have responsibility for cladding issues.  Councillor Cryan reported that the council was recognising best practice in terms of private landlords and enforcement of remedial works for the removal of cladding.  The council also provided support to housing associations.  Councillor Cryan advised the committee that the biggest issue in terms of building safety was the Building Safety Act and its implications relating to high rise buildings.  Southwark has 170 high rise buildings (the highest number in England) and the financial impact on the Housing Revenue Account was going to be significant.  A pilot survey was being undertaken in Andoversford Court, Peckham.  This building was chosen due to its unique layout and also because it was TMO run and the council wanted to learn how it could liaise with TMO’s around this issue.  Surveys had been undertaken, along with 3d modelling of the building.  Councillor Cryan explained that under the Act, the council was required to know about the structure, and fabric of a building, and also about the residents and their lifestyles to have a whole picture.  This was an intensive piece of work that would be undertaken for every high rise building and would be rolled out over 5 years.  Safety works would be built into that programme as well.

The committee also heard from Michael Scorer, Strategic Director of Housing and Modernisation.

The cabinet member’s presentation was followed up by questions of the committee.

Questions and discussion were held around the following:

·  Performance of Southwark Repairs (formerly Southwark Building Services (SBS)) and addressing backlog

·  Building on green spaces, and opposition of residents

·  Quality of major works in TMO properties

·  Working across local authority borders – housing swaps / lettings

·  Cost of investment into ageing housing stock

·  Senior managers taking responsibility and ownership in light of ending of client model, and repairs coming back in house

·  Number of social homes developed by private developers since 2010

·  Relationship with housing associations and removal of cladding on housing association properties

·  Impact of energy price rise on residents and leaseholders using district heating networks

·  Council advice/recommendations to tenants (and private tenants) on energy efficiency/how to improve insulation to homes.