Agenda and minutes

• Councillor Matin, substituted by Councillor Lorber
• Councillor Afzal
• Councillor Begum

Members are invited to declare at this stage of the meeting, the nature and existence of any relevant disclosable pecuniary or personal interests in the items on this agenda and to specify the item(s) to which they relate.

None.

To hear any deputations received from members of the public in accordance with Standing Order 67.

There were no deputations received.

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting on 21 September 2023 were approved as an accurate record of the meeting.

There were no matters arising.

To receive an update on Brent Housing Management performance, including readiness for new tenancy satisfaction measures and priority workstreams.

Councillor Promise Knight (Cabinet Member for Housing, Homelessness and Renters Security) introduced the report, which provided an update on Brent Housing Management performance. In particular, she highlighted the process of preparing for the new Tenant Satisfaction Measures detailed in section 4 of the report and the pilot for those measures which she hoped would be broadly reflective of the tenant population living in Council homes in Brent. Section 4.10 of the report detailed the areas that Brent Housing Management (BHM) was doing well, such as handling Anti-Social Behaviour and complaints, and the areas for improvement such as time taken to complete repairs. The report set out the plans to address those areas not performing as well in section 4.16, which included a remodelling of the repairs contract to include an in-house handy-person service and a cross-party working group to help steer the procurement. Councillor Knight highlighted that the Committee had previously paid significant interest in void turnaround times, which had now significantly reduced. In the previous year there were turnaround times of 293 days, compared to post-July 2023 where voids were being turned around in an average of 43 days and the backlog of voids had reduced from 1,500 to 203.

In continuing the introduction, Ryan Collymore (Head of Housing – Property Management Services, Brent Council) added that, since BHM had last presented to the Committee, there had been an improvement in compliance and BHM were hitting mainly 100% against all compliance assets. The one challenge in relation to compliance was around EICRs due to difficulties gaining access to properties. Where there were access issues, all were being actioned and legal action was being taken where necessary.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member and officers for their introduction and invited comments and questions from the Committee, with the following issues raised:

The Committee asked, in relation to Tenant Satisfaction Measures, what data was most significant and what was being done to mitigate any causes for concern in relation to tenant satisfaction. Councillor Knight explained that repairs satisfaction, particularly tenants feeling that communal areas were safe and well-maintained, was a cause for concern. The process of re-procuring the repairs contract was one way of mitigating those issues to increase satisfaction, particularly the proposal to contract an in-house handy-person service where staff were routed in the locality and understood the area. That in-house service would also mean broader access to councillors who were aware of some of the cases around disrepair and the length of time residents were waiting for issues to be resolved. The deadline for re-procurement was March 2024, with the expectation to have the new contracts and service running by 1 October 2024. To improve repairs satisfaction, the proposal was to split the borough in half so that one contractor looked after one half of the borough and another contractor had the other half. This meant that if a contractor was not performing well then the work could be passed on to the second contractor. BHM was trying to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive an update on the performance and outcomes of the Single Homeless Prevention Service (SHPS) since its move to The Turning Point in Harlesden.

Councillor Promise Knight (Cabinet Member for Housing, Homelessness and Renters Security) introduced the report, which set out the rationale for the move of the Single Homeless Service to an in-person, face to face service. The Council had found that the previous online appointments system was unable to cope with the volume of demand, which was unprecedented, and could not meet the needs of single homeless people within the borough. The new face to face service was accessible, better placed to identify immediate need and was within 5 minutes walking distance of key delivery partners such as Crisis, Job Centre Plus and DWP. The Committee was asked to note the importance of co-location and the wraparound support single homeless people would receive, outlined in section 4.5 of the report.

The Chair thanked colleagues for their introduction and invited comments and questions from those present, with the following issues raised:

The Committee asked about the £500,000 price increase of the new contract with the Single Homeless Prevention Service, which had been retendered at £2.1m. Laurence Coaker (Head of Housing Need, Brent Council) explained that the contract went through the tender process and the final contract price had increased by £500,000, but the contract was outcome based. Compared to a traditional contract where the Council would commission the service following tendering, then pay for that service and monitor it through KPIs, this contract would only be paid for if the contractor delivered. The paper set out the different delivery outcomes that the specification expected from the service, which were to complete Personal Housing Plans, to prevent and relieve homelessness, and to support tenancy sustainment. If those deliverables were unsuccessful then the contractor would not get paid. The funding for the service came through the Government’s Homelessness Prevention Grant which the Council received every year to finance the outcomes of the service. The grant went into the General Fund where the service was then paid for. A written response would be provided in relation to section 8.2 which stated that there would be no grant subsidy as seen in previous years.

The Committee asked for further details on what the factors were resulting in single people becoming homeless. They heard that the number one factor driving homelessness was affordability as a result of the rising cost of living and high cost of housing in Brent, with privately rented properties beyond the reach for a lot of people. In terms of demographics, there were not many young people presenting as a single homeless person, and where there was a breakdown of family relationships causing a young person to want to leave home, the Housing Need Department worked with the Children and Young People Department to mediate and keep the young person at home where appropriate.

The Committee asked for further information regarding the co-location space in Designworks. Laurence Coaker highlighted that Designworks was the name of the building, and the Council had named the service within that building the Turning Point.  The Single Homeless Prevention  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To update the Committee on performance, quality and impact of the Selective Licensing Scheme that commenced on 1 August 2023 for the wards of Dollis Hill, Harlesden & Kensal Green, and Willesden.

Councillor Promise Knight (Cabinet Member for Housing, Homelessness and Renters) introduced the report, which detailed performance, quality and impact of the new Selective Licensing Scheme, which launched on 1 August 2023 covering the wards of Dollis Hill, Harlesden & Kensal Green, Willesden. She advised the Committee that the scheme was set in the context of the Council’s wider priorities to tackle housing need, improve property standards and reduce anti-social behaviour. She felt that improving standards in the Private Rented Sector was essential to the homelessness crisis, and asked the Committee to note the increase in officer capacity of an additional 8 Compliance Officers to help enforce the new scheme.

The Chair thanked Councillor Knight for her introduction and invited comments and questions from those present. The following points were raised:

The Committee asked for further details about the financing of the scheme. Spencer Randolph (Head of Private Housing Services, Brent Council) advised members that the scheme was self-financing, so the money brought in from the licence fee could only be used for the enforcement and administration of the licensing scheme. Landlords were responsible for paying that fee, and the Council tried to keep that fee to a reasonable amount to avoid that fee being passed on to tenants. The cost of the licence was £640 for a 5 year licence, which amounted to a relatively low cost per week and per year and was tax deductible. The license helped to ensure tenants were living in safer accommodation and allowed the Council to enforce a regime to inspect more properties. The aim was to inspect 50% of properties that had a selective licence. It was added that the new scheme started on 1 August 2023 so was still in the stage of processing applications. There had been 3,000 applications received already and 2,000 draft licenses had been processed. The Council had already issued 1,000 full licences.

The Committee asked about the remaining privately rented properties in licensable areas that had not submitted license applications. Spencer Randolph explained that the Council never anticipated that 100% of landlords owning privately rented properties would make license applications within the first few months. In the past, the schemes the Council had implemented had exceeded the number of properties it had expected to be licensed by approximately 135%, so the Council had confidence that with the communications plan those license applications would come in over the period of the scheme. In response to how the Council would motivate less willing or responsible landlords to apply and comply, the Committee was informed that there were various strategies to do that. A 5 year enforcement plan was in place that combined the current scheme and the larger licensing scheme, which would conduct targeted inspections in particular areas where there was the potential for high levels of selective licensable properties. Part of the communications strategy was not just requiring landlords to make applications but also for tenants and neighbours to report properties they thought should be licensed, so there was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The report updates Members on the Committee’s Work Programme for 2023/24 and captures scrutiny activity which has taken place outside of its formal meetings.

The Committee noted the recommendations tracker.

Notice of items to be raised under this heading must be given in writing to the Head of Executive and Member Services or her representative before the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 60.

None.