Agenda item

This group has been established to consider the scale and impact of overcrowding affecting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) households and to identify actions to address the problem. The work has been prompted by the findings of the latest report by the Runnymede Trust and other studies that evidence the disproportionate representation of BAME groups among overcrowded households across tenures. The recommendations of the working group will feed into the review of the Council’s Housing Strategy.

Andreyana Ivanova (the Council’s Head of Equality) introduced the report which provided the Committee with an initial background and summary of the scale and impact of overcrowding affecting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) households. She noted that the recent Runnymede Trust research in particular had found that Bangladeshi and Black African groups continue to be the two groups that are most disproportionately affected by overcrowding, closely followed by the White Other ethnic group that had seen the highest increase in overcrowding. She noted that the findings and recommendations of the task and finish group would inform the Council’s review of its Housing Strategy.

Tony Hirsch (the Council’s Strategy and Policy Manager for the Housing Partnerships Service) provided some more detail on the report. The Committee heard that overcrowding typically occurred through a lack of income, changes to welfare and/or lack of supply of larger accommodation. Mr Hirsch stated that overcrowding was quite difficult to measure as it was based on census data which could quickly become out of date and that local data was usually limited or anecdotal – especially so in the private sector. He outlined that the task and finish group had focused on the Council’s social housing stock, leasehold data and the diversity and socio-economic profile of the Council’s tenants and leaseholders to begin to build a picture of the situation in Brent (figures found in Section 3.10 of the report). Tony Hirsh noted that a significant finding was that leasehold properties which had been sold under right-to-buy legislation were often more crowded than Council-owned properties because they were now being let privately. The Committee heard an overview of the report’s recommendations containing the steps the Council should be looking to take to guard against this problem.

In discussions surrounding the recent Autumn Statement, the Chair asked whether the instruction for Councils to sell high-value housing assets and pay a sum of the sale to central government had changed. Tony Hirsch responded saying that this provision had not gone but the understanding was that this would be piloted over a five-year period. It was also noted that the Council would definitely not have to pay anything from any high value sales in the next year.

It was noted that there were also wider discussions surrounding the role of the London Mayor and providing housing in the Borough, and also whether Brent had the resources it needed to address the potential problems specified in the report. The Chair noted that the Council had recently set up a Wholly Owned Investment Company which was specifically designed to build and assist the development of the Council’s Housing Strategy. Tony Hirsch added that, as it stood, Brent Housing Partnership was a registered provider and could apply for grants for additional housing although this could change if the Council’s Housing Management services were brought back in-house as was currently proposed. The Committee also heard details about the London Mayor’s affordable housing program which was aiming to build 90,000 new homes between now and 2021 and that his target of 50% affordable had now been dropped to 35%. It was felt that this could also assist in the helping to alleviate potential problems of overcrowding affecting BAME households.

RESOLVED that the findings and proposals outlined in the report be noted and the recommendations to help inform the review of the Council’s Housing Strategy be endorsed.