Agenda for Housing Scrutiny Panel on Wednesday, 22nd March, 2023, 7.00 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Conference Room, Civic Centre, Silver Street, Enfield, EN1 3XA. View directions

Contact: Email: Stacey.gilmour@enfield.gov.uk 020 8132 1383 

Items
No. Item

1.

WELCOME & APOLOGIES

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made.

 

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Hivran Dalkaya who was substituted by Cllr Eylem Yuruk.

2.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members of the Council are invited to identify any disclosable pecuniary, other pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests relevant to the items on the agenda.

Minutes:

Cllr Maria Alexandrou (Chair) declared a non-pecuniary interest in all agenda items as she is a landlord in the borough.

3.

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING pdf icon PDF 89 KB

To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 29 November 2022.

Minutes:

With an amendment at 4.10 to record Cllr Cetinkaya’s question regarding the use of prefabricated houses, the minutes of the meeting held on 29 November 2022 were agreed.

4.

HOUSING GATEWAY LTD - UPDATE pdf icon PDF 195 KB

To receive the report of Kayt Wilson, Head of Private Housing Solutions.

Minutes:

RECEIVED the report updating the panel on the performance of Housing Gateway Ltd.

 

NOTED:

 

1.     The introduction from Cllr George Savva, Cabinet Member for Social Housing.

2.     Kayt Wilson, (Head of Private Housing Solutions) highlighted key issues and advised that the council owned property company Housing Gateway Ltd was buying up homes and renting them out to people who would otherwise be placed in temporary accommodation with cost avoidance of up to £30,000 per household per year.

3.     Since it was set up in 2014 Housing Gateway Ltd (HGL) had built up a portfolio of 648 properties generating cost avoidance of around £13.2 million to date. However, acquisitions had stalled this year following a hike in interest rates with the company buying just 34 properties against a target of 70.

4.     HGL’s ethical lettings agency, Enfield Let continues to promote ethical lettings in the Borough, tackling social injustice and ensuring residents are not discriminated against because of their financial status or credit history.

5.     Enfield Let leases properties from private landlords in the Borough, offering leases of 3-5 years. Landlords are offered guaranteed rent, paid monthly in advance and a full management service.

6.     Enfield Let has grown a portfolio of 248 leased properties since October 2020, providing quality homes in the private rented sector for families who would otherwise be placed in temporary accommodation.

7.     Enfield Let has been asked to collaborate with the Council to manage some or all of the Council’s temporary accommodation stock, delivering significant savings to the Council. This workstream will be the primary focus for Enfield Let in 2023/24

8.     HGL, in collaboration with the Council, was successful in securing a £6.7m capital grant from the GLA to support the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme (RSAP). The grant funding facilitated the purchase of 77 bed spaces (61 properties), by purchasing a mix of studios and 1 bed and 2 bed accommodation. All properties have been purchased, meeting the 31st March deadline.

9.     In response to a question regarding the security of the tenures and the support that will be offered, officers advised that the 61 properties purchased have already served to house 90 tenants who were previously sleeping rough, and the properties will remain available to house ex-rough sleepers for 30 years. However, it is determined as interim accommodation, with a view to each tenancy being 2-3 years, but this will very much depend on the needs of the individual.  The ex-rough sleepers are fully supported in the accommodation by Council provided services.

10. In response to Cllr Guzel’s question regarding an HGL internal transfer system as well as an upsizing and downsizing system, officers confirmed that this was in hand and currently in draft form and being circulated internally for comment.

11. In response to a question from Cllr Chamberlain regarding Landlord Standards Inspections, Officers confirmed that all inspections are tracked, and this information is readily available.

12. Cllr Chamberlain also referred to paragraph 5 of the report and sought clarification on this.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

STRATEGY TO REDUCE TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION & EMPTY HOMES pdf icon PDF 109 KB

To receive the report of Eloise Shepherd, Housing Improvement Programme Director.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RECEIVED the report updating the Panel on the strategy to reduce Temporary Accommodation and Empty Homes in Enfield.

 

NOTED

 

1.    Eloise Shepherd (Housing Transformation Programme Director) said that following discussion at the November Housing Scrutiny Panel meeting regarding reconsidering modular supply as a potential partial solution to increasing homelessness, the report provides an overview of other schemes and issues for LBE in consideration of the possibility.

2.    The last viability review was conducted in 2019, and since then the market for modular homes and the delivery environment for development has shifted in a variety of ways.

3.    Enfield Council is now considering using modular homes – buildings that are manufactured quickly and affordably off site – as a way of relieving homelessness in the borough. The review has now commenced, and Eloise took Members through the presentation which detailed some key considerations at play and work undertaken by other boroughs.

4.    Eight sites are being considered for viability assessments. They would need to be available post completion for 5-10 years (ideally 7+) and fit 25-50 units and other principles for assessment included limited site clearance, no leasehold interests to resolve and the availability of parking/play nearby or sufficient room to provide onsite.

5.    In response to a question from Cllr Abey regarding the location of the eight sites being considered, Eloise agreed to circulate this information to Members following the meeting. Action: Eloise Shepherd

6.    In response to further questions regarding the cost for these units Officers advised that this is still being looked at as costs vary greatly.

7.    Following the assessment of sites, a decision will then be made as to whether any of the proposals are viable and stack up financially, after which there will be a procurement process and a full planning application to progress. Therefore, starts on sites would be unlikely until 2024.

8.    The report further summarised the increasing homelessness pressures across London and provided and update on the progress of the Empty Homes Strategy, which is another supply initiative to reduce homelessness demand.

9.    Officers highlighted further key issues, and the success of the Housing Advisory Service with focus on prevention of households moving into temporary accommodation. Shortage of supply of privately rented properties and a rise in rent levels had led to increased pressure on the service.

10. In response to Members’ enquiries, Richard Sorensen, Head of the Housing Advisory Service said that there had been a surge in the number of landlords who lease homes to the council asking for their properties to be returned to them, therefore the council had renegotiated with landlords to lease their properties at a higher rate. Joanne Drew, Director, Housing & Regeneration advised that for landlords who want to stay in the market, the council offers a range of different solutions to support them and, although it is a challenging market, the council is a very safe place for landlords if they want to continue renting their homes.

11. Richard added that over the past two  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS & ROUGH SLEEPING- UPDATE ON THE STRATEGY pdf icon PDF 268 KB

To receive the report of Richard Sorensen, Head of the Housing Advisory Service.

Minutes:

Richard Sorensen, Head of the Housing Advisory Service presented the report highlighting the following:

 

1.    In 2020 Enfield Council published its Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy. This outlined and ambitious plan to end homelessness and rough sleeping in the borough.

2.    In October 2020, the Council launched the Housing Advisory Service (HAS) to meet the challenges set out in the Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy. This brought together all of the services offered to homeless households and expanded prevention activities.

3.    Three years into the strategy a review has now taken place and the report details the progress made covering each of the key workstreams.

4.    The impact of the new service and its new focus on prevention was immediate. Despite a consistent rise in the number of households approaching the Council for help, the number of households needing emergency housing has been dramatically reduced. In October 2019, 38% of households approaching the Council were going straight into temporary accommodation. By October 2022, this figure had dropped to just over 6%.

5.    This focus on prevention has meant developing a new way of working both across departmental boundaries but also externally with other agencies. The Housing Advisory Service has staff collated within a wide variety of partner organisations including job centres, courts, probation, and Children & Family Services.

6.    In terms of treating people with empathy, dignity, and respect there are a range of different solutions and different ways of accessing services. When the strategy was initially implemented the Street Homelessness Service consisted of two members of staff. Since then, this service is fully funded through successful bids from external funding streams and grant raising activities and is now one of the largest and successful teams within the Housing Advisory Service, having taken rough sleeping from its initial high of 79 to 5, which is a remarkable achievement, especially at a time when rough sleeping is on the increase across the rest of London.

7.    The council’s Street Homelessness Service has found, visited, supported, and housed 840 rough sleepers in Enfield since April 2020.  The latest government figures showed the number of rough sleepers in the borough fell by 48% between Autumn 2021 and Autumn 2022. This was the highest reduction in rough sleeping achieved in the UK and came despite a 34% increase across London as a whole.

8.    The context within which the service operates has changed. The strategy was drawn up pre-covid and since then there has pretty much been a collapse in affordable and private rented sector housing and the supply of accommodation over the past two years which is affordable in Enfield has decreased by approximately 90% with an 84% drop in sully since April last year and this has impacted on the ability to secure longer term homes in the borough.

9.    Enfield council’s focus on prevention has meant that there has not been a sharp rise in the number of households in temporary accommodation compared which the national picture which shows a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

DRAFT COUNCIL HOUSING ASSURANCE FRAMEWORK pdf icon PDF 169 KB

To receive the report of Katie Martell, Service Development & Improvement Lead.

Minutes:

Joanne Drew (Director of Housing & Regeneration) introduced the report setting out the proposed Assurance Framework to support the Council Housing Service in preparation for the Social Housing Regulation Bill. This paper was approved by Cabinet in February 2023 and ensures that there is transparency over performance.

 

New legislation was introduced following the Grenfell tragedy, with a focus on how social housing was managed and maintained. Consumer standards were introduced by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008. The importance of continued engagement with residents was highlighted, and that the Council would be working alongside residents to make improvements to the service to meet their needs. The impacts of government policy on council housing were noted. There would be Cabinet performance reporting on the Assurance Framework, and an annual report to tenants outlining performance.

 

The Panel noted the report.

8.

WORK PROGRAMME 2022/2023 pdf icon PDF 80 KB

To note the completion of the Work Programme for 2022/23 and that the Housing Scrutiny Panel Work Programme for 2023/24 will be discussed at the first meeting of the new municipal year.

Minutes:

This was the last meeting of the municipal year, and the work programme was now completed. 

 

Members were thanked for their participation on the Panel during this municipal year.

9.

DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS

To note the dates of future meetings will be confirmed following Annual Council on Wednesday 10 May 2023.

Minutes:

This was the last meeting of the municipal year. Meeting dates for 2023/24 would be approved at Annual Council on 10 May.