Agenda and minutes

1.1 The Chair updated those in attendance on the meeting etiquette and that the meeting was being recorded and livestreamed.

1.2 Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Sadek, Oszen and Joseph.

2.1 There were no urgent items, and the order of business was as set out in the agenda.

3.1 There were no declarations of interest.

4.1 The Chair opened the item by explaining that the Commission was keen to hear about the current provision and future need in Hackney for supported accommodation for rough sleepers and single homeless people with complex needs.

4.2 The Commission saw this discussion as timely given the increasing levels of homelessness in Hackney and increased levels of support required for those faced with homelessness since the Council changed its model of housing related support for adults with complex needs in 2016.

4.3 As part of the scrutiny process, Commission Members undertook site visits to supported accommodation schemes in Camden and also planned to visit schemes in Hackney in the new year. The findings of these visits would inform any scrutiny findings and/or recommendations. 

4.4 Representing London Borough of Hackney

·  Cllr Sade Etti, Deputy Cabinet Member for Homelessness & Housing Needs

·  Rob Miller, Strategic Director Customer & Workplace

·  Jennifer Wynter, Assistant Director of Benefits & Housing Needs

·  Beverley Gachette, Strategic Commissioning Lead, Rough Sleeping and Homelessness

4.5 External Guests

·  Dr Adi Cooper OBE, Independent Chair of City & Hackney Adult Safeguarding Board

·  Anthony Simmons, Service Manager at St Mungos

·  Andrew Horobin, Deputy Borough Director for City & Hackney at East London NHS Foundation Trust

·  Catherine McElroy, Mental Health Community Service Manager & Social Work Lead for City & Hackney at East London NHS Foundation Trust

·  Sally Caldwell, Strategy & Transformation Consultant

·  Becky Rice, Research & Evaluation Consultant

4.6 The Chair then invited the Deputy Cabinet Member for Homelessness & Housing Needs, Council officers and external guests to give a verbal presentation. The main points are highlighted below.

4.7 Levels of homelessness in Hackney were increasing rapidly, and the levels of support required beyond that provided for people in general needs temporary accommodation was increasing. Many of the households approaching the Council had multiple and complex support needs.

4.8 The support needs of households approaching the Council varied, but were often characterised by mental health issues, drug and alcohol use, physical disability and mobility issues and experiences of trauma and neglect.

4.9 In order to help these people to recover, thrive and not deteriorate further, they needed specialist accommodation provided alongside support and supervision to help them live as independently as possible in the community.

4.10 The case study of a resident named ‘Gabriel’ was referenced. From 2012 to 2019 Gabriel was in supported accommodation where he was coping well and recovering. The accommodation was closed in 2019 and from that point onwards Gabriel had a number of hospital admissions and police arrests, and various temporary accommodation placements had broken down due to anti-social behaviour.

4.11 Not having Gabriel in supported accommodation led to increased costs to the public service system as a whole. There were increased costs to the Council, health and social care partners and the criminal justice system. Gabriel’s needs would also likely have become more acute, eventually reaching the threshold for costly adult social care interventions.

4.12 As of June 2023 there were 443 single adults placed with one or more support needs in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.1 The Chair opened the item by explaining that the Commission was keen to hear about the evidence base for the draft Hackney Housing Strategy & Private Sector Housing Strategy.

5.2 The Commission saw this discussion as timely, giving members an opportunity to challenge assumptions and the robustness of evidence-gathering at an early stage. The Commission planned to come back to these strategies later in the municipal year to look in detail at their emerging priorities and how they might be delivered.

5.3 Representing London Borough of Hackney

·  James Goddard, Assistant Director Strategy, Assurance and Private Sector Housing

5.4 The Chair then invited the Assistant Director Strategy, Assurance and Private Sector Housing to give a verbal presentation. The main points are highlighted below.

5.5 The Council had recently commissioned a Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) to provide an analysis of the full housing needs within Hackney and the future scale and mix of housing requirements. This would inform the evidence base for Selective and Additional Licensing, the Private Sector Housing Strategy, the Housing Strategy and the Local Plan.

5.6 Development of the new strategies must respond to a number of strategic priorities and issues, such as the Social Housing Regulation Act & Housing Ombudsman, Renter Reform Bill provisions, higher interest rates, mortgage affordability and private landlords exiting the market, rising homelessness and rough sleeping, inflationary pressure and impact on development and viability, the pathway to net zero and the refugee and migrant crisis.

5.7 The Council managed a wide range of building types and different tenures, and there were specific challenges for the local authority as a landlord. This included fire safety and compliance, decarbonisation, major works, damp and mould, repairs performance, pressures on the Housing Revenue Account, the introduction of the new housing management system and resident engagement.

5.8 The introduction of new consumer regulation such as the Social Housing Regulation Act (passed in July 2023) and the new social housing regulatory regime (to be introduced in April 2024) posed challenges for the Council as a landlord too. Increased oversight may potentially lead to fines, short-notice inspections and orders to carry out repairs. Local authority landlords were also increasingly being subject to regulatory judgements and/or Housing Ombudsman maladministration findings.

5.9 A number of evidence gathering exercises were undertaken to produce the SHMA. This included secondary source evidence data review, a household survey, strategic documents review, agent review, stakeholder review, officer discussions, community consultation and focus groups.

5.10 In respect of the community consultation, seven young residents were trained to carry out face-to-face research across key areas in Hackney and linking in with existing projects and activities. Five focus groups were also scheduled, co-facilitated by young researchers trained in community consultation and attended by residents who were reflective of the borough’s demographics.

5.11 The quantitative evidence gathered suggested that Hackney would see a pronounced rise in its older population and slight fall in the child population over the next 20 years. In terms of household types, there was also projected to be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.1 The Chair explained that the Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission held a discussion on the draft Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy 2023-25 on 18th September 2023. Prior to this, the Commission held a discussion on the provision of temporary accommodation in Hackney on 22nd March 2023.

6.2 The Commission had now brought together its findings and recommendations from these pieces of work and sent a letter to the Executive for response.

6.3 Members noted the letter to the Executive Response outlining the recommendations and findings of the scrutiny sessions held on 22nd March and 18th September 2023.

7.1 The Chair explained that the Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission held a discussion on the Council’s approach to resident engagement for estate regeneration in Hackney on 20th April 2023.

7.2 Following the meeting, the Commission brought together its findings and sent a letter to the Executive outlining its findings and recommendations. The response from the Executive to the letter was received on 3rd October 2023.

7.3 In terms of following up this piece of work, the Vice-Chair suggested that the Commission may want to further understand why bespoke resident charters are not adopted for individual regeneration schemes and whether there is scope for this going forward.

7.4 Members noted the letter and Executive Response to the findings of the scrutiny session held on 20th April and the next steps for following up the recommendations and findings.

8.1 The Chair explained that the Net Zero Review was an amalgamation of work undertaken by the overarching Scrutiny Panel and three Scrutiny Commissions: Health in Hackney, Living in Hackney and Skills, Economy and Growth.

8.2 Following the review, a report was sent to the Executive outlining its findings and recommendations. The response from the Executive to the review was considered at the Cabinet meeting held on 23 October 2023.

8.3 In terms of following up this piece of work, the Scrutiny Panel would be responsible for tracking the progress of the recommendations themselves, and the Commission will retain a role in scrutinising any areas of concern relating to its remit where appropriate.

8.4 Members noted the Executive Response to the findings of the Net Zero Review and the next steps for following up the recommendations and findings.

9.1 The draft minutes of the previous meeting on 18th September 2023 were presented.

9.2 Members agreed the draft minutes as an accurate record.

10.1 The Chair referred to the Commission’s work programme and highlighted the discussion items planned for the remainder of the municipal year.

10.2 A Commission Member asked whether there was scope to include the voice of young people in the discussion on anti-social behaviour on council-managed estates and blocks in January 2024.

10.3 It was advised that the Chair was currently looking at the ways in which this could be incorporated and would update members accordingly.

10.4 A Commission Member asked whether there was scope to hold a follow up discussion on supported accommodation for homeless people with complex needs later in the year. This would be with the aim of discussing the opportunities and challenges in the sector with health and housing partners.

10.5 It was noted that this possibility would be explored following the meeting.

11.1 Cllr Ogundemuren made a declaration of interest in relation to Item 4: Supported Accommodation for Rough Sleepers & Single Homeless People with Complex Needs.

11.2 He declared that his employer, Clarion Housing Group, was a corporate fundraiser for St Mungo’s (in attendance for the item) and he had therefore raised money for them in the past.