Agenda and draft 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 Cllr Oszen, Cllr Pallis and Cllr Sadek.

1.3 Cllr Maxwell was in online attendance.

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

3.1 In relation to Item 4, Cllr Garbett declared that she rented a property in the Private Rented Sector.

4.1 The Chair opened the item by explaining that the Commission was keen to hear about the development of the Council’s draft Private Sector Housing Strategy 2024-29, which was due to be adopted by Cabinet later in the year.

4.2 The Commission saw this discussion as timely, giving members an opportunity to challenge how the strategy would be delivered, how the Council had considered any risks and the key measures of success before it was adopted.

4.3 It followed on from the Cabinet Question Time held in June 2023 where the Commission looked at how the Council worked with the Private Rented Sector (PRS) to ensure effective accountability and protection for private renters.

4.4 Representing London Borough of Hackney

·  Cllr Sem Moema, Deputy Cabinet Member for Private Rented Sector & Housing Affordability

4.5 The Chair then invited the Deputy Cabinet Member for Private Rented Sector & Housing Affordability to give a verbal presentation. The main points are highlighted below.

4.6 The number of private rented homes had doubled in the last decade to 34,000, or one in three households. This strategy set out how the Council, along with its partners, would support the improvement of housing and management standards in the PRS.

4.7 Continuing the Council’s work around improving the PRS for residents and tackling rogue landlords was considered important to 89% of residents, and not having enough homes to rent was considered the second largest challenge facing Hackney.

4.8 This strategy would work alongside other key strategic documents such as the Strategic Plan, Poverty Reduction Strategy, Housing Strategy and Community Strategy, and key to its success would be collaboration and shared responsibility for its delivery across the Council and its partners.

4.9 Market rents in Hackney had increased by 49% since 2010, at an average of £2,102 per month. To be able to afford to rent comfortably in Hackney, a household income of £65,000 was needed which was more than double to average median household income.

4.10 Key priorities included supporting homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, pursuing building owners to remediate their buildings to ensure they were safe, working with private landlords to tackle the issue of damp and mould, and improving thermal comfort and reducing energy costs.

4.11 Priorities also included continuing to promote landlord licensing and enforce compliance where necessary, improving the standards and management of exempt accommodation, decreasing the number of empty homes in the borough, and reviewing the challenges and opportunities in the short-term let sector.

Questions, Answers and Discussion

4.12 A Commission Member asked how the Council was engaging with harder to reach and marginalised groups (e.g. LGBTQIA+, people with complex needs, young or older people, Black and Global Majority communities) in developing the strategy.

4.13 The Deputy Cabinet Member for Private Rented Sector & Housing Affordability explained that, in preparing the strategy, the Council had commissioned a comprehensive review of the PRS, alongside an updated Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA), detailed discussions with partners and a tenant and landlord survey.

4.14  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.1 The Chair opened the item by explaining that the Commission had requested a brief update on the development of the Council's new Housing Strategy 2024-29 and the timeline options for its publication.

5.2 Representing London Borough of Hackney

·  Nathan Keates, Project Manager Housing Strategy & Policy

5.3 The Chair then invited the Project Manager Housing Strategy & Policy to give a verbal update. The main points are highlighted below.

5.4 The current outline for the Housing Strategy aimed to present a draft strategy to Cabinet in June 2024, undergo a 12-week public consultation period thereafter, then present the final strategy to Cabinet in December 2024. This did potentially have to account for the impact of two pre-election periods - the London Mayoral Election and General Election. This was Route One.

5.5 If the Council was to wait and go in lockstep with the Local Plan Review, the timeline in terms of months would be exactly the same but one year later. This was because the earliest a Local Plan Review would be ready was June 2024. This route wouldn't be impacted by the pre-election periods. This was Route Two.

5.6 There was also a Route Three, where the Council could hold off a year as in Route Two, to account for the Local Plan review, the various elections and prepare another Position Statement / Emerging Themes document for Cabinet in December 2024.

Questions, Answers and Discussion

5.7 A Commission Member asked what the 12-week public consultation process for the draft Housing Strategy might look like.

5.8 It was explained that there was a statutory requirement for the Council to formally consult the public on the draft Housing Strategy for a 12-week period. The methods of consultation were still to be determined.

Summing Up

5.9 The Chair thanked Commission Members for their questions and to the officer for his responses and engagement with the scrutiny process.

5.10 It was explained that the Commission planned to come back to the strategy in the new municipal year to look in detail at the emerging priorities and how they might be delivered.

6.1 The draft minutes of the meeting held on 27th February 2024 were agreed as an accurate record.

7.1 The Chair referred to the Commission’s work programme.

7.2 Members were thanked for their hard work over the course of the year, which had seen the Commission look at a number of key issues of local concern and strategic importance to the Council, partners and residents. This included resident engagement, housing repairs, anti-social behaviour, social landlord accountability and homelessness.

7.3 The Chair & Vice Chair would be working over the coming weeks to bring any outstanding findings and recommendations together and ensure that any follow up action was coordinated with the relevant Cabinet Members.

8.1 None.