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Agenda item

Directorate Risk Review: Climate, Home and Economy

Decision:

RESOLVED: The Audit Committee to note the contents of the report, and the attached risk register and controls in place.

 

Minutes:

7.1  The Chair welcomed the Group Director, Climate, Home and Economy to his first meeting of the Audit Committee.

 

7.2  The Group Director for Climate, Home and Economy presented the report as laid out, but highlighted the new risks that had been added to the risk register:

 

  New risks

 

·  Cost of living crisis; reflecting the impact on services and residents, but highlighting the support available including through the Money Hub, the work to help residents maintain tenancies, and the work to reinvigorate the support to help sustain businesses.

·  Damp and mould; reflecting the additional attention following recent high profile incidents but highlighting that the Council was aware of the issue, has put in measures that have been developed to identify damp and mould early, including a 24hr leaks response initiative, and is working to procure an asset maintenance contractor.

 

7.3  Members of the committee asked for clarification on how the Council plans to tackle void turnaround times; sought reassurance that the Council is engaging in joined up working in relation to damp and mould; shared concerns on dealing with voids too quickly; asked about interactions with Housing Associations; queried the role of the landlord licensing scheme; and asked about the viability of Hackney Living Rent, and the impact of the transfer of Growth Borough functions.

 

7.4  The Group Director of Climate, Home and Economy responded and highlighted that;

 

·  There has been improvement in void turnaround times, decreasing from 190 days to 140 days, though this is still not acceptable as the target is 65 days.

·  The Council is looking at the resources available in the Building Maintenance Team to help target that turnaround period with dedicated resource, whilst balancing the increased volumes of enquiries that have been received regarding damp and mould.

·  The Council is seeking to expand the Direct Labour Organisation (DLO) in order to have additional operatives to tackle the increased demand on services.

·  The Council is engaged in joined-up working across different work areas in relation to damp and mould, and at the end of 2022 a group of senior Officers from Housing Needs, the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Housing team, and Housing Services was formed to develop an effective action plan that reflects Hackney’s housing stock.

·  A whole block approach is being taken, and the significant backlog of repairs that built-up during the pandemic is being worked through.

·  A new culture of intellectual curiosity needs to be developed in the Service area to better identify and mitigate issues earlier, and then develop suitable systems to manage associated work.

·  It would be concerning if tenants were being moved into properties that weren’t fit for habitation.

·  There is a common challenge in relation to damp and mould, and the Council and other landlords are trying to tackle the issue first time.

·  In relation to the PRS the Council encourages residents to alert Officers about issues, and additional resource has been put into the enforcement service to assist.

·  The challenge of providing an intermediary rent scheme, like Hackney Living Rent, is that wages haven’t increased in line with rent or inflation, but the Council is looking for any opportunities to provide support. 

·  The Council is in the process of reviewing the Housing Strategy, which will encompass a needs assessment to better understand what is now required.

·  The transfer of planning powers back to the Council from the Growth Borough team is an issue of capacity and resources, and work is underway to review what the resourcing plan is. The Council will also have to give consideration to the financial implication of the transfer.

 

RESOLVED: The Audit Committee to note the contents of the report, the risk register, and controls in place.

 

Supporting documents: