The committee discussed a report on housing performance in the second quarter of the financial year and then heard a presentation from Elie Dedecker, the Chief Executive of the Bromley by Bow Centre, on their approach to community centres. They then discussed the upcoming schedule for the committee.

Housing Performance

Councillor Ian Swift, Director of Housing Operations, introduced the second quarter performance report.

The report found that performance had been strong across most metrics, but highlighted that the number of people in temporary accommodation had increased by 16.3% in the past year, that there had been a 50% rise in homelessness due to no-fault evictions, and that 65% of complaints upheld by the Housing Ombudsman related to repairs.

There has also been a 50% rise in homelessness due to no-fault evictions in the past year.

The committee then discussed the reasons for the rise in no-fault evictions and the lack of registration of private landlords with the council. Councillor Swift explained:

The, the reason, uh, landlords are evicting, uh, tenants is because we've seen in Islington a 14% increase in rents, uh, in the private rented sector in the last 12 months, 14% the year before. But yet the local housing allowance rate, which is the rate set by central governments, has not increased for next financial year. So the tenants can no longer afford the rent since the rent has gone up 28% and the housing benefit hasn't gone up. Um, the landlord is now evicting those tenants who are then coming to the council as homeless and then letting it to people who can afford the 28% rent increase. So everything the council tries to do to prevent homelessness, we're doing, uh, but unfortunately the market that we're working in, in Islington is aligned with what the local residents needs are.

Councillor Angelo Weeks, Executive Member for Community Safety, agreed to report back to the committee in February with an update on private landlord registration.

Councillor Toby North asked for a breakdown of the length of time that repairs took to complete, as the report only showed that 81% were completed within 20 days. Mike Hall, Assistant Director of Property Services, agreed to report back with this information.

Councillor North also raised concerns about the increase in anti-social behaviour and asked for more detail on the effectiveness of the council's new policy. Councillor Swift explained that a new structure will be introduced on 1 April that will improve the council's response, and that the Housing Ombudsman has noted the improvements made to the service over the past 12 months.

Councillor Diarmaid Ward asked about the increase in rough sleeping, and if it could be attributed to the closure of COVID-19 support schemes. Councillor Swift agreed to remove this explanation from future reports.

Dean Donaghy praised the council's record on gas, fire and water safety checks, especially in light of recent tragic events elsewhere in the country.

Councillor Michael O'Sullivan asked for more detail on asbestos safety checks, first-time fixes, and complaints about repairs. Mr Hall explained that asbestos checks are a rolling programme that will be completed by the end of the financial year and that 80% of homes have now been checked. He also agreed to report back with more information about first-time fixes and a breakdown of the number of repeat visits for the same issue. Councillor O'Sullivan asked for more information on the fines that Islington had incurred from the Housing Ombudsman for maladministration. Councillor Swift explained that £93,000 in fines had been levied against the council in the last 12 months, and that 65% of these related to repairs.

Bromley by Bow Centre

Ms Hughes introduced Ms Dedecker and explained that the committee had asked to hear evidence from other providers on their approaches to community centres. She said:

So, tonight, I am delighted. It sounds like a television program, but it isn't. I'm delighted to have Ellie Dedecker with us this evening, who is the chief executive of the Bromley by Bow Centre.

Um, for those of you who may not have heard of the Bromley by Bow Centre, it is a hub in Tower Hamlets in East London. It has got a national, a local, an international, uh, reputation and recognition for the great work that they do in serving the population, uh, in their local area in Tower Hamlets.

Ms Dedecker explained that the Bromley by Bow Centre is a charity and described its unique partnership with the NHS and Tower Hamlets Council that allows it to provide integrated support to the community from a three-acre site.

She highlighted that funding was the centre's biggest challenge, stating that:

We receive no-call funding. So, we have to fundraise for every single little bit of activity that we do. We have, on the P&L, bottom line of about 3 million, or top line of about 3 million, we have about 100 to 140 income streams at any point in time.

Councillor North asked about the centre's outcome framework and its partnership with Tower Hamlets Council. Ms Dedecker agreed to share more information about the framework and explained that the centre receives a lot of statutory funding from Tower Hamlets to deliver social care services, and that the council has a seat on the centre's board.

Councillor Diarmaid Ward noted that the centre is situated in an area with clear inequalities and asked how they reach the most deprived members of the community. Ms Dedecker explained that outreach is mostly done via word-of-mouth and social media, but also through partnerships with other organisations, including GPs.

Councillor O'Sullivan asked if the centre had considered working with other organisations to lobby for more core funding for community organisations. Ms Dedecker agreed that core funding would be welcome and highlighted that she had been advocating for it for many years.

Dean Donaghy noted that the centre appeared to be doing a lot of work that the council should be doing, and asked what guarantees they have that the site would be protected from development, especially as some of the land is owned by private developers. Ms Dedecker agreed that Islington Council would probably like to develop the centre's site if they could, and that there are few guarantees. She then highlighted the challenges faced by the voluntary sector in filling the gaps left by government cuts. She said:

ESOL. So, we are in a community where over 60% are Bangladeshi heritage, very high numbers of low levels of English. So, ESOL classes, kind of vital, especially if you think about accessing anything else. Digital literacy, incredibly poor in our local area, absolutely vital to access any local authority support. Cost of living crisis, we had a meeting at the centre and the representative of the council was there, 40 different pots of support, four, zero, different applications, all online, all online. Now, you put that model in a community where the need is high, levels of English, poor, and digital skills, poor. People are not going to access the support.

Councillor Jackson asked for Ms Dedecker's views on how Islington can improve its approach to community centres. She replied:

In a context of such need and such scarce resources, we cannot duplicate. We cannot have people falling between the cracks. We have to bring things together more. And that, for me, is really something that I think, if you're having this conversation, don't do it in a silo. Don't do it in a silo. And, you know, you have, I'm sure, a great sector in the borough. Residents who have some of the means to support that, build on that. Bring them in. Bring the voluntary sector organisations in. Don't duplicate. Don't do things in silo. Bring it together. There's just too much to do and not enough resource to do it in isolation. Bring it together. That would be my starting point.

Ms Hughes then highlighted that:

But sometimes, you know, an organisation like yours is the one best place precisely because residents don't feel they're presenting themselves to services. They feel like they're showing up in a lovely community space and they are therefore accessing services.

She then suggested that co-location of services could be a key part of the committee's recommendations, and gave the example of a new development in Archway that will include a new GP surgery, library and council homes.

Work Programme

Councillor Diarmaid Ward raised concerns about the number of items on the February work programme. Councillor Jackson agreed that the committee should be mindful of this and said he would send an email out to confirm the arrangements. There was then discussion about whether the scrutiny of housing associations and contractors should take place in February or be moved to March. Councillor Jackson agreed to confirm arrangements with the officers and members.

Councillor North highlighted that last time the committee heard from housing associations, many did not attend and the others arrived with pre-prepared speeches that did not address the committee's concerns. Councillor O'Sullivan agreed with this and suggested that the committee send questions to housing associations in advance of the meeting. Councillor Jackson agreed that this was a good idea and asked members to send him any questions they had.

Dean Donaghy then suggested that the committee take a similar approach with contractors, and Councillor Jackson agreed.