The Housing and Communities Select Committee was scheduled to discuss performance updates on Grenfell rehousing policies, the council's response to a resident-led review of the housing repairs service, and the outcomes of a consultation working group. The meeting also included an update on the committee's work programme.

Grenfell Rehousing Policies: Performance Update

The committee was scheduled to receive a high-level summary of rehousing performance under various policies implemented following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. This included the Grenfell Rehousing Policy, the Grenfell Settled Homes Policy, and the Wider Grenfell Rehousing Policy. A review of the Local Lettings Plan (LLP) for the Lancaster West Estate and Bramley House was also on the agenda. The report was expected to provide headline figures on rehousing progress and current demand, alongside broader housing needs within the borough. The impact of a cyber attack on data availability was noted as a factor affecting the comprehensiveness of the figures. The report also included a representation from the Chair of the Bramley House Residents' Association.

The report detailed the progress of the Grenfell Rehousing Policy, stating that nearly all eligible households had moved into permanent homes. The Grenfell Settled Homes Policy had facilitated second moves for 36 households, with a further five awaiting completion of works. The Wider Grenfell Rehousing Policy had rehoused 132 households. The Local Lettings Plan for the Lancaster West Estate and Bramley House had rehoused 89 households, with a majority of lettings being to smaller homes, reflecting a trend of downsizing and the ability to rehouse adult household members separately. The report also highlighted the challenges faced by residents who did not qualify for the specific Grenfell housing policies, who were supported through mainstream housing pathways.

The Lancaster West Refurbishment Decant Scheme (RDS), designed to minimise disruption during refurbishment, was also scheduled for discussion, with 56 households having transferred under this scheme. The report indicated that the LLP had supported the refurbishment of the estate by facilitating household transfers.

Wider housing needs in the borough were also to be addressed, with reports of unprecedented homelessness pressures and a significant increase in households approaching the council for assistance. The report noted that the number of households in temporary accommodation had fallen below 2,000 for the first time in many years, though the cost of providing this accommodation continued to rise. The Housing Register showed 2,848 households verified and actively seeking rehousing, with homeless households in temporary accommodation representing over 60% of this demand. The supply of social housing lettings was reported as not matching demand, with over 60% of lettings in the past five years being for studio and one-bedroom homes.

A review of the Local Lettings Plan for Lancaster West and Bramley House was planned, with initial resident feedback favouring its retention, particularly for its role in the estate's refurbishment. The council intended to commence early engagement on this review later in 2026, considering questions such as whether the LLP continues to meet housing needs, its role in supporting refurbishment, and how to balance these responsibilities with the needs of other residents, including homeless households. The report also mentioned a significant funding gap for the estate's refurbishment, with the council working with central government to secure further funding.

A representation from the Chair of Bramley House Residents' Association, Samia Badani, was included, requesting the council to use discretionary powers to include legacy Grenfell evacuees from Barandon Walk, Hurstway Walk, Testerton Walk, and Bramley House in Grenfell-related rehousing routes. These residents, who experienced the same trauma and evacuation as others, were reportedly excluded from the Wider Grenfell Rehousing Policy and the Local Lettings Plan due to their housing status at the time of the fire. The report argued that this exclusion was an administrative technicality and called for a review of these cases within 90 days.

Responding to Resident-Led Review of the Housing Repairs Service

The committee was scheduled to review the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's (RBKC) response to recommendations made by a Resident-Led Panel that reviewed the Housing Repairs Service. The report summarised RBKC's actions and plans to address the issues highlighted by the panel, aiming to deliver a responsive, efficient, and resident-focused repairs service.

Key areas for improvement identified by the panel and addressed in the council's response included:

• Access to the repairs service and ICT Limitations: The panel noted an over-reliance on telephone reporting and recommended an online repairs portal for residents to track repairs and submit photos and videos. The council accepted these recommendations and noted that an online portal was already in development, though its progress had been impacted by a cyber security attack.
• Triaging and appointment handling: The panel suggested technical officers should triage all repairs and that there should be clearer ownership of repair requests. The council agreed and has enhanced technical oversight, with plans to procure a new diagnostic tool and introduce skill-based routing for calls.
• Communication with residents, staff training, and engagement: The panel found communication lacked an active approach and recommended modernised channels. The council is developing its existing text messaging service and exploring other communication channels. The panel also highlighted the importance of resident engagement, and the council plans to incorporate the panel's recommendations into its resident involvement strategy.
• Cost control, quality assurance, and contractor performance: The panel provided recommendations to strengthen contractor monitoring and resident experience. The council stated that cost controls and approval thresholds are existing practice, and they are working on a new procurement framework with financial penalties for poor performance. Mandatory before-and-after photographs and targeted post-inspections are being enforced.

The report included a table summarising the status of the panel's recommendations, categorising them as complete, in progress, or requiring ongoing monitoring.

Consultation Working Group Report

The committee was scheduled to review the report of the Consultation Working Group, which had conducted a deep dive into consultation engagement at the council. The report aimed to identify lessons learned and areas for improvement.

The working group's methodology included information gathering sessions with consultation officers and a Scrutiny in a Day review session. The report detailed findings from sessions on What is Consultation, a case study of the high-response Budget Consultation 2025, a case study of low-response Housing Management Consultations, and methods of communication.

Key recommendations from the report included:

• Proactively circulating a list of live consultations and We Asked, You Said, We Did updates to all councillors monthly.
• Establishing a clear and transparent process for selecting sub-groups of the Citizens' Panel.
• Ensuring ward councillors are emailed the outcomes of ward-specific consultations.
• Considering the wording of the 'perception' question regarding residents feeling their input makes a difference.
• Ensuring departments engage with the Consultation and Participation Team and Communications Team early in the planning of consultations.
• Making provision for an informal consultation period on budget proposals early in the process.
• Ensuring all consultations have a clear call-to-action and a How does this affect me? narrative.
• Breaking down larger consultations into manageable sections while providing links to full information.
• Working more with third-party organisations to strengthen community ownership of policies.
• Improving cross-departmental working and considering a dedicated budget for the Consultation Team.
• Establishing a council-wide consultation pipeline to prevent clashes and reduce fatigue.
• Involving Residents' Associations (RAs) in promoting consultations and attending RA meetings.
• Exploring wider engagement methods beyond formal consultations and trialling additional survey questions to understand non-response reasons.

The report highlighted the success of the Budget Consultation 2026-27, which received 550 responses compared to previous years, attributing this to earlier planning, a proactive communications plan, multi-channel communication, and collaboration with third-party providers. Conversely, Housing Management consultations often faced low response rates due to their technical and legislative nature, with minor policy changes offering limited scope for resident input. Housing Management was undertaking changes to focus on fewer, higher-quality consultations and using delegated authority for legally mandated changes.

Select Committee Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on its work programme and scrutiny activities, outlining reports for upcoming meetings. The committee develops an annual work programme based on members' priorities, with a focus on housing services, partnerships, social housing improvement, housing stock management, housing strategy, and community relations. Grenfell recovery was noted as a priority for the council, with the committee ensuring activity on matters affecting communities affected by the Grenfell tragedy.

The update indicated that a written briefing on Sheltered Accommodation had been provided, and an online briefing on housing needs complaints data was being scheduled. The work programme had been adjusted since the previous meeting, with details set out in the report. The report listed scheduled items for previous meetings in the municipal year, including discussions on Housing and Social Investment Performance Information, the Lancaster West Refurbishment, the Social Housing Regulator's report, the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan, the Asset Management Strategy, and the Voluntary Sector Support Fund. The items scheduled for the 4 March 2026 meeting included Grenfell Rehousing Policies, the Repairs service, and the report of the Consultation Working Group. The work programme was to be discussed and agreed by the committee.