This week in Havering:

Damp and Mould Action Plan Approved, But Will it Help Those Most in Need?

The Place Overview & Scrutiny Sub Committee met this week to discuss the council's approach to tackling damp and mould in its properties, approving a new policy designed to comply with Awaab's Law. While councillors welcomed the updated measures, concerns were raised about whether the policy goes far enough to support vulnerable residents and proactively address the root causes of damp and mould.

Key Points:

• New Policy Approved: The council's new damp and mould policy, approved by cabinet on 11 June 2025, commits to addressing damp and mould hazards within stricter timescales, in line with Awaab's Law.
• Faster Response Times: The council aims to raise an emergency call within 10 days for priority mould treatment, ahead of the 14-day requirement in Awaab's Law.
• Damp MOTs: The council will offer additional support through a damp MOT treatment process for up to four months, involving monthly mould treatments and surveyor inspections.
• Data Collection: The council is using specialist damp and mould SOR codes¹ to track and monitor cases, and is developing a KPI² report to monitor performance.

Concerns Raised:

• Prioritising Vulnerable Residents: Councillor Matthew Stanton asked whether staff who visit properties for other reasons would be made aware of the timescales for responding to damp and mould reports.
• Addressing Lifestyle Factors: Councillor Philippa Crowder raised the issue of lifestyle choices as a cause of damp and mould, and asked how the council was balancing this with the need to avoid blaming residents.
• Long-Term Solutions: Councillor Philippa Crowder asked what the cure was for cold bridging³ in older buildings, with an officer responding that the only long-term solution was retrofit, including insulation and improved ventilation.

Recommendations:

The committee made several recommendations to improve the council's approach, including:

• Reviewing the housing policy to ensure it gives sufficient priority to those suffering from damp and mould, in advance of them getting a GP referral.
• Proactively pushing out advice on damp and mould prevention on social media.
• Exploring the feasibility of identifying other metrics that correlate with the incidence of damp and mould, and proactively communicating with those households.
• Looking at the feasibility of annual follow-up, and including it as part of the strategy.

Why it Matters:

Damp and mould can have serious health consequences, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions. Awaab's Law aims to protect social housing tenants from these risks, but effective implementation requires a proactive and holistic approach. The committee's recommendations highlight the need for the council to not only respond to reports of damp and mould, but also to identify and support residents most at risk, and address the underlying causes of the problem.

Council Exceeds Targets for Re-Letting Empty Homes

The Place Overview & Scrutiny Sub Committee also received a report on the council's voids performance, revealing significant improvements in recent years. A void is a council property that is unoccupied, usually between tenancies. The council aims to make void properties available for letting as quickly as possible, to minimise rent loss and maximise the available housing stock. The meeting heard that the council's key-to-key time⁴ performance has improved significantly, from an average of 80 days in 2020-21 to 55.13 days in 2024-25.

Key Achievements:

• Top Quartile Performance: Havering is now in the top quartile of London boroughs for key-to-key time, outperforming the top quartile average of 66.27 days.
• Streamlined Process: The council has streamlined the voids process by using one contractor to manage the entire process, eliminating delays between different contractors coming in and out.
• Customer Satisfaction: The council has launched customer satisfaction postcards to gather feedback from new residents on the condition of the property and the quality of service they have received.

New Ideas:

Councillor Matthew Stanton suggested that the 360-degree views of properties should be made available on the lettings website, and that the council should consider offering properties as is, with essential works carried out but the option for residents to accept the property with less cosmetic work done.

Why it Matters:

Reducing the time it takes to re-let empty homes not only benefits the council financially, but also ensures that more people have access to safe and affordable housing. The council's improved performance is a positive step towards addressing housing need in the borough.

Upcoming Meetings

Here's a summary of upcoming meetings and their main topics:

• The People Overview & Scrutiny Sub Committee will meet on Tuesday 15 July 2025. Link to meeting
• The Audit Committee will meet on Tuesday 08 July 2025 to discuss the external auditor's annual reports and audit plans, the annual treasury management report, and the head of assurance's annual report. Link to meeting
• The Local Pension Board will meet on Tuesday 08 July 2025. Link to meeting
• The Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee will meet on Tuesday 08 July 2025 to discuss a health update from various NHS providers, and to examine integrated neighbourhoods. Link to meeting
• The Strategic Planning Committee will meet on Thursday 10 July 2025 to discuss several planning applications, including a presentation on a proposed special school, and applications relating to land adjacent to St Mary's Lane, Ockenden and the Veolia ES landfill site on Coldharbour Lane, Rainham. Link to meeting
• The Governance Committee will meet on Friday 11 July 2025. Link to meeting

This week in Havering:

Pension Fund Performance Under Scrutiny

Havering Council's Pensions Committee convened this week to review the performance, accounts, and budget of the Havering Pension Fund. The meeting covered a range of critical issues affecting the financial security of current and future pensioners in the borough.

Key Discussions:

• Pension Administration Budget: Councillors considered and approved a proposed budget of £0.740m for pension administration, an increase of £92,000 from the previous year. This rise is attributed to increased membership, inflationary pressures, and the need to comply with new legislative requirements like the McCloud remedy and the pensions dashboard.
• Annual Report and Business Plan: The committee reviewed its work from 2024/25 and outlined a business plan for the next three years. Key priorities include managing climate risk, exploring local investment opportunities, and ensuring compliance with governance standards.
• Investment Performance: The fund's performance for the quarter ending March 2025 was presented, revealing a slight decrease in asset value to £1,007.9m. The fund underperformed against both tactical and strategic benchmarks, primarily due to negative performance in equity allocations.
• Pension Fund Accounts: The committee noted the unaudited accounts for 2024/25, which showed an increase in net assets to £1,008m, up from £969m the previous year.

The committee was also asked to consider the annual report on its work during 2024/25, as well as its business plan for the three-year period covering 2025/26 to 2027/28. The report detailed the key targets and methods of measurement, the level of internal and external resources, financial estimates, major milestones, training, and recommended actions.

Why it Matters:

These decisions directly impact the financial well-being of Havering's pensioners. Effective management of the pension fund is crucial to ensuring that retirees receive the benefits they are entitled to. The increase in the administration budget, while necessary to meet rising costs and regulatory demands, highlights the ongoing financial pressures faced by the council. The fund's recent underperformance underscores the importance of careful investment strategies and risk management.

Other Matters

• The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education met this week. No video of the meeting was provided.

Upcoming Meetings

Here's a summary of upcoming meetings and their main topics:

• The Place Overview & Scrutiny Sub Committee will meet on Tuesday 01 July 2025 to discuss the council's approach to damp and mould in its properties, and an overview of the process for managing void properties. Link to meeting
• The Overview & Scrutiny Board will meet on Thursday 03 July 2025. Link to meeting
• The Audit Committee will meet on Tuesday 08 July 2025. Link to meeting
• The Local Pension Board will meet on Tuesday 08 July 2025. Link to meeting
• The Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee will meet on Tuesday 08 July 2025. Link to meeting
• The Strategic Planning Committee will meet on Thursday 10 July 2025. Link to meeting
• The Governance Committee will meet on Friday 11 July 2025. Link to meeting

This week, the Havering Council held a Pensions Committee meeting on Tuesday, 25 June 2024. The committee discussed several important matters related to the London Borough of Havering Pension Fund. Here are the key decisions and discussions from the meeting:

Pension Fund Accounts 2023-24

The committee reviewed the audited accounts for the Pension Fund for the fiscal year 2023-24. The accounts revealed that the fund had a market value of £1.84 billion at the end of March 2024. Unfortunately, the fund returned -1.2% during the year, underperforming its custom benchmark return of -0.5%. Despite this underperformance, the accounts were noted by the committee.

Pension Administration Budget 2024-25

The committee approved the Pension Administration Budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2024-25. This budget, which covers costs such as staff, office, and IT expenses, totals £1.904 million. This represents a 7.3% increase (£129,000) from the previous year.

Administration of the Cleantech Fund

A significant decision was made to transfer the administration of the Cleantech Fund to the Pension Fund team. This move aims to provide members of the Cleantech Fund with the same high level of administrative support currently enjoyed by Pension Fund members. The committee approved this transfer.

This will provide a number of advantages. Primarily it will give members of the Cleantech fund access to the same high level of administrative support that is currently enjoyed by members of the Pension Fund.

Pension Fund Monitoring Report

The committee received a performance report for the first quarter of 2024-25. The report indicated that the Pension Fund had outperformed its benchmark during this period, a positive sign amidst the previous year's underperformance.

Pension Fund Business Plan

The committee reviewed the Pension Fund's Business Plan for 2023-24. This plan outlines the fund's objectives, investment strategy, and risk management framework, providing a roadmap for future operations.

Review of Pension Fund Administration Policy

Lastly, the committee considered a report recommending changes to the Pension Fund's Administration Policy. These changes were mainly administrative and did not affect the overall policy. For example, one change updated the notification timeline for applicants:

To change the wording 'The Pensions Manager will notify the applicant in writing of the decision within 10 working days' to 'The Pensions Manager will notify the applicant in writing of the decision as soon as possible.'

Understanding the workings of the Pensions Committee is crucial as it impacts many residents relying on the Pension Fund for their future financial security. The decisions made in these meetings shape the administration and performance of the fund, affecting its sustainability and reliability.