The Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission met on Thursday 15 March 2012 to discuss housing allocations and review sports participation. The commission heard from representatives of various registered housing providers regarding their experiences with Hackney Council's Choice Based Letting (CBL) system and agreed to develop recommendations for improving sports participation.

Review of Housing Allocations: Registered Providers

The commission held its second public meeting to review housing allocations, hearing from representatives of several registered providers: IDS, Agudas Israel Housing Association, North London Muslim Housing Association (NLMHA), Peabody Trust, Metropolitan Housing Trust, Sanctuary London & South East, and L&Q. A key theme was the impact of Hackney Council's Choice Based Letting (CBL) system on the ability of specialist housing associations to serve their specific communities.

Paul Westbrook, Chief Executive of IDS, noted that while customer service from the council's Housing Needs service had improved, they still experienced variations in turnaround times. He welcomed the council's recent implementation of penalties for applicants who fail to attend shortlisted viewings or refuse appropriate properties. Ita Symons MBE, Chief Executive of Agudas Israel Housing Association, explained that her organisation, which provides family-sized housing primarily for Orthodox Jewish households, had found allocations difficult historically. However, their classification as a specialist housing body and an accommodation with the council, allowing exclusive letting to Orthodox Jewish applicants, was working well. Agudas Israel Housing Association also retains its own waiting list, offering only 75% of its properties for nomination by the council, unlike most other registered providers in Hackney who use the council's CBL system exclusively.

Ahmed Mapara, Chief Executive of North London Muslim Housing Association (NLMHA), and Aziz Rahim, Housing Services Director, highlighted that their association, founded in 1986 to meet the needs of the Muslim community, had previously enjoyed a mutual understanding with the council for Muslim-only nominations. However, the introduction of CBL meant this privilege was lost, impacting NLMHA's ability to support its specific community. They appealed to the council to ring-fence their properties for their client groups, but were informed this was not legally possible.

Ijay Okpali, Lettings Voids & Marketing Manager for Peabody Trust, reported that while the council's lettings team was generally helpful, there were concerns about the speed of turnaround times, with some voids remaining empty for longer than their internal target. Cordelia Amoah from Metropolitan Housing Trust echoed concerns about the accuracy of applicants' contact details and the occasional need to re-advertise properties. Alison Myhill, Voids Manager for Sanctuary London & South East, welcomed the new penalties to address 'speculative bidding' but raised concerns about turnaround times, noting that in Hackney it averaged 34 days compared to Sanctuary's target of 21 days. Rhona Amico, Neighbourhood Services Team Leader for L&Q, also welcomed the penalties but raised concerns about nomination delays and the accuracy of applicant contact details.

During the discussion, Councillor Clayeon McKenzie noted that issues of unreliable attendance at viewings and unrealistic expectations had been raised previously, with a general consensus that the situation was improving. He acknowledged the challenges for specialist housing associations and asked if this was a common issue with CBL in other local authorities. The NLMHA Chief Executive felt there was no special treatment in other local authorities, but that Hackney's previous unique arrangement with them was a loss.

Councillor Ian Rathbone raised the issue of applicants not attending viewings, citing an example of a resident with specific medical needs struggling to find suitable accommodation. The Sanctuary Voids Manager explained that while it's difficult to ascertain the exact reasons for non-attendance, refusals are recorded. She emphasised the need for accurate applicant information to ensure only appropriate properties are offered. The Peabody Lettings Manager suggested that CBL could be amended based on resident information to set restrictions accordingly.

Councillor Daniel Stevens questioned why NLMHA had lost its special arrangement with CBL while Agudas Israel Housing Association could continue operating in a similar way. The Agudas Chief Executive explained their constitution was carefully worded to prioritise Orthodox Jewish residents in housing need before CBL was introduced. The IDS Chief Executive added that challenges to protecting households for specific communities often came from applicants rather than the council. The NLMHA Housing Services Director appealed for common sense, highlighting the waste of properties adapted for the Muslim community.

Regarding delays in nominating properties, the Peabody Lettings Manager suggested staffing levels had a major impact, a view supported by the IDS Lettings Manager, who believed staffing inconsistency was a significant issue. Councillor McKenzie inquired about the legal background to preventing specialist associations from receiving specific nominations through CBL, and the Scrutiny Support Officer agreed to find out and report back. The commission agreed to receive details of the legal advice provided about allocating housing through CBL according to ethnicity.

Councillor Rathbone asked if adapted properties could be protected for future use by households requiring those adaptations. The Sanctuary Voids Manager explained this could be difficult, as properties are allocated to the most in-need applicant if no one requiring the specific adaptation applies. Councillor McKenzie asked about the main impacts of extended voids, with the IDS Chief Executive noting financial losses, performance issues, and reputational damage. The Metropolitan representative added that extended voids were more likely to attract squatters.

In response to a question about evening or weekend viewings, the Peabody Lettings Manager stated they generally do not offer them but will accommodate requests for challenging-to-let properties, noting they do so in Westminster. The Sanctuary Voids Manager indicated this was not currently possible but could be explored with staffing adjustments, though it might affect other shortlisted viewers.

Councillor Stevens referred to proposals in the Localism Act allowing local authorities to prioritise people based on factors other than housing need, such as employment, and asked if housing associations could take these into account. The Agudas Chief Executive noted her association always considered those in employment to be in greater housing need. The Peabody Lettings Manager explained it would be difficult for housing associations to act on these changes as nomination agreements are with the local authority. The legal representative confirmed that the provisions in the Localism Act had not yet been enforced and the council would need to consider its lettings policy in light of the new legislation.

Finally, the commission agreed that the Choice booklet should be considered as part of the review and thanked the registered provider representatives for their contributions.

Review of Sports Participation: Recommendations Discussion

Councillor McKenzie introduced a briefing paper outlining initial findings and recommendation areas from the review of sports participation. Councillor Rathbone raised concerns about community group access to Olympic venues during and after the Games. Councillor Stevens queried whether Hackney Homes has a physical activity strategy and Councillor McKenzie asked about Hackney residents' access to Olympic facilities post-Games. The commission agreed to develop the recommendation areas into formal recommendations and receive a draft report at the next meeting.

Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission - 2011/12 Work Programme

The commission noted its work programme for the municipal year.