The Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission met on Monday 6 July 2026 to discuss the Housing Services Annual Complaints Performance Report for 2025/26 and to begin formulating the work programme for the upcoming municipal year. Key decisions included noting the annual complaints report, which indicated a slight decrease in complaint volumes and an improvement in the percentage of complaints resolved within target times, despite an increase in average resolution time due to complex cases. The commission also initiated discussions on potential topics for its 2026/27 work programme, with a focus on housing and homelessness issues.

Housing Services Annual Complaints Performance Report 2025/26

The commission reviewed the Housing Services Annual Complaints Performance Report for 2025/26. Tom Harrison, Assistant Director of Housing Transformation, and Kane Roach, Operations Director for Housing Property and Asset Management, presented the findings.

The report highlighted a 1.8% decrease in Stage 1 complaints received in 2025/26, the first annual decline since the pandemic. While the average time to resolve Stage 1 complaints increased to 22.58 working days, largely due to the closure of a backlog of complex cases, the percentage of complaints resolved within the target time improved to 75.5%. However, the rate of escalation to Stage 2 complaints continued to rise, reaching 27.5%.

Key drivers for complaints remained repairs issues, particularly gas and plumbing, though plumbing complaints saw a decrease. Damp and mould complaints rose, potentially linked to the introduction of Awaab's Law. Legal disrepair complaints saw a significant increase. The report also noted a rise in complaints related to Tenancy Services, specifically Housing Management and Income Services.

Officers detailed ongoing initiatives to improve complaint handling, including a new behaviour framework aimed at fostering a more empathetic service, and efforts to address contractor performance through more robust monitoring and contract management. Plans are in place to recruit additional staff to the complaints handling function and to restructure teams to better manage caseloads and reduce the impact of staff absences.

Commission members raised concerns about the root causes of complaints, particularly regarding short-term versus long-term solutions for issues like damp and mould, and the effectiveness of contractor management. Questions were also posed about the impact of budget constraints on service delivery and the perception among tenants of not being listened to. Officers explained that while budget pressures exist, all statutory repairs and safety issues are being addressed. The new behaviour framework and training programmes are intended to improve staff empathy and communication.

The commission also discussed the challenges of multi-service area complaints, or multis, which represent a significant proportion of cases. The root causes are often complex, involving multiple departments, and a key challenge is ensuring ownership and timely responses. Plans are in place to address the backlog of these complaints by hiring additional staff.

Living in Hackney Work Programme 2026/27

The commission began discussing potential topics for its work programme for the 2026/27 municipal year. Craig Player, Overview and Scrutiny Officer, outlined the process for developing the work programme, which involves collating suggestions from various stakeholders, including commission members, cabinet members, senior officers, resident groups, and the public. The focus will be on identifying issues where scrutiny can add the most value and impact.

Several areas were highlighted as potential priorities, including:

• Temporary Accommodation: Members expressed a strong interest in examining the provision and conditions of temporary accommodation, with a particular focus on issues such as repairs, resident support, and the impact of policies on families and vulnerable individuals. Councillor Sarah Young suggested narrowing the focus to specific aspects, such as the impact of rent increases in older blocks and support for working residents not receiving full housing benefit.
• Retrofit and Energy Efficiency: Councillor Young also proposed investigating the council's work on retrofitting council housing stock and providing advice to private renters and owner-occupiers on energy efficiency measures.
• Engagement and Consultation: A cross-cutting theme emerged regarding how the council listens to and engages with residents. This was suggested as a potential shared investigation across scrutiny commissions, with specific interest in how housing developments and the local plan engage with community voices.
• Housing Association Partnerships: The commission noted the importance of ensuring consistent service quality and effective collaboration with housing associations, particularly concerning affordable housing delivery, temporary and supported accommodation, and crime and anti-social behaviour.
• Private Sector Housing: Concerns were raised about the conditions in private rented accommodation, the affordability of private rents, and the need for effective licensing and enforcement.
• Supported Housing: The commission expressed interest in the development of supported housing strategies to meet the needs of vulnerable residents, including older people, care leavers, and those with disabilities.
• Forgotten Residents : Councillor Tyrone Scott, Chair of the Commission, highlighted the need to consider the needs of often overlooked resident groups, such as those living on waterways and traveller communities.
• Universal Credit and Housing Benefit: The impact of the transition from housing benefit to Universal Credit on residents' ability to access housing elements and pay rent was raised as a concern.

The commission agreed to continue discussions and refine the longlist of potential topics, with a draft work programme to be presented at the next meeting in September.

Scrutiny Reports, Letters & Responses

The commission noted letters and responses related to the Housing Strategy 2026-31 and the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy 2025-29. The response from Councillor Guy Nicholson, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing Management and Regeneration, indicated that many of the commission's recommendations for the Housing Strategy were accepted or would be considered. Similarly, the response from Councillor Susan Fajana-Thomas and Diane Benjamin regarding the VAWG Strategy showed a commitment to implementing many of the commission's suggestions, particularly concerning data sharing, annual reporting, and engagement with specific communities.

Scrutiny Actions Tracker

As this was the first meeting of the municipal year, the Scrutiny Actions Tracker was noted as having no new actions to report at this stage.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The draft minutes of the previous meeting held on 10 March 2026 were agreed as an accurate record.

The meeting was formally declared closed.