This meeting of the Housing, Community Safety and Community Engagement Scrutiny Commission was scheduled to discuss the roles of Tenants and Residents Associations (TRAs) and Tenant Management Organisations (TMOs), the gas consumption levels in the council's district heating networks, and to consider the Commission's work programme for the 2024-25 year.

The role of TRAs’ and TMOs’ in wards

The report pack included for discussion a report on the role of TRAs and TMOs. The report explains the different roles and purposes of TRAs and TMOs, and how many there are in Southwark. It explains that the council's aim is to create a people powered Southwark and details the activities they have undertaken to achieve this. For example:

TRA representatives are also actively involved in the improvement of the repairs and maintenance service via the repairs improvement residents’ board. There is ongoing work to hold repairs action days on none TRA estates to engage more residents and grow the number of TRAs.

The report then describes the activities that TMOs carry out, how they are funded, and how they are governed.

The Housing Act 1985 (s27AB)¹ makes provision for the Council as a landlord to enter into management agreements with TMOs. TMOs are governed by the requirements of the Right to Manage Regulations 2012² and contractual arrangements with the Council under their management agreements.

The report also looks at the financial management of TMOs, and explains that recent external audits have revealed issues with the way they are scrutinised. The report proposes solutions to these issues including:

Going forward, there is now an increased interrogation of the accounts with quarterly management accounts provided on a mandatory basis. There is also a forward-looking process where business plans are provided by each TMO to show their short to medium-term viability.

The report pack also includes a Southwark Council delivery plan from 2022, a spreadsheet showing the locations of TMOs in Southwark by ward, a spreadsheet showing all active TRAs, and a link to a Microsoft Forms survey. The spreadsheet shows that Fair Community Housing Services will cease to be a TMO from 1 November 2024. There are also some presentation slides that show the results of the survey, which was conducted by Tenant and Homeowner Involvement Officers (THIOs) and shows what residents said about the ways they wanted to engage with the council.

Excessive gas consumption in district heating networks and prohibitive costs for leaseholders - Investigation and Outcome

The report pack included for discussion a report on the gas consumption in district heating networks. The report explains that leaseholders on two estates, North Peckham and Gloucester Grove, had complained about the high gas consumption levels in their district heating networks at a recent meeting of the full council. The report explains why the gas consumption of a district heating network is likely to be higher than that of individually heated homes, and how much higher it is likely to be:

If the assumed 10,350 kWh heat is divided by 80% (based on a 20% saving) before dividing by the 73% and 61% network efficiencies, the resultant gas use might be in the region of 17,723 to 21,209 kWh per property.

The report explains that while the average gas consumption per dwelling in the council's heat networks is 19,000 kWh, at North Peckham the figure is much higher at 28,100 kWh. It explores the reasons for the high consumption levels at North Peckham, which are that the boiler house is not located on the estate and the pipes have to travel further, and that the network is a four pipe system, an older design that is less efficient than modern two pipe systems. It also suggests that the nearby Tuke School may be using more energy than it is paying for. The report then details all of the planned work at North Peckham to improve the network's efficiency.

The report then lists the average gas consumption per dwelling of all of the council's district heating networks and concludes that the Consort Estate is the only other network with higher than expected levels of gas consumption. It explains that this is because the boilers are very old, and that they will need to be replaced soon.

The report explains that the council adopted a Heat Metering Policy in January 2024, that it has secured grant funding to carry out some of the work on its heat networks, and that upcoming legislation is likely to require it to install heat meters in more homes.

Proposed work programme 2024-2025

The report pack included for discussion a report on the Commission's work programme for the year. The work programme lists what the Commission was scheduled to discuss at each of its meetings for the year, and includes a summary of all the topics covered by the commission. The report explains that, in addition to the statutory role of all scrutiny committees:

The Housing service areas that fall within the scope of the Housing, Community Safety and Community Engagement Commission are:

* Resident Services (which includes area management, strategy and business support, strategic business and support housing services).
* Customer Experience Division (which includes the Contact Centre; Customer Resolution and Specialist Services, My Southwark Home Owners and the Housing Solutions Services).
* Asset Management Division (which includes New Homes; Investment, Repairs & Maintenance and Engineering).

The report then lists the areas of responsibility covered by the Cabinet Members whose portfolios the Commission scrutinises: Councillor Sarah King (Council Homes), Councillor Natasha Ennin (Community Safety & Neighbourhoods), Councillor Helen Dennis (New Homes & Sustainable Development) and Councillor Stephanie Cryan (Communities, Democracy and Finance). The report pack includes an appendix showing the work programme as of 18 September 2024.