Councillor Sarah Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning (Deputy Leader), approved a local lettings plan for older residents and an extension to a contract providing housing support for prison leavers. She also approved the award of contracts for housing-related support for young people, while noting that no suitable bids were received for a young women's service.

Redwing & Turnstone Local Lettings Plan Approved

Councillor Sarah Williams approved the Redwing & Turnstone Local Lettings Plan. This plan aims to allocate 119 homes in Redwing Court and Turnstone Court, Tottenham Hale, specifically to people aged 55 and over. The development is part of the larger Wingspan Scheme, which consists of 272 new council homes.

The council hopes the plan will address the needs of Haringey's ageing population, offering accessible and secure homes for older residents. It is also intended to encourage existing tenants in larger homes to downsize, freeing up family-sized properties.

The plan prioritises existing social tenants who are under-occupying their current homes or require adapted properties. After these tenants have been considered, homes will be offered to applicants in Bands A and B¹ of the housing register, prioritising those over 65 and those needing adaptations. Any remaining properties will then be offered to eligible applicants in temporary accommodation.

The council considered an alternative option of not implementing a lettings plan, but rejected it because the existing allocation arrangements were not expected to significantly increase the number of downsizing tenants.

A consultation was undertaken, targeting applicants on the housing register needing one or two-bedroom homes, and nearby tenants who would have been offered homes under the Neighbourhood Moves Scheme². While there was overall support for the plan, some respondents raised concerns about the minimum age requirement.

An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) was conducted, which found that the plan would disproportionately affect younger applicants needing one or two-bedroom homes. However, it was expected to have a positive impact on older residents, particularly those with disabilities. The EQIA also noted that the plan could lead to more larger homes being released, benefiting families with children.

Haringey Moving Forward Contract Extended

Councillor Sarah Williams approved the extension of the contract with Ark Resettlement Services (ARKRS) for the Haringey Moving Forward service, which provides housing-related support to prison leavers. The contract will be extended for 8.5 months, from 16 June 2025 to 28 February 2026, at a cost of £112,369. The total value of the contract, including the extension, will be £611,377.

The London Probation Service will continue to match-fund 50% of the service cost, meaning the actual cost to Haringey will be £305,688.50 over the life of the contract.

The decision to extend the contract was based on research showing that prison leavers without stable accommodation are significantly more likely to re-offend. The Haringey Moving Forward service aims to address this by providing supported accommodation and helping ex-offenders reintegrate into the community.

The council considered an alternative option of not extending the contract, but rejected it because it would likely lead to increased re-offending and homelessness, placing a strain on council resources. A tender process was also considered, but the current year-on-year funding arrangement with the Probation Services limited the council's planning and recommissioning strategies.

The service supports up to 26 service users for 12 to 18 months, helping them comply with criminal justice orders, access substance misuse treatment, secure and maintain tenancies, and access benefits, education, training, and employment.

Contract monitoring has shown that the service has been performing well, with a high percentage of service users successfully complying with their licence requirements and achieving stable housing.

Contracts Awarded for Young People's Supported Housing Pathway

Councillor Sarah Williams approved the award of contracts for the provision of Housing Related Support Services under the Young People's Supported Housing Pathway. The contracts will be awarded to successful tenderers for a period of four years, commencing on 1 September 2025, with an option to extend for up to three additional years. The cost of the contracts for the initial four-year period is £844,924 (exclusive of VAT), and the total aggregated value for the full seven-year duration is £1,478,617 (exclusive of VAT).

The services were tendered into four separate lots:

• Lot 1: Generic visiting support
• Lot 2: Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC)
• Lot 3: Young Women's Service
• Lot 4: Housing First for Care Leavers

However, no suitable bids were received for Lot 3 (Young Women's Service), and a separate procurement process may be carried out to recommission this service, subject to funding availability.

The council said the recommissioning of these services was essential due to changes in the Homelessness Reduction Act 2018³ and the Children and Social Work Act 2017⁴, which have increased the council's duties towards young people and care leavers. The existing contracts are expiring on 31 August 2025, and there is no further provision to extend them.

The tender process was designed to ensure that the council secures high-quality, cost-effective services that meet its statutory obligations under the Housing Act 1996⁵, Children Act 1989⁶, and Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. Awarding these contracts will contribute to the council's Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy and Corporate Delivery Plan objectives by preventing youth homelessness and promoting social inclusion and independence.

The council considered an alternative option of delivering the services in-house, but determined that an outsourced model would be more advantageous due to the council's inability to meet the accommodation requirements within the required timescales and budget.

An Equality Impact Assessment was conducted, which found that the recommissioning of specialist services, such as those for UASC, women only, and LGBTQ+ young people, would positively address inequalities experienced by Haringey young people with protected characteristics.