The Housing & Regeneration Scrutiny Sub Committee met to discuss housing and regeneration priorities for 2025-26, receive an update on preparations for Awaab's Law¹, and review the draft Housing Strategy. The committee discussed targets for affordable home building, improvements to council homes, and measures to address homelessness. They also talked about the challenges and opportunities in the private rented sector.

Housing and Regeneration Priorities 2025-26

Councillor Ahmodul Kabir, Chair of General Purposes Committee, and David Joyce, Corporate Director of Housing & Regeneration, presented the housing and regeneration priorities for the upcoming year. The priorities are:

• Enabling and delivering more homes
• Improving council homes
• Private housing and homelessness

The council aims to deliver 1,000 affordable homes, including 220 new council-built homes, and to start the Mayor's Accelerated Housing Programme to deliver approximately 3,000 new homes on council land. The council also intends to acquire 200 homes under the Council Homes Acquisition Programme (CHAP).

Councillor Asma Islam expressed disappointment with the level of detail in the presentation, requesting more data on customer service and home building. Councillor Ahmodul Kabir responded that the presentation was intended as a general overview, and more specific details would be available in the Housing Management Subcommittee.

In response to a question from Councillor Ahmodul Kabir about the CHAP scheme, Councillor Ahmodul Kabir explained that the scheme is funded by a £40 million grant from the GLA², with the council providing match funding. He noted that 46 homes have been acquired, with 34 in the process of acquisition. The target is to acquire 200 homes, and the council is purchasing properties at a cheaper rate than anticipated.

Councillor Amin Rahman asked what working with developers means in practice. Councillor Ahmodul Kabir explained that the council negotiates with developers to ensure that the social housing element of new developments reflects the needs of the borough, particularly the need for larger family homes.

Mahbub Anam asked about the Regulator of Social Housing's C3 grade for Tower Hamlets. Councillor Ahmodul Kabir responded that a Housing Management sub-cabinet has been set up to address the issues raised by the regulator. He offered to share the papers for the Housing Management sub-committee with the committee.

Susanna Kow asked for a regular KPI review, including a breakdown of socially affordable rent versus luxury apartments. Councillor Ahmodul Kabir agreed to share this information and noted that major works are currently in the tendering process.

Councillor Asma Islam asked about joint ventures for building homes. Councillor Ahmodul Kabir responded that the joint venture programme has been integrated into the wider accelerated development programme, which consists of about 50 sites. He said that some programmes will have a minimum of 51% social housing, while others will be 100% social housing, depending on the funding streams involved.

Awaab's Law Update

Chris Hope, Head of Repairs, provided an update on the council's preparations for Awaab's Law, which comes into force in October 2025. The law requires social landlords to address damp and mould hazards within fixed timescales and to address all emergency repairs within 24 hours.

Councillor Susanna Kow asked for clarification on the timescales for emergency repairs and inspections. Chris Hope explained that emergency repairs must be addressed within 24 hours to remove the immediate harm and risk to the resident. Inspections must be carried out within 10 working days, and a written summary provided within three working days of the inspection.

Councillor Asma Islam asked how the council will assess emergency repairs and whether staff are equipped to recognise what is an emergency. Chris Hope responded that the council is working with the housing service centre to accurately diagnose emergencies through scripting. He added that the council is also working on a pilot project with SwitchE to put units within some properties to get some remote environmental monitoring.

Councillor Mohammad Chowdhury raised concerns about repair teams visiting properties and marking jobs as completed when the work has not been done. Chris Hope responded that this issue is recognised and will be addressed through the performance matrix that Stephen Platt is setting up.

In response to a question about emergency problems over the weekends, Chris Hope said that the council offers a service at the weekends in terms of emergencies, with a bank of emergency call-out officers.

Councillor Amin Rahman asked for a universal definition of what constitutes an emergency. Chris Hope responded that the broad definition of an emergency is if it's causing damage to the property or person, for example, an uncontrollable leak.

Councillor Susanna Kow asked if there will be a set of KPIs developed to track whether the council is responding within the required timeframes. Chris Hope responded that there will be KPIs and reporting mechanisms, and that this will be monitored by Stephen Platt's team.

Draft Housing Strategy

Karen Swift, Director of Housing Strategy, Policy and Regulatory Assurance, presented the draft Housing Strategy for 2025-2035. The strategy is tenure neutral and addresses the needs of all residents, including those in social housing, private rented accommodation, and owner-occupied homes.

The strategy has six priorities:

1. Building More Homes
2. Looking After Council Homes
3. Making Private Renting Better
4. Working Together to Make Housing Better
5. Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping
6. Meeting Everyone's Needs

Councillor Amin Rahman asked if the council will ever solve the housing crisis in Tower Hamlets, given the large number of people on the common housing register and the limited number of lettings per year. Karen Swift responded that the register prioritises those households with the highest housing need.

Councillor Susanna Kow asked what is holding back the local plan and whether it can be rectified quickly to give greater guidelines on private developers to meet the 50% house building target. Karen Swift responded that the timeline is for it to be passed in cabinet and full council by November, and then it will be submitted to the planning inspector.

Councillor Mohammad Chowdhury raised concerns about new build properties being open plan, which is not liked by the biggest population group of the council. He asked if there are any plans for a consultation or survey to understand what is the expectation of residents. Karen Swift responded that the council has to follow national planning guidance, which does not require closed kitchens. However, the council advises developers to have separate kitchens and living rooms, particularly in social housing units.

Councillor Ahmodul Kabir thanked Andrea Baker, Chief of Tower Hamlets Housing Forum (THHF), for her dedication and commitment to housing in Tower Hamlets, as this was her last housing scrutiny subcommittee meeting.