The Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on 24 September 2025, and among the topics discussed was an update from Watford Community Housing¹ (WCH) regarding repairs and maintenance, and the committee approved the 2024/2025 annual scrutiny report, subject to an accuracy check. The committee also reviewed the executive decision progress report and the 2025/2026 work programme.

Watford Community Housing Update

Destiny Belle, Assistant Director of repairs and Maintenance at Watford Community Housing, provided the committee with an update on the housing association's performance, two years after the Scrutiny Housing task group report and recommendations. Following the presentation, the committee resolved that WCH should produce a clear action plan for repairs to Abbey View and attend the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in January 2026 to provide a further update.

Ms Belle's presentation covered several key areas:

• Clear Guidance and Standards: WCH has published clear guidance for tenants and staff, setting out categorisations of repairs by urgency and safety, including vulnerabilities.
• Proactive Inspections: WCH is committed to carrying out tenancy audits every five years and checks home conditions during planned work visits.
• Decent Homes Standard: WCH aims to maintain Decent Homes Standards² through long-term planned improvements.
• Mould and Damp Management: Ownership of mould and damp issues has moved from the Asset to Repairs and Maintenance department, allowing for better logging and tracking of cases via the contact centre. WCH has also created dedicated mould and damp pages on their website to ensure transparency.
• Customer Experience Strategy: WCH's Customer Experience Strategy outlines its initiatives for engagement and communication, including the 2025 'Big Door Knock' during which 5,000 households were contacted and 1,370 surveys completed, identifying some non-English speaking households.

During the discussion, committee members raised several concerns:

• Engagement with Tenants: Members sought more information on engaging with disengaged and vulnerable tenants. Ms Belle explained that the 'Big Door Knock' helped engage with previously non-responsive tenants, and other community engagement initiatives had been set up, such as 'Jimmy's Jackets' and Eid celebrations.
• Abbey View Fire Incident: Members raised concerns about the fire at Abbey View on 12 July, reporting that tenants felt the fire damage, smoke, and soot had not been properly cleaned, and that both councillors and residents had not been kept informed.
• Lack of Communication: Members raised concerns about the lack of communication from James Nickel regarding repairs to fencing and bollards on the green at Nicholas Close, which had led to increased illegal parking and dumped cars.
• Lift Breakdowns: Members expressed concern about the high percentage of lift breakdowns and repairs relative to the number of elderly residents, questioning what was being done to ensure lifts were operational. Ms Belle explained that a new lift contractor had been appointed due to the previous contractor's poor performance.
• Translator Use: In response to a question about translator use during the 'Big Door Knock', Ms Belle clarified that translators were provided where needed, and any language needs discovered during the initiative were reported and followed up.
• Communication of Damage Reports: Members sought clarity on how communication and damage reports from partners like the Fire Brigade were logged and integrated into the broader repairs system. They also questioned why resident repair requests were not actioned and asked about proactive support for residents when lifts broke down, particularly at Abbey View and Swanston House.
• Contractor Training: Members enquired whether contractors were being trained to look out for issues during planned and routine works. Ms Belle stated she did not believe contractors were actively looking for mould and damp in every room and would need to check with Peter Cogan, Group Director of Operations.
• Damp and Mould Cases: Members raised concerns about the number of damp and mould cases (59%) and those households with children (46%), asking how long it took to close the repair. Ms Belle explained that WCH sent out surveyors as soon as an issue had been reported, with works commissioned based on the surveyor's assessment, and that WCH committed to dealing with mould and damp repairs in 10 working days.

Councillor Amanda Grimston, Chair of the Committee, expressed her dissatisfaction with Watford Community Housing's communication with tenants and council members, requesting a clear action plan outlining repairs and works with a clear timeline for completion.

Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/2025

Ben Martin, Director of Regeneration and Growth, presented the 2024-25 Annual Scrutiny Report to the committee, highlighting the work and processes of the council's scrutiny committees and task groups. The report was approved, subject to an accuracy check regarding Communities 1st's involvement in the e-scooters task group, and will be taken to the Council on 21 October.

The report detailed the work programmes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Finance Scrutiny Committee, covering topics tackled during 2024-25. Key highlights from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee's work programme included:

• Performance and Progress Reports: Review of quarterly reports, focusing on housing and homelessness, recycling rates, and the performance of Watford Leisure facilities.
• Spotlight on Services: Deep dives into specific service areas, including Artificial Intelligence and Local Transportation and mobility, such as the Beryl Bike scheme, the Shopper Bus Service, and E-Scooters.
• Deployable CCTV: Review of the provision and regulations underpinning the use of deployable CCTV in Watford.
• Community Safety: Overview of the role of the community safety partnership and its strategic priorities, including inquisitive crime, community well-being, anti-social behaviour, and the reassure and inform initiative.
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Delivery Plan: Update on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Delivery Plan, with members providing challenge around the evaluation of feedback related to members development and training.
• Social Housing: Update from Watford Community Housing on the recommendations proposed by the 2023-24 Social Housing task group.

The report also highlighted the work of the task group focused on the use and impact of e-scooters, which concluded that a carefully managed e-scooter trial in Watford could unlock significant mobility and environmental benefits, provided that robust safety measures, effective enforcement, and proactive community engagement are in place.

Executive Decision Progress Report

The committee received and noted the latest edition of the Executive Decision Progress report, covering decisions made between 16 July 2025 and 24 September 2025, as well as the Executive Forward Plan.

Work Programme 2025/26

The committee discussed the 2025/26 work programme and agreed to the following changes:

• Watford Community Housing to be brought back to the committee in January 2026.
• The Neighbourhood Locality application process to move to February 2026.
• A deep dive into parking to be considered.
• The markets item rescheduled for 22 October 2025.

The Chair will work with officers to incorporate these suggestions into the 2025/26 work programme.