The Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee were scheduled to meet on 15 September 2025 to discuss resident involvement, housing policy, and the committee's work programme. Councillors were expected to review the Resident Involvement Team's activities, discuss the new Resident Involvement Strategy, and consider the Lincoln Tenants Panel's future work plan. The sub-committee was also scheduled to discuss the damp and mould policy, and the results of a scrutiny self-evaluation review.

Damp and Mould Policy

The Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee were scheduled to discuss the implementation of a damp and mould policy for the City of Lincoln Council housing repair service. According to the report pack, the policy aims to safeguard tenants' health, ensure legal compliance, and improve housing standards.

The report pack states that the policy is being introduced to ensure compliance with Awaab's Law, which is due to come into effect on 27 October 2025.

Awaab's law will come into effect from the 27th October 2025 and mandates that social landlords must address damp, mould and emergency hazards within strict timeframes.

The report pack states that social landlords will be required to address reported issues within the following timescales:

• Emergency Hazards: investigated and remedied within 24 hours
• Significant Hazards: inspected within 10 working days, with remedial works starting within 5 working days of the initial investigation
• Non-urgent Repairs: started within 12 weeks following the initial inspection

The policy was also intended to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements including the Housing Act 2004, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, and the Social Housing (Regulations) Act 2023.

The report pack notes that the Lincoln Tenants Panel were consulted and are in support of the policy.

The report pack also includes a draft of the Housing Repairs Service Damp, Mould, and Condensation Policy. The draft policy states that the council aims to ensure that its properties are free from damp, mould, and condensation, and that it will take a zero-tolerance approach to these issues. The draft policy also outlines the responsibilities of the council and its tenants in managing damp and condensation.

Resident Involvement

The Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee were scheduled to discuss several aspects of resident involvement, including the Resident Involvement Team's annual report, the Resident Involvement Strategy, and the Lincoln Tenants Panel's future work programme.

Resident Involvement Annual Report and Future Work Programme

The Resident Involvement Team's annual report provides an overview of the activities delivered by the team between September 2024 and September 2025. According to the report pack, the team has:

• Recruited two new team members
• Delivered a city-wide summer roadshow to inform and shape the Resident Involvement Strategy, Building Safety Resident Engagement Strategy, and the menu of involvement opportunities
• Designed and delivered a targeted consultation with tenants residing in Independent Living schemes and high-rise blocks
• Developed bespoke action plans for each high-rise building, informed by tenant feedback
• Worked with the Fire Safety Assurance team and Corporate Health & Safety to deliver a targeted awareness campaign and consultation exercise with tenants affected by the Radon Remediation Project
• Collaborated with the Lincoln Tenants Panel to design and launch two new communication channels: a bi-monthly digital newsletter called Home, and a quarterly magazine called Tenant Talk
• Consulted with Hill Holt Wood¹, Legal Services, and Licensing to ensure the successful delivery of the Better Birchwood Project²

The report pack also highlights the Lincoln Tenants Panel's contributions to tenant involvement over the past three years, including the completion of seven policy reviews, delivery of three scrutiny project reviews, and attendance at 132 meetings.

The report pack also sets out the Resident Involvement Team's proposed work plan for the coming year, which focuses on:

• Identifying service areas for scrutiny and review
• Reviewing working group aims and objectives
• Co-creation of the Lincoln Tenants Panel work programme
• Conducting a youth-focused consultation to find out how much young people know and understand about social housing
• Progressing the Resident Involvement Strategy to adoption
• Continuing to deliver a targeted customer recovery programme as part of the Tenant Satisfaction Measures process

Resident Involvement Strategy

The Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee were scheduled to receive an update on the progress made on the development of a new Resident Involvement Strategy. According to the report pack, the council's existing Resident Involvement Strategy was adopted in 2022, but is now out of date due to the enactment of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, also known as Awaab's Law.

The report pack states that the new Resident Involvement Strategy has been developed in partnership with the Lincoln Tenant's Panel and shaped by feedback received from tenants through survey responses and recent summer roadshows. The strategy aims to build on the council's longstanding tenant engagement activities and ensure that the council is well placed to meet the requirements of the new Consumer Standards.

The report pack proposes the following five objectives for the new Resident Involvement Strategy:

1. Co-design services with residents
2. Facilitate community engagement
3. Communicate key messages to residents
4. Co-regulate with Lincoln Tenants' Panel
5. Expand the ways residents can get involved

The report pack also includes a proposed Menu of Involvement, which lists different ways tenants can engage with the council's landlord service.

Lincoln Tenants Panel Future Work Programme

The Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee were scheduled to be informed of the proposed work plan for the Lincoln Tenants Panel for the forthcoming year. According to the report pack, the Lincoln Tenants Panel plays a vital role in shaping and improving the City of Lincoln Council's Housing Service.

The report pack states that the Lincoln Tenants Panel members are committed volunteers who have generously dedicated their time to supporting resident engagement through meetings, focus groups, scrutiny reviews, and training sessions. Between January 2024 and September 2025, they have participated in 132 meetings, monthly one-to-ones with the Director of Housing, and training activities.

The report pack also notes that in the past year, Lincoln Tenants Panel members have played a key role in improving how the council communicates with tenants and capturing the tenant's voice, addressing feedback received from Tenant Satisfaction Measures surveys. Examples include an increase in tenant consultations and the launch of the Home digital newsletter and Tenant Talk magazine.

The report pack states that the Lincoln Tenants Panel have completed two in-depth scrutiny reviews in the past year, focusing on Anti-Social Behaviour Procedures and the Gardening Assistance Scheme. As a result of these reviews, the Lincoln Tenants Panel made targeted recommendations aimed at improving service delivery, enhancing resident experience, strengthening accountability, and increasing transparency.

The report pack also notes that the Lincoln Tenants Panel have actively participated in the review of several key policies, including the Damp & Mould Policy, Tenancy Fraud Policy, Pet Policy, Tenancy Agreement Policy, Safeguarding Policy, Unacceptable Actions Policy, and Communal Area Policy.

The report pack outlines the Lincoln Tenants Panel's proposed work programme for the next 12 months, which focuses on the following core areas of activity and involvement:

• Complaints & Anti-Social Behaviour Complaints Quality Assurance Monitoring
• Review of Tenant Involvement Strategy (2025–2028)
• Tenant Inspections of Void Properties
• Tenancy Estate Inspections Working Group
• Tenancy Services Grounds Maintenance Scrutiny Group
• Tenancy Sustainment Scrutiny Group
• Fire Risk & Building Safety Working Group
• Editorial Panel
• Warm Homes Project
• Decent Homes 2 & Lincoln Standard
• Schedule of Repairs Two
• Hoarding Working Group

Scrutiny Self-Evaluation Review Results

The Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee were scheduled to receive the results from the working group established to self-evaluate and review the committee's effectiveness during 2024/25. According to the report pack, an internal audit was carried out on 'Governance Health Check' in July 2024, which recommended that a self-assessment should be completed on an annual basis with the results feeding into the Scrutiny Annual Report.

The report pack states that a small working group was established to conduct this review, made up of Councillor Gary Hewson, Councillor Alan Briggs, Councillor Natasha Chapman, and Lincoln Tenant Panel Member Debbie Rousseau.

The report pack notes that a score of 303/330 (92%) was achieved for the Self-Assessment Evaluation Review of Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee. An action plan has been drawn up covering the areas to be addressed.

The report pack includes the Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee Self Evaluation Review Action Plan 2023/24, which lists nine suggested actions:

1. Review the Terms of Reference for the Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee
2. Seek feedback from the Executive on the introduction of a protocol to encourage/promote relationships between Scrutiny Members and the Executive
3. Provide opportunity for further scrutiny by Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee outside of committee meetings
4. Provide member training on questioning skills and the role of scrutiny in general
5. Committee members to take a lead looking at defined topics of scrutiny in further depth
6. Provide opportunity for Committee Members to attend Lincoln Tenants Panel Conference
7. Invite external attendees/officers to complete a feedback survey following committee meetings
8. Conduct self-evaluation of scrutiny effectiveness on an annual basis
9. Post further communication on social media regarding public consultations

Work Programme 2025/26

The Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee were scheduled to consider the work programme for 2025/26. According to the report pack, the work programme will be further populated in accordance with any requests made by the Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committees for topics of discussion and areas of preferred scrutiny. The work programme will be used as a working document and can be added to or amended at the Sub-Committee's discretion at any time during the 2025/26 Municipal Year.

The report pack includes a draft timetable for the Housing Scrutiny Sub Committee Work Programme for 2025/26.