The minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 11 September 2024 were signed by the Chair.

There were no declarations of interest made.

The Committee received a report and presentation on the progress of GBC Lettings (the Council’s Social Letting Agency) as it was reaching its one-year anniversary. Members were provided with a summary of the work that had been undertaken throughout the first year of operation and the next steps for the service.

A copy of the presentation was available within the agenda and could be viewed via the following link:-

Agenda for Housing Services Cabinet Committee on Monday, 11 November 2024, 7.30 pm – Gravesham Borough Council

The Committee was informed that GBC Lettings was officially up and running in late October 2023.The main aim of the Agency being to reduce temporary accommodation expenditure, whilst finding an effective way to discharge the Council’s homelessness duty into the private sector. This in turn would reduce the reliance on the Council’s Housing Register.

The Agency consisted of three officers; Katie Perry - Lettings Manager and Julia Card and Paul O'Leary who were Property Managers.

The Lettings Manager informed the Committee that the target for the first year was to procure 20 properties. As of 8 October 2024, 28 properties (a mixture of one to four bedroom properties) had been successfully procured meaning 28 households experiencing or at risk of homelessness had moved into long term settled accommodation. The Agency was currently working with 21 landlords and asked that, where practicable, landlords looked to commitment for a minimum of three years.

All homes procured and allocated by the Agency were deemed affordable as rents were set at the local housing allowance rate for Gravesham. All homes procured would also need to meet the decent homes standards and would be inspected in line with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), meaning better quality properties for local households.

As the Agency was a Social Letting Agency, it would ensure that any support would be available/offered to its tenants in terms of accessing services such as debt advice, healthcare support etc.

Following implementation of the Agency, the forecasted saving to the temporary accommodation budget was circa £235,413.

The target for the next year will be to retain all of the 28 tenancies that had started within year one and procure an additional 20 new homes.

The Agency had received positive feedback to date from both landlords and tenants as detailed within the report.

Following questions from Members of the Committee, the Lettings Manager:-

• informed Members of the process in terms of how tenants were selected from the Council’s Housing Register as every tenant would need to be vetted to ensure that the property was suitable and affordable;
• advised that the forecasted saving to the temporary accommodation budget was based on the average amount spent on nightly paid accommodation for that particular property type together with the average stay that a tenant would have in that property type; and
• advised that there was a designated webpage on the Council’s website which contained information about the Agency and how landlord can register their interest should they wish  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

The Committee was presented with a draft copy of the Annual Council Housing Report for 2023-24.

The Committee was informed that the Annual Council Housing Report will provide tenants with information relating to the achievements of the Council over the last 12 months and to celebrate the successes. It will provide tenants with information regarding the services the Council provides and will give an insight into what they can expect in the coming 12 months.

The report also informed tenants regarding the number of complaints and compliments received. This was an opportunity to let tenants know that the Council did not always get it right first time, but if it didn’t, then it was committed to putting it right and to thank all of the tenants who took the time to compliment the Council.

In line with the new Consumer Standards introduced in April 2024, the Regulator of Social Housing was looking for registered housing providers to engage and communicate with their tenants and leaseholders on matters that were important to them in a more creative and meaningful way. Therefore, as part of this year’s Annual Report, both the Assistant Director (Social Housing) and Head of Housing Assets reviewed what had previously been produced as well as annual reports which had been published by other housing providers who were known to do engagement well.

The Head of Housing Assets advised the Annual Report was a working document and had been updated since publication of the agenda. Therefore, the latest version was circulated to Members at the meeting and sought their views on the content of the report prior to it being finalised. It would then be made available to tenants.

The Committee considered the report and highlighted the following:-

• on some of the figures presented within the report, it would be helpful to have some context to those figures for example a comparison with the previous year and/or other local authorities; and
• in relation to the ‘your rent matters’ page, it stated that 99.51% rent was collected which was an increase and that the total rent arrears were £1,086,981 for the year which had decreased, the Committee asked how there was a significant differential in terms of rent collected and rent arrears.

The Assistant Director (Social Housing) advised that the rent arrears figure was the cumulative/total amount over many years; it was not a snapshot of the current year.

It was requested that the rent arrears section be rephased to state that it was a cumulative/total figure.

It was also requested that ‘rent arrears’ be a future agenda item so that the Committee could gain an insight into the scale/cumulative amount of debt, the reasons associated with those arrears and what work was being undertaken to support tenants whilst making every effort to collect the arrears.

The Committee requested that there be a section on this page and/or a designated page to state the importance of paying rent on time and what support was available should a tenant be struggling.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

The Committee was presented with the 2024/25 Quarter 2 Compliance Dashboard.

As reported in Quarter 1, the Council’s Housing Assets Team managed the occupation, refurbishment and maintenance of the Council’s residential properties and were therefore responsible for the safety of residents under the Health and Safety at Work Act, the Housing Act, the Fire Safety and Building Safety Act and other associated legislation.

The Building Safety & Investment Manager gave an overview on each element of the dashboard together with the work that had been carried out in Quarter 2 in relation to the Council’s compliance and position in respect of fire, gas, legionella, asbestos, lifts, electrical safety, energy performance and damp and mould.

The Committee considered the Quarter 2 Dashboard and highlighted the following:-

• the work of the caretaking service responsible for council-managed estates be commended;
• was the Council anticipating an increase in damp and mould over the winter period and, if so, how complex would the remedial works be and did the Council have available resources. The Head of Housing Assets advised that it was likely that there would be an increase in damp and mould over the winter period, however, the Council had a proactive regime in place by ensuring that each time a tenant was in contact with the Council either via a telephone call, home visit etc they would be asked about damp and mould in their property. In relation to the level of resources, the Council would be stress testing its resources over the coming winter period. The Council was looking to increase its workforce and that a report would be presented to Cabinet in due course seeking an expansion;
• due to the proactive work taking place regarding the reporting of damp and mould, was the narrative now changing as Members had previously experienced tenants being worried about reporting damp and mould in case it was seen as their fault and would possibly affect their tenancy.  The Head of Housing Assets advised that tenants were becoming more proactive in reporting damp and mould and the Council was also trying to educate tenants on what measures can be taken to prevent damp and mould via self-help guides on the Council’s YouTube channel:-

            Damp and mould advice - YouTube

            The Council wanted to welcome and reassure tenants to report any form of           damp and mould.

            The Committee commended the proactive work that had been undertaken             and was pleased to hear that damp and mould was being reported without         concern to tenants.

• the Committee commended the work/measures that had resulted in the EPC rating of GBC housing stock increasing to 82% in terms of properties rated EPC C or above. The Head of Housing Assets advised that a mixture of initiatives had been undertaken including the Council receiving Warm Homes: Social Housing Funding to improve the fabric of the properties with loft, cavity and external wall insulation measures. The Council had also installed ground source heat pumps and was currently drafting a bid to apply for additional Warm  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

The Committee was informed of recent correspondence from the Housing Ombudsman relating to window safety and the recent deaths reported in the media from children falling from high-rise residential buildings.

The report sets out the implications for the Council, its response and the actions to be taken to mitigate window safety risks within its buildings over 18 metres in height, and in other buildings following a risk assessment.

The Building Safety & Investment Manager advised that the Council’s high-rise residential buildings currently had restrictors in place which can intentionally and easily be disabled by residents to enable the window to open fully. The Council also did not currently have an annual inspection regime in place.

To enhance safety in high-rise buildings and to mitigate the risk of falls, the Council intended to install additional permanent window cable restrictors on every window, a proactive step towards creating a safer living environment. Once fitted, the restrictors cannot be removed easily, further increasing the safety, security and reliability of the device.

Following installation, an annual inspection on all residents' windows to ensure that they are both safe and in good condition will be conducted . This proactive measure will provide safety assurance by helping to identify potential hazards such as cracks, loose fittings, or deteriorating window components that could lead to accidents. Confirming the structural integrity of windows can reduce the risk of incidents related to window failures, including injuries from falling glass or falls from height.

The proposal outlined above had been shared and discussed with Kent Fire and Rescue Service who had confirmed that windows in high-rise premises were not suitable for escape or rescue, therefore fixed restrictors would not interfere with or prevent any rescue attempts. Kent Fire and Rescue Services also stated that restrictors on windows can assist with preventing unauthorised entry into the premises, and potential arson.

The installation of fixed window restrictors will be conducted in the Council’s five high-rise buildings; Carl Ekman House, Chantry Court, Gravesham Court, Homemead and The Hive. This will amount to approximately 2,500 window openers. The total cost of materials and installation had been estimated at £42,350. This will be fully funded from within the Communal Area Upgrades & Improvements Budget. Rosherville will be allocated the works and annual inspection regime.

The Committee was fully supportive of the installation of fixed cable restrictors and acknowledged the importance for these restrictors not being disabled and an annual inspection regime being put in place.

The Committee noted the contents of the report.

The Committee was presented with the Corporate Performance Report: Quarter Two 2024-25. The purpose of the report was to present Members with an update against the Performance Management Framework, as introduced within the Council’s Corporate Plan, for Quarter Two 2024-25 (July to September 2024).

The Assistant Director (Social Housing) covered key areas from the report:-

• PI 27 - Total licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), the Council currently had 82 licensed HMOs which was the highest to date;
• PI 28 - Overall housing tenant survey satisfaction score (%), Gravesham score was currently 75.4% which was the highest in Kent;
• PI 30 - % of Disabled Facility Grant applications processed within 20 days, this figure had dropped in Quarter 2, this was due to workload/resources;
• PI 31 - Total households in temporary accommodation, this figure had reduced which was positive however a lot of work was still required in order to reduce the figure/impact further; and
• PI 33 - Average verified rough sleepers in the borough, this figure had reduced which was positive. The team would be continuing to do ongoing prevention work.

In relation to PI 33, rough sleepers in the borough, the Committee was pleased to see that the figure had reduced particularly with the winter/cold period approaching. The Committee sought confirmation that the figure was 23 and did not include possible repetition.

The Assistant Director (Social Housing) advised that the verified figure was 23 with no possible repetitions. The rough sleepers were known to the team/multi-agencies who would continue to do outreach work to help/support those individuals should they need or want it.

The Committee commended the overall work of the Housing Services Team and was pleased to see the completion of Armoury Drive, Gravesend.

The Cabinet noted the contents of the report.