None.

Michael Hewlett, Vice-Chair, welcomed all to the meeting.

Apologies were received from Cllr Avril Slipper, Hilary Newmark, Laurence Taylor and Eric Webb.

The Notes of the meeting held on Monday 2 April 2012 were agreed as a true record of the proceedings.

There were none.

Chris Stock took over to request nominations. He explained that the Chair needs to be available for agenda setting meetings etc with Chris Stock. Members of Tenant Scrutiny Panel (TSP) have to stand down if they become Chair.

Nominations for Chair: John Piper, Marilyn Smithies and Michael Hewlett.
Each candidate explained why they felt suitable to be elected Chair.
Secret ballot results were:
John Piper 3
Marilyn Smithies 9
Michael Hewlett 12
 

Dave Sutherland welcomed Michael Hewlett, the previous Vice-Chair, and offered congratulations.

Nominations for Vice-Chair: Marilyn Smithies, Marianne Ascott and John Piper.
Secret ballot results were:
Marilyn Smithies 17
Marianne Ascott 1
John Piper 7
Marilyn asked if she had to stand down from the TSP as Vice-Chair. Chris Stock agreed she should.
 

Croydon Congress Rep: There being no other nominations, Marilyn Smithies was duly re-elected.

Nominations for Croydon Voluntary Sector Alliance Rep: Marianne Ascott, Guy Pile-Grey - both were elected.

Nominations for London Tenant Federation Reps: Michael Hewlett, Ken Coates and Stephen Pollard.
Secret ballot results were:
Michael Hewlett 18
Ken Coates 15
Stephen Pollard 12
Michael Hewlett and Ken Coates were duly elected.
 

ARCH Rep: There being no other nominations, Michael Hewlett was duly re-elected.

Tony Brooks attended to give an update on issues from the previous meeting, regarding bringing together Neighbourhood Wardens and Streetscene officers:

• 22 Area enforcement officers for North, South and Central
• More NEOs than Streetscene migrated due to the age profile
• Retained infrastructure and vehicles
• Encouraging people to report more issues
• Need a couple more street based officers to manage areas of the borough which are causing concern
• More ability to enforce - new powers
• Mobile dog patrol - reduced but still 24/7 coverage
• CCTV system and Environmental Response Team remain
• Better joined-up services across the public realm
• More effective response to issues

Issues raised:

• Despite complaints, doors with entry phones are left open and dog fouling is spoiling the community
• Truscott House - every day a couple with a dog take a short cut across the tenants' grassed area and the dog fouls there.

Tony Brooks: If you give us the details, we will follow up and put a stop to this.

Dave Sutherland: We can deal with dog fouling. We have enforcement powers now and can issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs).

• Recycling - will you be fining people who do not recycle? What about cardboard, metal etc - you do not seem to be recycling these?

Tony Brooks: If people have the opportunity to recycle and refuse to do so, as a last resort we will fine them.
Mark Brown: The bulk refuse team come under housing services and they do recycle - tyres and white goods.

• After estate inspection on Fieldway, there was a car which had been there for 6 months and nothing had been done. We contacted Maggie (Area Enforcement Officer) and it was shifted immediately - thank you.
• Truscott House - bins get too full and tenants have to tie bags on the side
• The bins smell awful - they need cleaning. Who cleans out the food bins as they could cause spread of germs?

Tony Brooks: The food bins are emptied weekly. We can recommend a deodorant. The council does not clean any bins.

• Bins are not put back properly and doors swing back and get broken.

Tony Brooks: Contractors should put them back - we will take this up.

• Can we give feedback for the consultation on recycling?

Tony Brooks: There is a questionnaire on the website:
www.croydon.gov.uk/democracy/consultations/compulsoryrecyclingconsultation

 
The following issues were followed up after the meeting:

• Can residents have additional recycling boxes and is there a charge?

No charge for additional recycling boxes. A maximum of 5 are allowed per property and 2 external food waste containers. Additional boxes can be ordered through the contact centre.

• Food waste - bins smelling, particularly in hot weather
• Whose responsibility is it to clean food waste bins?

There is no planned cleaning regime for the communal food waste containers as there is no budget for this. This is similar to the dry recycling where the Council contractors do not clean the containers. Unfortunately there is nothing that really can be done to counteract the smell. As long as residents use the liners and Veolia empty weekly then smells should be kept to a minimum.

• Palladin bin container areas on housing estates - doors are left open and become damaged.

Veolia have been advised to return the bins to the bin cupboards and close the doors. However there are a few local arrangements with caretakers to leave the bins outside the cupboards so that they can cleanse the cupboard and then put the bins back.

Chris Stock (Resident Involvement Manager) summarised the report:

• Croydon has good reputation for involving residents
• Number of people getting involved decreasing, quite dramatically in some cases
• Regulatory requirements - replacing Audit Commission - asking council to co-scrutinise with tenants.
• Budgets much reduced - have to ensure value for money
• Scrutiny not easy - takes a lot of training and skills - provided by council
• Technological changes - more interaction through internet
• Had focus groups and street surveys to get residents' views - interesting results
• Proposed changes - retain things that work well, induce new ways of working and get new people involved
• CHPs - some have very low attendances - 3 options:
  • Disband panel
  • Make panel self-servicing (reduce council support)
  • Merge panels
• Question Time roadshows - panel of officers, with people invited to ask questions, resulting in an action plan following the meeting - piloting in autumn (evenings)
• Themed open events
• To develop online forum to discuss issues and allow communication directly with officers
• Young people involved in All-Ages group - will work with them to get more young people involved in scrutiny
• Publicity - to develop communications strategy with residents
• Online Newsletter - first one out in August - everyone can register
• Specialist groups require greater commitment, skills and experience - competency requirements for some of groups
• Some measures to start immediately - by this time next year, everything should be in place

Issues raised:

• Residents' Associations to take more responsibility for servicing meetings with less support from council. This sounds like what happened with Neighbourhood Partnerships.

Chris Stock: Residents can invite officers directly. Resident Involvement Team will attend.

• On other panels, the Chair steps down after a year so someone new is always elected.

Chris Stock: We will review the constitution and will agree new proposals before next election. We will put it to each CHP and discuss issues.

• Cannot see anything wrong with election. Liz Reeves was returned as Chair for a number of years because she had the confidence of the panel members.
• CHP in Norbury - last meeting there were 14 residents - meeting at 10am so those with jobs unlikely to attend. What is minimum number expected?

Chris Stock: About 10. Attendance in evenings was even less, so we moved to morning meetings. Need to look at fresh ways of doing things.

• Shrublands - fearful about roadshows - will they happen and what will come from them?

Chris Stock: Definitely happening in autumn. We will see how they go and see how to promote them.

Elaine Wadsworth (Head of housing strategy, commissioning and standards gave a verbal report:

• Number of changes affecting council housing and benefits - big issue
• Council consulting on changes to council tax benefits
• Will come back to get views on how to promote changes
• How can we support tenants and prepare them for changes?
• Changes coming in over long period starting April 2013
• Update on Tenancy Strategy:
  • Tenants conference in May - all authorities have to produce a strategy
  • Law changing
  • In future will be able to give short term tenancies
  • Asked questions at conference
  • Feedback:
    • How long should short term tenancies be? Some concerns:
      • Might affect stability of community
      • In 5 years a lot of things can change
      • 2 years - too short?
      • Possibility to give some people with problems a chance
  • Cannot have different policies in different boroughs - national policy
  • Consultation continues - online - until 5 September - see website:
    www.croydon.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/ctaxsupportproposal
     

Comment:
Housing associations are not the best of landlords - have substandard properties which they are letting to people who cannot afford to pay for better.



 

Tenant Scrutiny Panel members gave a verbal report - Sheryl Read:

• 11 members (10 now Marilyn Smithies has had to resign)
• In-depth training over last few months
• 2-day induction programme - quite involved
• 1-day induction to Croydon Housing Services - saw how call centre works in afternoon
• Some panel members felt uncomfortable about chairing - session about it
• Full day's training about central skills - project management, presentation skills, assertiveness etc.
• Training with Housemark (benchmarking) - see website: www.housemark.co.uk
• Decided to use Croydon Council Resident Involvement Conference to raise awareness of existence of Scrutiny Panel
• Call centre came out as a big topic
• Next meeting - decided to look at contact centre
• 5 July - planning day - looked at lines of enquiry, what techniques to use and what roles for different people
• 1 August - mystery shopping

The Tenant Scrutiny Panel was congratulated on their good work.

Dave Sutherland (Managing Director Croydon Landlord Services) gave a verbal update, with Mark Brown (Head of Landlord Services, North) on the warden services:

• Neighbourhood Warden services - busy year
• Enforcement and volunteer warden scheme
• New uniform, new powers - service relaunched
• Powers to issue FPNs for dog fouling, littering etc
• Enforcement - aim to change behaviour
• June - started issuing FPNs - issued 8 so far - will take legal action against those who do not pay
• Leaflets, notices, posters up all over estates showing offences which can result in issuance of an FPN
• Shadowed staff in Southwark
• Volunteer warden scheme - advertising campaign: in Open House, posters etc
  • Good response - slow to start
  • 40 interested - some interviewed and some ready to start - CRB'd
  • Starting in August/early September - same role as wardens but without enforcement powers
• More professional

Dave Sutherland explained restructure (structure chart attached):

• 24 Sep - moving to new structure
• Lot of services the same
• Instead of 3 district offices - all tenancy teams and neighbourhood services team together under one manager (to be appointed)
• Working in more centralised way with more technology - hand held computers out in the field etc
• Range of advantages - better co-ordinated, more joined-up services
• More control under one manager
• Faster responses
• Income - together under one head of service
• Lettings teams together
• Will not feel a lot different - reception at Strand House and at ????
• Office accommodation - located in Tab Hse and Davis Hse
• Next year Jun/Jul will all be based on one floor in BWH
• Communication - done to north, about to do to East
• Sep - something in Open House
• Write to every household?? Ask TLP views
• Everything will continue to go through contact centre

The following issues were raised:

• Our caretaker washes and cleans the bins - is it the same all over the borough?

Mark Brown: It is part of the caretaker's role - to visit once or twice a week.

• Bins heavy - difficult to move back.

Mark Brown: Speak to your caretaker - his role is to check the contractors have done the job properly.

• Current structure with individual managers - how will that change? Will there still be individuals for each area?

Dave Sutherland: We will keep area managers - but instead of working remotely, they will work together. Structure still the same.

• Originally I had reservations - we are so used to the East District office. When we did resident inspection, I was shocked at the difference in working practices in the different areas.
• Improving services but a couple of residents asked me to point out that caretaking services are going down hill.

Mark Brown: Your caretaker is off sick at the moment - it is only temporary.

• All round bin chambers it is smelling, with dirty glass bottles; stairs not swept, cobwebs round lights.

Mark Brown: We will make arrangements to go round and investigate.

• Truscott House - most residents are elderly. If evening meetings, they would be nervous about coming out on the bus as it gets dark quite early.

Chris Stock: If we have meetings in the evening and anyone feels vulnerable, we will provide a taxi - you just need to ask.

• Access is an issue - doors are left open. Children must be told to desist.

Dave Sutherland: Entry phone systems are only as good as those who use them. If a particular household is causing problems, we need to go and see them.

London Tenants' Federation (LTF) - Michael Hewlett gave feedback from latest meeting:

• AGM 12 June
• Proposed and agreed they form a limited company by guarantee
• Then they can then seek funds elsewhere
• Currently funded by London Councils - but funding likely to dry up or be significantly reduced

Mayor's Housing Forum - Michael Hewlett:

• 29 June - forum introduced to new structures
• Presentations about what they wanted to achieve
• Panel members do not get enough time to look at their individual interests - currently just information meetings

ARCH - Michael Hewlett:

• 23 July AGM - quite successful - over 60 members represented over 500,000 tenants
• Ministers and the DCLG are now listening to what ARCH wants for tenants
• Annual ARCH tenants' conference - extensive agenda and workshops
• Each member authority can send 5 members - it will be a 2hr journey to the conference centre at Kettering

Croydon Voluntary Sector Alliance:

• There was no report

Croydon Congress - Marilyn Smithies:

• The third meeting of Croydon Congress was held on 29th May at Croydon College and lasted 4 hours.
• The theme for the meeting was "Tackling Social Disadvantage & Creating Economic Opportunities.
• The meeting began with a welcome by Councillor Mike Fisher, Chair of Croydon's Local Strategic Partnership and Leader of the Council.
• Keynote speakers were:
  • Anne Power, Professor of Social Policy and Head of Housing and Communities, London School of Economics, who shared her vast research experience around social disadvantage.
  • Tony Wilson, Director of Policy & Research, Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion. who spoke on the economic & employment issues in the national context.
  • Nero Ughwujabo, Chief Executive Croydon BME Forum and Jon Rouse, Chief Executive of Croydon Council, who addressed tackling social disadvantage and creating economic opportunities in the local context.
•  There were then facilitated table discussions looking at different aspects of social recovery, followed by Panel questions and answers facilitated by Toni Letts, Vice Chair NHS Croydon.
• 13 page document received today outlining how the feedback from this meeting will be implemented.
• There has been much discussion over the three meetings. It is now time for action.

All Ages Inter-generational Conference - Sian Foley:

• Magazine project - successful - 24 pages - interviewed celebrities, young people and adults
• Family fun days on 5 estates
• Looking at adding New Addington next time
• Running programme for adults and young people to get fit
• Working with CVA for everyone on Steering Group to gain certificate - share skills and knowledge with new members
• Expanding group
• 2nd All Ages Conference - working with 12 housing associations developing a youth conference - want to avoid clash with their conference
• Will be looking at other areas, such as Waddo

Resident Involvement Champions - Chris Stock:

• Developed Tenant Scrutiny Network across London
• 1st meeting last week
• Opportunity to meet other officers across London

• Leaseholder Panel member - last 2 meetings cancelled and very poor attendance at previous meetings - not sure who is representing leaseholders. The panel is virtually defunct.

Chris Stock: It is unfortunate there is not much interest from leaseholders in the last year - perhaps we are getting things right, so they have no complaints! But we need to hear their voices. Shortly to do survey asking questions about what sort of involvement leaseholders want.

• Sheltered Housing Panel - new constitution but nothing yet brought forward.

Chris Stock: This is part of Resident Involvement Group strategy to open up panels to more people.

All in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, Croydon at 6.30pm:

• Tuesday 2 October 2012
• Wednesday 6 February 2013
• Tuesday 30 April 2013