Verbal introduction from Councillor Lynne Hale, Cabinet Member for Homes.
Minutes:
The Cabinet Member for Homes introduced herself to the Panel and detailed her role.
The Cabinet Member for Homes acknowledged that the housing department in Croydon was not in a good place and that housing would be a challenge for some time to come. The Cabinet Member for Homes stated that the pace of the work carried out at Regina Road had been too slow and decisions would need to be made around the future of those blocks and similar blocks across the borough.
The Cabinet Member for Homes then explained that both her and the Executive Mayor were deeply concerned with the previous administrations housing improvement plan and that a new plan would be drafted. The Cabinet Member for Homes informed the Panel that she was keen to see improvements take place as quickly as possible such as the grass cutting, deep cleaning and tidying across housing estates.
The Cabinet Member for Homes then explained that the Council would undertake a procurement process for the repairs contract which involved managing the exit of Axis until the new contract was in place.
The Cabinet Member for Homes stated that the administration wanted to start building council homes again; agree a new housing repairs contract which delivered a responsive service which proved value for money and met the needs of residents; better property management to reduce the amount of time that homes were left vacant; to produce a new homelessness strategy and to reintroduce estate walkabouts.
The Cabinet Member for Homes went on to note that the complaints process needed to be modified to make it easier to navigate and that the Housing Improvement Plan needed to be strengthened to build a more open and respectful relationship with residents, better oversight, and governance by Members.
The Cabinet Member for Homes stated that the Council was committed to collaborating with tenants and leaseholders to produce a resident’s charter based on the charter previously written by the Tenant and Leaseholder Panel that would ensure that residents were at the heart of the decisions taken about the services that they receive.
The Cabinet Member for Homes informed the Panel that the Council had made a permanent appointment to the Corporate Director of Housing post and that there had been a deep dive into the repairs contract re-procurement.
The Cabinet Member for Homes stated that the administration had spoken to the Housing Improvement Board about the Housing Improvement Plan, and they would act as a ‘critical friend’ whilst the new plan was being drafted.
The Cabinet Member for Homes concluded by informing the Panel that officers would be expected to work more closely together to improve communication amongst different departments.
In response to a question from a Councillor, the Cabinet Member for Homes explained that the Chair of the Scrutiny Committee would have to determine whether they would like to establish a Scrutiny Sub Committee which focused on housing. The Cabinet Member for Homes stated that she would be in support of the creation of a new Scrutiny Sub Committee focused on housing however she expressed concerns about whether the Council had the financial resources to support another Scrutiny Sub Committee.
In response to a question from a resident, the Cabinet Member for Homes
The Senior Resident Involvement Officer conducted the election of the new Chair and Vice-Chair of the Tenant and Leaseholder Panel. The Panel resolved to appoint Yaw Boateng as the Chair and Les Parry as the Vice-Chair of the Tenant and Leaseholder Panel.