Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Doolan, Gantly, Hamitouche and Spall, and Jim Rooke.

None.

If you have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest* in an item of business:

§  if it is not yet on the council’s register, you must declare both the existence and details of it at the start of the meeting or when it becomes apparent;

§  you may choose to declare a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest that is already in the register in the interests of openness and transparency. 

In both the above cases, you must leave the room without participating in discussion of the item.

If you have a personal interest in an item of business and you intend to speak or vote on the item you must declare both the existence and details of it at the start of the meeting or when it becomes apparent but you may participate in the discussion and vote on the item.

*(a)     Employment, etc - Any employment, office, trade, profession or vocation carried on for profit or gain.

(b) Sponsorship - Any payment or other financial benefit in respect of your expenses in carrying out duties as a member, or of your election; including from a trade union.

(c) Contracts - Any current contract for goods, services or works, between you or your partner (or a body in which one of you has a beneficial interest) and the council.

(d)      Land - Any beneficial interest in land which is within the council’s area.

(e) Licences- Any licence to occupy land in the council’s area for a month or longer.

(f) Corporate tenancies - Any tenancy between the council and a body in which you or your partner have a beneficial interest.

 (g) Securities - Any beneficial interest in securities of a body which has a place of business or land in the council’s area, if the total nominal value of the securities exceeds £25,000 or one hundredth of the total issued share capital of that body or of any one class of its issued share capital. 

This applies to all members present at the meeting.

Rose-Marie McDonald declared a personal interest in Item B1, Housing Services for Vulnerable People: Witness Evidence, as a member of the Housing Disability Panel.  

RESOLVED:
That the minutes of the meeting held on 1 December 2016 be confirmed as a correct record and the Chair be authorised to sign them.

The Chair reported that, following the representation made by a Genesis Housing Association tenant to the previous meeting, a letter would be sent to the Chief Executive of Genesis Housing Association.

It was reported that a new Housing White Paper was due to be published in January and an update on this and the Housing and Planning Act would be presented to a future meeting.

The order of business was amended to allow Age UK to present witness evidence before the Housing Disability Panel.

The Chair outlined the procedure for public questions and the filming of meetings.

To include:

a)     Evidence from the Housing Disability Panel

b)    Evidence from Age UK on carer’s experiences of housing services

c)     Evidence from other service users

a)    Evidence from Age UK

The Committee received a presentation from Ismail Bahriyeli, Carers Services Manager, and Andy Murphy, Chief Executive, of Age UK Islington, on carers’ experiences of housing services for vulnerable people. The presentation slides and a copy of the Carers News newsletter were circulated to members.

The following main points were noted in the discussion:

·         Age UK sought to provide a one stop shop to carers, providing information, advice and support. Age UK had ‘one approach’, which was to provide support to anyone, including carers, those being cared for, family members, or others providing support. Support was not limited to those who cared for the elderly.

·         Services for carers aged under 18 were provided by Family Action.

·         Mr Bahriyeli commented on the importance of identifying hidden carers, those who may be providing care but without accessing support services. It was emphasised that it was important to make people aware of the services available and promotional work was carried out in GP surgeries, Job Centres, and other community buildings.

·         Age UK also worked to raise awareness of carers needs to professionals. For example, Age UK worked with trainee doctors at UCLH to champion the needs of carers.

·         It was acknowledged that providing services to carers and specifically considering carer needs was a relatively new development. Age UK provided resources for carers and organisations working with carers on its website. A quarterly ‘Carers News’ publication was also produced. 

·         Age UK had carried out a survey of carers to gauge their opinions on housing services for vulnerable people. It was reported that 70% of carers registered with the Islington Carers Hub were female, the majority were in their 50s, and 13% of Age UK’s casework was housing related. It was noted that this related to Islington’s housing services, as well as housing associations and private housing.

·         Age UK’s survey identified four housing-related themes which were crucial to carers: rehousing, repairs, money (i.e. financial support with housing and utilities costs), and aids and adaptations.

·         It was commented that casework sometimes focused on the lack of suitable accessible housing, such as ground floor flats. Feedback from carers on the council’s services was generally mixed. It was reported that some carers were unaware of the services the council offered to vulnerable people. 

·         In response to a question, it was commented that Age UK Islington worked closely with Family Action, which provided support services to young carers. It was important to establish strong partnership arrangements to ease the transition to adult support services. It was commented that some carer support services for young people were either not available to adults or not as flexible, and this was sometimes surprising for young adults.

·         A member commented that the council’s housing supply would likely decrease as a result of national housing policy changes and this would further limit the housing options for vulnerable people. It was suggested that housing providers should consider the ‘best available’ option when receiving a rehousing application; as although there may be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 244.

Noted.