Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor McHugh.

There were no declarations of substitute members.

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 6 February 2025 be confirmed as an accurate record of proceedings and the Chair be authorised to sign them.

Chair apologised for the previous meetings that had been cancelled, noting that since the last meeting he and the Vice Chair had met officers to draft recommendations which is on the agenda for this meeting. Members were reminded that the last meeting of this Municipal year is May 12 2025 when the final report on the review of Islington Community Centres will be signed off. 

In response to members of the public who identified themselves as members of the Disability Action Panel and their position with regard to the ongoing consultation exercise on private rented sector and licensing scheme, housing officers took their contact details.

Another member enquired on whether the consultation exercise involved leaseholders and freeholders

Amber DeFreitas provided the meeting the background to the review on community centres, the process, the witness evidence received from different stakeholder and highlighted the recommendations which were drafted by the Chair, Vice Chair and housing officers.

Members were invited to consider the 10 recommendations, that their input and contributions would be welcomed. 

In response to a suggestion to offer or review discretionary rates or discounts to residents for the use of community centres in housing estates, the Executive Member reiterated social value remains at the centre of the use of all council assets, however charges/fees are essential not only to pay for utilities but helps to provide other services such as youth activities etc.

It was noted that subject to a number of amendments to the wordings of some recommendations it be agreed.

RESOLVED:

1.     The Committee recommends officers maintain a register of all community centres and other assets in the borough to provide elected members, officers and others with a full understanding of management arrangements, tenancies and access arrangements for each site.

2. The Committee believes that a mapping of all existing ‘community’ spaces across the borough is required, and this should include any spaces where residents may access services, advice, leisure, social and recreational activities.  This should include both Council and externally managed sites. Mapping tools should be used to inform decisions around where services are located in the borough, for example, to ensure that residents are within walking distance of key services (e.g. childcare).
3. The Committee recommends that the register should include a clear overview of utility and operating costs to better understand the efficiency of the buildings.
4. Officers are recommended to devise a measurable framework to underpin the understanding of current operations and delivery of the community asset review.
5. Officers should develop a full stakeholder engagement and communications plan to better understand the need and demand for community spaces across the borough. This should include current managing orgs, residents, VCS organisations, Council departments and others.
6. The Communities team should work in partnership with the Corporate Landlord service to identify and utilise spaces which are vacant for community use. This will involve creative and innovative thinking about best use to benefit local communities and will help to ensure  these spaces support the delivery of local services, by either the Council, VCS or others. When determining the use of vacant spaces, there should be clear and fair processes and transparency around decisions, including consultation where appropriate.
   1. When taking decisions around community centres and other assets, the council should seek to expand the co-location of services. This could improve services for residents by bringing together advice; statutory services; health services and others.
7. The Committee recommends engaging ward members in the work of community centre committees. This could strengthen links between community centres and the council, make best use of their local knowledge, and would ensure fairness, openness and transparency in the relationship between the council and community centres.
8. The Council should develop governance principles and a framework to guide  ...  view the full minutes text for item 77.

Besserat Atsebaha, LBI Director of Community Safety, Security and Resilience and Karen Etheridge from MEL Research provided a background to the reason for undertaking the consultation exercise with regards to the property licensing and the process. The following issues were highlighted:

·In terms of consultation and community engagement, members were reminded that as stated in the Housing Act 2004, consultation is a requirement that must be carried out prior to a Local authority making a property licensing designation.

·Committee were informed of the actions that had been carried out so far to promote and publicise the full public property licensing consultation which opened on Monday 13^th January 2025 and ends on Sunday 13^th April 2025.

·The private rented sector in Islington has grown substantially since 2011, that it now represents a third of the housing in Islington and is home to 74,000 of our residents including over 4,600 children and young people.

·Our Islington Together 2030 plan and private renters charter sets out Islington Council beliefs, that everyone deserves to have a home that is safe, well maintained and well managed and our commitment to ensuring local people can enjoy safe, decent, secure homes.

·Property licensing helps to regulate the condition and management of private rented properties in the borough so as to improve property standards and management; protect residents from rogue landlords; support the reduction of other problems being caused by poorly managed privately rented accommodation such as anti-social behaviour and waste management issues.

·Members were reminded that over the past 5 years Islington Council has implemented discretionary licensing to improve regulation in the private rented sector alongside the national scheme for Mandatory Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) that cover five or more unrelated sharers. It has been in the form of boroughwide licensing of smaller Houses in Multiple Occupation and more recently extended coverage of our Selective Licensing for single households to three wards: Finsbury Park, Hillrise and Tollington.

·Director advised that following a review of stock condition and property conditions the Executive on 17^th November agreed to hold a public consultation upon proposals to redesignate the borough wide additional (HMO) property licensing scheme for a further 5 years and expansion of our selective licensing scheme to include the 9 further wards identified as areas that could be subject to selective licensing.

·It was stated that the consultation focuses on two proposals: re designating the Borough-Wide Additional Licensing Scheme for a further 5-years: , noting that the current scheme which applies to houses or flats shared by three or four unrelated people from different households, including the common parts in some circumstances is set to expire in February 2026.

·The consultation also includes expanding the Selective Licensing Scheme which applies to privately rented homes occupied by one or two people or a single family currently covers Finsbury Park, Hillrise, and Tollington wards. Council is now proposing to extend it to nine additional wards such as Barnsbury, Caledonian, Tufnell Park, Mildmay, Highbury, Junction, Laycock, Canonbury, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 78.

Cllr Chapman, Executive Member for Equalities, Communities and Inclusion presented the annual update on elements of work carried out with the Community Partnership Team and the following issues were highlighted:

• The portfolio focuses on building strong, cohesive and resilient communities by supporting local organisations and residents to engage in their community and help each other via two key strands , its Voluntary and Community Sector which includes a 4 year core grants to key partners, the Local Initiative Fund and the Islington Council Community Chest fund administered in partnership with the Cripplegate Foundation.  In addition though the Community Development programme which involves building strong cohesive and resilient communities through estate-based work , small grant funding activities and working with local resident groups .
• Meeting was reminded that over the years there has been cuts to local government funding which had been used to provide services to its local residents with the result that the Council has been able to develop its relationship.
• The Community Partnerships Team is currently working with stakeholders to produce a VCS strategy that will set how the Council and VCS work in more effective partnership to respond to the needs of residents and ensure a thriving, resilient and financially sustainable VCS for the future.
• The strategy, alongside output from the community asset review that is currently underway, will provide a blueprint for the team’s  work across the following key areas, community networks, places and spaces, funding and investment and capacity building
• In terms of community networks, the team aims to establish and maintain key local, borough wide, thematic and demographic community networks (e.g. equality networks, advice, volunteering, place-based, funding, capacity-building and Bright Lives Alliance).
• With regards to places and spaces meeting was advised that this involves managing community facilities, establishing independent management models and ensuring that council assets are utilised to their full potential for local communities.
• On the issue of funding and Investment, the team will help in managing grants programmes, monitoring impact, exploring in-kind benefits such as business rates relief, providing premises at a reduced rent in exchange for the delivery of social value, and working with funders to maximise income to VCS. A key priority for the team will continue to be demonstrating the impact grants make and the positive outcomes for Islington residents.
• The team also assists in capacity building and volunteering for the voluntary and community sector, offer training and development, trustee and committee support, volunteering infrastructure etc.
• Meeting was advised that the strategy alongside out put from the community assets review that is currently underway.
• Decisions about whether to fund VCS organisations are informed by what residents tell us they want from us and the council-wide missions and approach we set forward in our Islington Together 2030 Plan.
• With regards the VCS partnership grants programme, the Executive member informed meeting that in April 2024, a new four year grants programme commenced which saw the community partnership team working with 51 funded voluntary and community sector organisations to deliver vital services  ...  view the full minutes text for item 79.

RESOLVED:
That subject to the inclusion of a report on building safety on the work programme it be agreed and for it to be considered at the next meeting.