Agenda item

Questions (a) from Cllr Burgess to Cllr Turan, Executive Member for Health and Social Care:

 

It is estimated that there are about 19,000 unpaid carers in Islington; that’s nearly 10% of the population. These are family members or friends who look after those who need assistance for various reasons. The cost of living crisis will be impacting very heavily on these unpaid carers. Please could you let us know what the Council is doing to assist unpaid carers.

 

Response:

 

Islington’s commissioned carers support service, Islington Carers Hub is run by Age UK Islington. It is commissioned to provide information, advice, signposting, and support to help carers in their caring role and prevent carer breakdown. This includes financial and employment support, including practical support with completing paperwork. They also work with specialist partners including LBI’s Income Maximisation and iWork teams to support carers with income maximisation and access to suitable employment opportunities. The council’s Cost of Living support campaign has been shared with Age UK Islington and other providers supporting carers in the borough, so they are able to direct carers and other residents to the support available.

 

Age UK Islington are doing tremendous work to support our local carers, but as we are witnessing across the care sector, they face a lot of pressure. The pandemic, and now the cost of living crisis is seeing many of our residents needing complex support, but to deliver this requires central government intervention. That’s why we have and continue to call on the government for more support to guarantee better care for older and vulnerable people, support for unpaid carers and decent pay for care workers.

 

Age UK Islington have also been addressing residents’ concerns about the Cost of Living crisis at resident events over the last few months, for example at October’s Let’s Talk Peer Group meeting where the manager of the Income Maximisation team provided a presentation on support available to residents. This was attended by more than 50 people in person and many more online, including carers. Age UK Islington are working with Help on Your Doorstep and other Islington voluntary sector organisations such as the Local Wellbeing Network, and Octopus Community Network on a series of Cost of Living events. Around 100 residents attended the first one and the second “Cost of Living” community open day took place earlier today.

 

Question (b) from Cllr Clarke to Cllr Ward, Executive Member for Finance, Planning and Performance:

Barclays Bank has one of the worst records for investing in fossil fuels. When the council contract with Barclays comes up in 2025 will you look at other options if Barclays has not cleaned up its record on fossil fuels by then?

 

Response:

 

I share the concerns about Barclays record for investing in fossil fuels. Our Council has committed to becoming a net zero carbon borough by 2030 to help tackle the climate emergency and that impacts everything the Council does. To address those concerns I arranged a meeting with the Barclays Bank Chief Executive C.S Venkatakrishnan. Barclays set out their position and direction of travel which seemed broadly positive, but the issue is about pace. Whilst many of their investments in fossil fuels are decades old and they have been phasing out some of the more controversial fossil fuel exposures this is not being done quickly enough.

I set out to the Chief Executive that the Council would like Barclays to introduce robust exclusion policies for all direct and indirect investment in Arctic, Tar sands, Ultra Deep Water and Fracking. They have yet to come back to me with those robust policies, so we need to keep pushing them.

 

The Council’s contract does indeed expire in 2025. Procurement will begin next summer, and the Council will incorporate social value (including the record on climate) as part of its scoring process.  Regardless of who the Council chooses to provide our banking services, it is vital that Barclays do more to address climate concerns, as one of the top fossil fuel investors in the world.

 

Supplementary Questions:

 

Do you agree we need to be investing in companies and banks that are committed to ending the climate crisis and what are the steps being taken to do this?

 

Response:

 

Yes, I agree Councillor Clarke, we absolutely do need to do this. The power local authorities need to enhance is through public procurement and using this to ensure the companies that want to work with the council have socially and environmentally robust policies.

 

The public procurement policy for our banking needs to be the most robust for social and environment policy and is the most fit for the climate emergency.

 

Question (c) from Cllr Heather to Cllr O’Halloran, Executive Member for Homes and Communities:

 

Council homes on the Andover Estate have reported for years of ongoing damp issues, which previous cyclical works have unfortunately failed to resolve. In recent years, unused garages have been redeveloped to build new council homes with natural through ventilation that mitigate against damp. Can the council reassure me and residents not just on the Andover Estate, but across the borough, that the Council is doing all it can, through its cyclical works programme, to tackle damp in council homes and ensure they are the best they can be?

 

Response:

 

As you know, a top priority for our council is providing safe, decent homes for local people. But we also know that, due to a range of issues, some of our homes aren’t up to the standard they should be, and we are working hard to improve that. In relation to the Andover Estate, which has experienced damp issues over the years exacerbated by the design of some of the flats, significant investment has been allocated to the estate which will address these issues. Cyclical improvements totalling £14 million have started on site to insulate properties across the estate, including those backing onto garages, as well as improving the ventilation within the units. Works have commenced on site and residents events have been well attended.

 

Where cyclical work is delivered elsewhere in the borough, a priority is given to insulation and ventilation. Planned works are on site for a group of pilot properties which have received Social Housing Decarbonisation Funding to improve their thermal efficiency and in turn reduce the likelihood of damp. Significant further funds have been identified to improve properties with the lowest SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure) ratings amongst our stock and where dampness is more likely to occur.

 

We will continue to bid for grants such as the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to increase the range and speed of insulation works and continue doing all we can to improve our current stock of council homes, as well as building more to help households out of overcrowded homes.

 

Supplementary Questions:

 

These issues have been raised for around 20 years. On the walkways, the asphalt needs to be done correctly, the water pipes and drainage needs to be done properly as well as insulation done correctly as these all contribute to the issue of damp. Our council officers need to check in with residents that we know are facing damp to alleviate the issue as this has not been done properly and it is unacceptable. The council needs to receive value for money on cyclical works and currently this is not happening. While I’m talking about the Andover estate, this applies all over the borough and we need to protect all residents from damp homes.

 

Response:

 

I make a promise now that all residents mentioned and those that have had damp in the last two years will receive a visit. As well as ensuring any company that does cyclical work for the council is doing this to the best standard or we will no longer use their services and put the money into other companies that will.

 

While I completely sympathetic with the issue, unfortunately some issues occur due to the way estates were built and if they were being built now this would not occur. But I want to make a promise under my watch that once work is complete we will check in on residents and ensure they are satisfied with the work that has been done.

 

Question (d) from Cllr Jeapes to Cllr Ward, Executive Member for Finance, Planning and Performance:

 

The latest contemptable policy conceived by this Conservative Government, desperate to cling on to power, is to require UK citizens to produce mandatory voter ID when turning up to vote at all elections. This draconian policy, which is a transparent block to the democratic process, will make it harder for millions to cast their vote, potentially excluding eligible citizens from voting and suppressing turnout particularly among disadvantaged groups. The final list of what sort of ID will be accepted has still not been announced by the government. It is proposed to make it the duty of councils to issue people with an electoral identity document if they do not have any of the agreed forms of photo ID, such as a driving licence or passport. Therefore, it is imperative that all Islington residents need to be made aware of this change to their voting rights and provided with the documentation needed to exercise their right to vote. There is a Government proposal to issue new free “Voter Authority Certificate” for those without any other form of photographic ID. However, implementing this unnecessary bureaucratic policy of disenfranchising the Populus will cost considerable officer time and public finances. Is it possible to estimate the costs of time and money to the Council of implementing this burden to democracy?

 

Response:

 

I agree, this new policy set by the Government will severely disenfranchise thousands of voters here in Islington and across the country. But we will do everything we can to ensure residents are not excluded from taking part in democracy.

 

Voter ID will be introduced from May 2023. The government has set out a list of acceptable identification but unfortunately there are none on the list that are free and available for all, apart from the Voter Authority Certificate. Anyone that doesn’t have acceptable identification will be able to apply for a Voter Authority certificate either online or by using a paper application. The production of certificates will be done centrally so the costs for those will be covered. Council officers will be required to process the applications for the certificates, and it is estimated that on average, online applications will take 6 minutes to process while paper applications will take 8 minutes. The cost of staff time will be funded via a new burdens funding grant but as it is estimated that between 2-6% of people do not have suitable identification, we have work to do to ensure that our residents are aware that voter ID will be required at polling stations and that they know how to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate if they do not have any of the other acceptable documentation.

 

But we will also be working very hard to ensure local people are aware of the changes and they’re not negatively impacted by them. We will be running a campaign to raise awareness and to get people the ID they need so they can continue to be able to vote.

 

Supplementary Questions:

 

As a result, the turnout is going to be extremely low and the electorate will become disenfranchised, so please as a whole council can we work on raising awareness of this so residents don’t get turned away at the polls? Or as a borough run a campaign of ‘civil disobedience’ where the Council and Councillors do not apply doing this and let people vote with no ID.

 

Response:

 

My passport is out of date, and I have only recently got a driving license so would have previously also struggled with this policy. This policy will disenfranchise the most vulnerable and is a political move from the government to do so.

This council has been at the forefront of many campaigns over the year, beating poll tax, saving the buses and the Leader has put this on the Agenda for the Labour Group of London Councils for the meeting next week.

 

Question (e) from Cllr North to Cllr Champion, Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality and Transport:

 

The Lumen data centre (located in the former gin factory building at 260-266 Goswell Road) uses diesel-powered generators to provide an emergency electricity supply in the event of power outages. Neighbours at Kestrel House, Peregrine House and on Moreland Street report that these generators are running more and more frequently, emitting black smoke and harmful fumes into our local environment. In the context of Islington Labour's efforts to improve air quality and tackle the climate emergency, can the Executive Member assure me that the council is doing everything possible within our powers to monitor these polluting activities at the Lumen data centre, enforce against them where possible and reduce the impact on local residents?

 

Response:

 

While we have monitoring powers, the issue is we don’t have the powers we need to do more, the only power we have is if they constitute a statutory nuisance and they don’t. An officer has written to Emily Thornberry MP asking that the date that allows us to have more powers over the generators is brought forward from 2029. We want increased powers to regulate.

 

We are aware of the concerns of residents and we ensure Officers are in attendance at every full day test of the back-up generators in case Lumen cause a statutory nuisance and enforcement action can be taken.

 

We have been proactively working with Lumen (and its previous incarnations Level 3 and Century Link) for many years to address concerns from residents. Whilst we are not the enforcing authority for the use of back-up generators, that is the Environmental Agency, the council has used its convening powers to get improvements in communication from the site to local residents as well as improvements to the exhaust flues on the roof of the building.

 

Pollution monitoring has taken place on Peregrine House and has recently started at Moreland School to try and detect impacts of the testing of the back-up generators on the local environment. So far, the pollution monitoring does not indicate a measurable increase in pollution levels when the generators are tested.

Lumen are working closely and positively with our Energy team and their GreenSCIES (Green Smart Community Integrated Energy Systems) project. Lumen will be the major supplier of heat to this programme. GreenSCIES will help reduce the use of fossil fuels and carbon in the borough.

 

Supplementary Question:

 

Will you join me in publicly calling on Lumen to do the right thing and invest less in disruptive and polluting technology. Will you also continue to work to raise the matter with government so we have all the right powers to tackle poor air quality in our borough?

 

Response:

 

Yes.

 

Question (f) from Cllr Ogunro to Cllr Ward, Executive Member for Finance, Planning and Performance:

 

The cost of living crisis is having a severe impact on people across Islington right now. I am seeing it in my casework, and it is only going to get worse. In the absence of any action from the Tory Government, what support is the Council providing to help vulnerable families through the current cost of living crisis?

 

Response:

 

You’re completely right that the government’s cost of living crisis is already having a significant impact on people in our borough. We declared a cost-of-living emergency at the last Full Council and pledged to do all we can to help residents and businesses impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. Despite the lack of financial support from this government, we are helping residents to claim all benefits they are entitled to, with over £3.5m of annual benefit entitlement secured for residents this financial year, so far. We are distributing financial support effectively to those that need it most. £13m has been distributed from the council tax energy rebate and £4.4m from the Household Support Fund, with a further £2.2m currently being distributed now. We continue to support residents into employment, helping them secure good jobs.

We are providing more support for local people to tackle the cost of living crisis this winter through the £500,000 windfall payment from the publicly owned waste plant in Edmonton. We are also helping families impacted by the digital divide by distributing laptops to over 600 pupils who started secondary school this autumn, coupled with our work in rolling out high-speed broadband to council estates across the borough.  

We have also launched a communications campaign to raise awareness with residents on where to get help. A cost-of-living board is ensuring a co-ordinated response, working with voluntary and community sector partners to maximise the collective offer, including a network of warm spaces. We are monitoring the impacts to target support where it is most needed, through a cost-of-living dashboard. We will continue to do all we can to help those hardest hit by the cost-of-living crisis.

 

Question (g) from Cllr Nargund to Cllr Champion, Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality and Transport: 

 

In the Islington Labour manifesto for the 2022 Local Elections, we promised to genuinely consult and co-design a series of Liveable Neighbourhoods with residents, to ensure we are making changes that they want to see. Can you confirm this is still the case and that the Council’s work to create a cleaner, greener, healthier borough will be undertaken alongside local people?

 

As Cllr Nargund was not present, a written response was sent, as follows:

 

I’d like to reassure you that as a council, we are committed to continuing to engage with local people in the development of liveable neighbourhoods across the borough.

At the start of the people-friendly streets programme in 2020-21 we ran a borough-wide Commonplace platform which attracted over 6,000 comments from residents telling us about issues in the area and suggestions for how we could make the area cleaner, greener, and healthier. Since then, we have run six low traffic neighbourhood public consultations, including a programme of consultation events for each, to which we received thousands of responses. Our reports on all of these consultations have been published on the council website. We have also processed and responded to in the region of 5,000 emails relating to people-friendly streets schemes.

 

Recently we have held public meetings to kickstart two liveable neighbourhood projects. The meetings, prior to any designs, were to listen to local people’s views about how they would like us to improve streets in the area. This is just the start of a year-long engagement process for each scheme. We will hold numerous events to give local people many opportunities to give us feedback on design proposals. This will help us to finalise designs on which we will hold a formal public consultation before a decision is made on whether to and how proceed with each liveable neighbourhood scheme. We look forward to hearing local people’s views on our liveable neighbourhood schemes as they develop.

 

Question (h) from Cllr Khurana to Cllr Turan, Executive Member for Health and Social Care:

 

We all know that public services should always be in public hands. It was wonderful news to hear that Centene’s contract was not renewed at Hanley Primary Care Centre. In your role as Executive Member for Health and Social Care, how will you campaign to ensure our local NHS services are not once again put into the hands of profiteering corporations?

 

Response:

 

The NHS was founded by a Labour Government after the second world war; after seeing the worst of humanity, we created a system intended to meet three core principles: that it meets the needs of everyone, that it be free at the point of delivery and that it be based on clinical need, not ability to pay. It is Our NHS and we don’t want to lose it. Every single one of us in this chamber would have received NHS care at some point in our lives. Do we want a system that only caters to those who can afford it or a service that is universally available to us all?

 

The chronic underfunding of our NHS by this government is an ideological move and is setting up our NHS to fail, putting staff under pressure and cutting training available for health and social care professionals. This is all evidence of how an ideology based on privatisation and supporting profit making companies can lead to the destruction of some of our most valued assets, namely the NHS and social care.

The US cooperation Centene is listed on the New York stock exchange with an annual revenue well over 100 billion dollars. It is the parent company of Operose Health which is in control of 58 GP surgeries over the country, making it the largest GP network in the country, covering half a million patients. Privatising the NHS isn’t without consequence and will lead to deterioration of care. Privatised GP practices have failed to employ permanent GPs and turns work into profit-centred work not care-centred work. In 2021 the government of Valencia, Spain announced the reversal of private healthcare due to corruption of a company owned mostly my Centene, the same company in ownership of 58 GP practices in the UK. This highlights what could be to come.

 

The decision to not renew the contract of a very large international corporation is just one step in ensuring public services are kept in public hands.

 

There is still more for us to do – the contract for Hanley Primary Care Centre will now go out to tender. We will continue to campaign for an NHS in the hands of local patients, not for-profit healthcare giants.

 

The Mayor advised that the time allowed for questions had expired and that the following questions would receive a written response:

 

Question (i) from Cllr Burgess to Cllr Ward, Executive Member for Finance, Planning and Performance:

 

We all know that Islington is one of the most densely-populated boroughs in the country. Islington Council continues to provide more safe, decent, genuinely affordable homes for our whole community, and that must include our Gypsy and Roma Traveller community.

 

One of the sites identified for Gypsy and Roma Traveller accommodation during the Local Plan process is 207A Junction Rd, the current site for the Shaolin Temple. Our community fully supports the provision of accommodation for the Gypsy and Roma Traveller community but wants to make sure that the Shaolin Temple isn’t lost. Can you confirm that the Council will support the Shaolin Temple as much as possible to source an alternative site if the Local Plan is approved?

 

Written response:

 

Providing safe, decent accommodation for our Gypsy and Roma Traveller community was a key commitment in our manifesto for the Local Elections in 2022. The GRT community is one of the most discriminated against across the country and it is vitally important that we work as hard as we can to secure them safe places to live.

As part of our Local Plan process, we have identified three sites for GRT community accommodation. These include one on Ronalds Road and two on Junction Road, one of those is on the current Shaolin Temple site.

 

The Shaolin Temple is an important cultural and religious centre that serves many people in Junction Ward, Islington and beyond. The decision about the future of the Temple now sits with an independent Planning Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State. If the Inspector decides to confirm the proposed allocation of this site to provide permanent homes for Islington’s gypsy and traveller community, the council is fully committed to working with the Temple to find it a new home.

 

The site is owned by Transport for London and leased to the Temple. The Temple’s lease of the site is due to end in 2026. As you know, Transport for London is under the control of the Mayor of London. I have committed to working with the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development to seek to find a new home for the Temple. Transport for London’s Director of Property has written to the Temple.  In their letter they state:

 

“The current lease for the China Cultural Fund runs through to 2026. As one of London’s largest landowners with 2,500 commercial tenancies across London, I am confident that we would be able to find a suitable alternative location for the Shaolin Temple should that be required. Throughout this period, we will of course continue to liaise closely with both the Council and our tenant.”

 

Question (j) from Cllr Jegorovas-Armstrong to Cllr Ward, Executive Member for Finance, Planning and Performance:   

 

Can the council update us on progress against the target of completely divesting the council's pensions fund from fossil fuels?

 

Written response:

 

As I mentioned in my answer to Cllr Clarke, our council is totally committed to tackling the climate emergency, and that includes reducing the environmental impact of our pension fund. The latest figures from March 2022 show the Council has reduced its weighted average carbon intensity by 30% from the 2016 baseline and the potential emissions of the fund from fossil fuel reserves have been reduced by 78.9%. The fund recently transitioned its in-house equity portfolio to the Legal and Generally Paris aligned passive fund over the summer, which will see further substantial reductions when the next measurement is taken in early 2023. Exposure to any companies involved in fossil fuel activities will be very limited after this point and the Pension Fund continues to work to reduce emissions as a whole. 

 

Question (k) from Cllr Hamdache to Cllr O’Halloran, Executive Member for Homes and Communities:

 

Many leaseholders are coming to us in huge distress in face of the bills they're facing for cyclical repairs. What is the council doing to help those households struggling to pay?

 

Written response:

 

Our council is determined to ensure local people have safe, secure, decent places to call home.

 

We appreciate that major works invoices are unwelcome at any time but the council as the freeholder has a responsibility to repair and maintain buildings, and leaseholders have an obligation under their lease to pay their share of the cost of repairs and maintenance through their service charge.

 

Strictly under the terms of the lease, service charges including major works are payable in full within 14 days. However, we realise to apply the lease terms about payment very rigidly would cause many leaseholders significant hardship, and for that reason we offer a range of payment options and hardship solutions which compares well with payment packages offered by other local authorities. Our payment options help resident leaseholders spread the cost of major works charges over a several years, including an interest-free period. In cases of hardship and where there is no other reasonable means of a leaseholder paying, we can consider putting a charge on the property so that no payment is required until the property is sold.  We give leaseholders 12 weeks to choose their payment option and we also promote free and independent debt advice services.

 

There is no general power to waive the recovery of leaseholder service charges, and this would be incompatible with the council’s fiduciary duty. The “shortfall” of expenditure not recovered from leaseholders as a result of a waiver would fall on tenants. The council has limited discretion under the Social Landlords Discretionary Reduction of Service Charges (England) Directions 2014 to reduce major works bills in exceptional circumstances (where leaseholders are experiencing exceptional hardship, have no alternative access to funding the full amount and other unforeseen circumstances have contributed to their inability to pay). Consideration is given on a case by case basis. As most leaseholders have a sufficient level of equity for a charge to be placed on their property to cover their major works bill, hardship capping will not apply.

 

Question (l) from Cllr Russell to Cllr Champion, Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality and Transport:

 

At the time of submitting this question, the Islington Council website states that:

 

“There are eight public toilets located conveniently around the borough. Seven of these are automated, fully accessible and are open 24 hours a day. There is a 20p charge to use these but are free for RADAR key holders.

There is also an attended public toilet, which is fully accessible, serving traders and shoppers at Chapel Market. It is open 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 4pm on Sundays.

To help deal with anti-social street urination around Clerkenwell at weekends, a pop up urinal is available in Cowcross Street outside The Hope pub. It is available on Friday from 7pm to 6am on Saturday morning and from Saturday at 7pm to 6am on Sunday.

You can find our automated public toilets at the following locations: Holloway Road, Seven Sisters Road, Highbury Crescent. Highbury Fields, Newington Green, Islington Green (closed) and City Road (closed).”

 

Age UK London campaigners are concerned that the automated toilets are all out of order. What is your plan to get them reopened?

 

Written response:

 

Islington council currently has 9 public toilet facilities made up of 7 automated public toilets located around the borough.

 

The 7 Public Automated Public Toilets which are open 24 Hours are

·        Holloway Road

·        Seven Sisters Road

·        Highbury Crescent

·        Highbury Fields

·        Newington Green (Currently Closed)

·        Islington Green (Currently Closed)

·        City Road

With a set of public toilets which are staffed at Chapel Street Market in the south of the borough and a Urilift pop-up urinal based in Cowcross street.

 

Within the borough we also have a number of toilets that are open to the public at Islington Offices, Libraries, Leisure Centres, and Parks which number 40 sites with a variety of facilities, but they are not open 24 hours.

 

The 7 automated public toilets are the end of their natural life and parts are now obsolete for these. The council has identified a budget of £1m to replace the 7 automated public toilets with planning and the procurement of the toilets already in motion. Works on site should start in the first quarter of 2023 and the works completed in the fourth quarter of 2023. This will also include a planning maintenance contract for the 7 automated toilets which will be 3 years with an option of a 2-year extension to the maintenance contract.

 

The Key Decision report is being drafted and has been added to the Commissioning and Procurement Board agenda of 26th January 2023. We are pushing forward the procurement of the toilets and not wating for the full planning consultation to be complete as this could delay the project programme by a further 3-6 months. All bar one of the toilets needs some form of planning consideration. Therefore, this route to procuring the toilets should save us time in delivering them and any planning issues will be picked up as part of the procurement process.

 

Furthermore, in our manifesto for the Local Elections in 2022, we committed to developing a community toilet scheme where we work with local businesses and they open up their toilets for local people to use when they’re out and about. This is a scheme we’re really excited about and currently working on, with more news coming soon.

 

Question (m) from Cllr Russell to Cllr O’Halloran, Executive Member for Homes and Communities:

 

Following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak after breathing mould in his home in Rochdale, what action has the council taken to review repairs processes for cases of mould?

 

Written response:

 

The death of Awaab Ishak has caused the social housing industry to rightly review urgently its approach to damp and mould. As a large landlord with a complex and varied stock Islington is also reviewing its approach.

 

Additional funding for remedial works has been agreed to allow packages to ventilate and insulate homes. We are recontacting all tenants who requested a damp and mould survey in the last two years and we are prioritising based on number of reports, vulnerabilities and complaints. Additional resources are being brought in to ensure we can visit any of these homes who still have an issue.

 

We will be reviewing all reported complaints over the last 2 years, members enquiries and resident reported cases of condensation, damp and mould and what additional interventions can be made to address and resolve the issues. This may include additional works such as new ventilation or insulation.

 

The council has already conducted work to reduce the likelihood of damp on the most affected estates and further investment is ongoing. We will continue to use repairs data to source estates that need investment to reduce the chance of damp and mould.

 

We are working with health partners to overlay information about families with health conditions that may require we go even further in those houses prevent damp and condensation.

 

Our repairs service is investing in and will make greater use of remote loggers to help diagnose the cause of damp in properties. All staff are being retrained on damp and condensation and its impacts on health and possible treatments.

 

We are setting up a dedicated phone line and email contact for residents concerned about damp and mould. This line will offer advice, the ability to report concerns and book a surveyors visit.

 

A weekly panel will review cases of repeat reports of damp and mould with a view to sending senior surveyors and or increasing the levels of work or moving the family. We are also working with local housing associations to encourage them to take a similar proactive approach.

 

In addition, we’re working with UCL and Building Expert Mike Peret to ensure we are using the best investigative techniques and designing an affordable retrofit package for the worst cases.

 

Damp and Condensation can only be controlled through effective repairs, investing in improving our stock, reducing overcrowding, and supporting residents with the cost of living. Islington is committed to delivering these across the borough.