Agenda item

Committee received a presentation from Tracy Packer, Managing Director for North East London, Peabody Housing Association on its management of overcrowding issues. The following points were highlighted:

·       Peabody has 5500 homes across the borough with the majority being let at social rent, that currently 382 Peabody households in Islington have applied to move because of overcrowding and this would include households who have a need to move for other reasons such as medical/health needs, welfare and those fleeing domestic violence.

·       Peabody provides support to residents throughout the move process however, the number of empty homes available is limited and the wait can be lengthy.

·       In the year 2021/22 only 14 x larger homes became available in the borough (3/4 bed)

·       Meeting was advised that the number of lettings completed is driven by the availability of homes, that Peabody completed 115 lettings in 2021/22, however majority of these lettings were for 1 and 2 bed homes and that empty homes are let through working in partnership with LBI via nomination's agreement.

·       LBI receive 100% nomination rights of all 1st lets (new homes),50% of studio/1bedroom relets and 75% of 2 bedroom or larger relets and that Peabody residents who have requested a move are considered when a relet becomes available and a priority move list for those in most need.

·       Move applicants are assessed based on need and are prioritised, that those overcrowded by 2 or more bedrooms are in the B4 priority band, those in an under-occupying household who wish to move are given a C1 priority band enabling Peabody’s larger homes to be allocated to more suitably sized households. ?

·       Presently of the current households requesting to move because of overcrowding, 32% are in the B4 priority band needing 2 or more further bedrooms with 68% in need of 1 further bedroom.?

·       Peabody offers a number of solutions and mitigations to address overcrowding for households requesting a move, whether in a priority band or not, and are supported through the bidding process however where there is long waiting times further support is provided.   ?

·       Peabody promotes mutual exchange for its tenants, provide advice and guidance on the opportunities that a mutual exchange can bring and make it easier to engage with the process. This includes providing information in multiple languages. ?

·       1-2-1 advice sessions is also available where in-house experts in rehousing offer support in finding alternative accommodation through other tenures such as shared ownership, market rent and potential moves to areas with lower housing demand. Members were reminded that this option is customer led and possible options will depend on customer requirements. ?

·       Home visits to residents is undertaken and provides support such as offering possible space saving furniture to alleviate some shared sleeping arrangements. Also in light of the ongoing living costs concerns Peabody officers offer advice to help manage energy costs and other costs of living. ?

·       Peabody takes a broad view on other actions to help alleviate overcrowding, by offering incentives such as financial incentives in the form of providing decoration allowance for residents who want to move and assist with moving for those willing or wanting to downsize. Peabody is interested in the support and promotions for downsizers being led by LBI.?

·       Peabody also takes a flexible approach, for example in a case of 2 residents, mother and daughter both living in different 3-bed homes on the same street and elderly mother requiring care, a request received from her adult daughter for them to move in together as joint tenants, clearly created a vacancy of a 3 bed home. ?

·       Also customers in need of a home with 3+ bedrooms are able to bid for a home with one fewer bedroom even if this results in a low level of overcrowding.?

·       Meeting was informed of the ‘Next Steps’ scheme, which offers households overcrowded by 2 or more bedrooms with household members who are 21+ having grown up there as their principal home, will be considered for moving to a 1 bed accommodation. ?

·       In summary Peabody aims to use its housing stock in the most effective way to meet housing need, actively support tenants requesting a move to assist in finding the option that will work best for them. The lack of larger homes means waiting times for a move can be lengthy.

·       With regards to nomination rights for the Holloway Prison site which recently was granted planning permission for social housing, meeting was advised that Islington Council has 50% for 1 bedroom and 75% for 2 bed while the rest is for Peabody residents.

·       Meeting was advised that any decision to sell or dispose of any property within Peabody’s portfolio is not taken lightly and each case is assessed in terms of its cost in restoring the property to a decent standard, cost of maintenance over a long period and the condition of the property. The Managing Director assured the meeting that selling of properties only occurs in very small instances, noting that over the next few years Peabody will be building new social housing on the Holloway site

·       On the fire safety concerns which resulted in residents of Merry Mews being moved into temporary accommodation while being resolved, the Managing Director acknowledged that lessons had been taken on board going forward by both Peabody and the builders/developers.

·       There is a recognition that the offer of shared ownership to social housing tenants and its affordability as a means of addressing overcrowding was not ideal but was an option for those interested.

·       On the question of whether Peabody had a list of those residents who had to take time off work so that the rectification process could be carried out, the Managing Director advised that the information can be provided for committee and that most works were carried out after consulting with affected residents to minimise disruption to their daily lives.

·       In response to a question on whether Peabody’s Holloway site had future proofed some of its properties for disabled tenants, the Managing Director acknowledged that a number of homes will be specifically adapted to such residents. 

·       In response to concerns raised by Jermyn Corbyn MP for Islington North about Pitt House , leased by Peabody from a Freeholder property managed by an agent, a 2yrs old new build  affected by 3 issues relating  to pumps and drainage causing sewage leaks which had not been resolved, the Managing Director acknowledged that residents welfare is the sole responsibility of Peabody and it is working hard to resolve the issues with both the builder and are in discussion with Thames Water to resolve the issue.

·       Jeremy Corbyn MP was also concerned with Peabody’s response to complaints raised by Landsdowne court residents of being subjected to racist behaviour to which Peabody was describing it as anti-social behaviour and requesting that this issue needs to be revisited and resolved by Peabody quickly.

·       On the financial incentives for those willing to downsize, the meeting was advised that besides the decoration allowance and assistance with moving, Peabody are having ongoing conversation on what more can be done on this issue.

·       In response to the precise siting of Peabody properties in the borough, the managing director indicated that detailed information can be provided.

·       On the question of compensation for affected tenants being moved into temporary accommodation, meeting was advised that tenants receive subsistence allowance which is paid in advance and also cover taxi fares, noting that figures can be provided. Peabody engages in individual arrangements with tenants and not necessarily offer a standard amount.

·       The Chair thanked the Managing Director for her attendance and the presentation noting that Peabody has agreed to attend a future meeting possibly in February when the performances of housing associations will be considered.

RESOLVED:

·       That the presentation be noted

·       That information details of Peabody’s compensation scheme, a more detailed map about location of Peabody properties and its housing mix on the Holloway scheme be provided      

Also Committee received a presentation from Alistair Gale, Islington’s Assistant Director of Housing, Programming, Design and Customer Care on how its programme of building new homes help alleviate the shortage of housing especially in the context of overcrowding concerns. The following points were highlighted:

•        It is well known that the present housing crisis exists not only locally but nationally, that there is a desperate shortage of genuinely affordable homes, to which the Council has embarked on its biggest council-house building programme in the borough for a generation, which aims to meet the needs of residents.

•        Local council tenants have priority for new council homes through the Council’s Local Lettings Policy? and that New council homes are under construction at 12 different locations across the borough, that presently 750 new council homes have either been completed or under construction for the period 2023-27.

•        The new homes could be used to move a growing family into a larger home or downsizing an older person into ground floor, accessible housing.

•        Meeting was advised that there are currently 371 council tenants registered for a housing transfer who are under-occupying their current home and it is estimated that there could be 3000 tenants who under-occupy their current home who are not registered for a housing transfer.

•        In terms of New build delivery, meeting was advised that of the New council homes completed, 77% are 2+ bedrooms, 27% 3+ bedrooms and the rest one bedrooms

•        Meeting was informed that presently 257 new council homes are under construction.

•        In tracking housing needs trends, it was acknowledged that these change over time e.g. wheelchair accessible housing need is now for 3 and 4 bed properties, which the Council tries to accommodate in its pipeline programme.

•        Residents feedback is important and taken on board. Meeting was advised that although residents may not be on the transfer list waiting to downsize, they might be encouraged if there is an opportunity to move into a smaller, attractive, energy efficient and high quality new build home

•        As Islington is a dense urban borough, any infill housing on existing estates requires carefully considered design to optimise the available land without over-densification and some sites are not suitable/appropriate for houses such as undercroft garages/roof top developments

•        Dover Court was highlighted as an example of a typical large infill project which delivered 57 new council homes for 197 local people, 16 of which were 3 bedroom houses, 2 x 5 bedroom houses and 1 ground floor wheelchair accessible 5 bedroom home. The scheme has been built across under-used parts of the estate, including replacing derelict garages and a block of old bedsits.

·       Members were advised that 8 new homes were allocated to local residents downsizing, 18 new homes were allocated to families from overcrowded accommodation, an example of replacing low quality existing accommodation and optimising the available land for family-sized homes and that occupants from the bedsit block were rehoused into a new over-55s block, which also encouraged others to downsize.

·       Households who meet the bidding threshold will be able to bid for the new homes before anyone else in the borough.

·       The applicant bidding with the highest number of points, subject to matching the size and any other characteristics of the property in question, will be offered the property first.

·       Wheelchair adapted properties will be restricted to applicants who require such properties.

·       Ground floor properties will be restricted to applicants with an assessed need for ground floor accommodation.

·       The meeting was advised that brownfield sites that the council can afford to acquire to build social housing in the borough is extremely scarce. In the case of Parkhurst Road site, meeting was advised that freehold is not owned by council, has been recently challenged in the courts, noting that the council has been able to ensure that going forward if developers were to build homes on the site they would have to meet the councils criteria on provision of social housing.

·       Although the Council is considering at other options beyond building new homes on garages however due to affordability of land, the council is reliant on building social housing on its own land.

·       With regards to downsizing, meeting was advised that the process is customer led, that the council does not force any of its residents to move into smaller homes.

·       On whether council was actually building the right type of properties and in the right location and if data used to ascertain housing needs was up to date, the manager advised that at the early stage of feasibility, the new build team considers existing data from colleagues in the housing needs team who have information on live transfer request, the ages of children across the estate etc, essential information which helps to determine what type of housing is needed , it’s mix and in what location. Also council’s regular engagement with resident is valuable in assessing housing requirements.

·       The Director acknowledged the difficulty of building social homes in the borough, that it is difficult to get a perfect fit in terms of housing mix, which is not the case with outer London boroughs where land is not an issue, as Islington is constrained and is a dense urban environment, factors which determines the type of mix of housing being built on individual schemes.

·       On the question of the 188 void properties in the borough and why it has not brought back to use, meeting was advised that officers will provide and circulate reasons to committee on why it has not put back onto the housing stock, noting that some of the properties are likely to be properties that were brought back in house following the end of PFI 2.

·       On a suggestion that cases such as Parkview Estate which received planning permission for 2 x 2 bedrooms and 38 x 1 bedroom, and then subsequently received funds from GLA should have been revisited by the Planning Committee, the officer advised that S73 is not applicable to minor amendments as this would be a change in the description of the scheme, that it could not be used to change the number of dwellings of the scheme.

·       Cllr Ward acknowledged that going forward the council would look to revisit schemes like the Parkview Estate in terms of housing mix however in this instance there was a GLA funding deadline that required planning permission.

RESOLVED:
That the presentation be noted and officers to provide information as noted above.