Agenda item

Ian Swift, the Director of Housing Needs and Strategy and Rebecca Nicholson Head of Integrated Services and programme manager for the damp and mould response at Islington Council introduced the item.

The following points were noted in the discussion:

·       The report outlined the overview of the work since November 2022, this focused on the urgent response with tenants reporting damp and mould. Phase 2 work focused on reaching residents we were unable to contact, this work is underway, as well as analysis tenants linked to Children’s and Adult Social Care services.

·       Pilot work around tenancy and property visits were conducted, phase 2 of the pilot to reach other areas in the south and north of the borough.

·       Work was underway to import property data into a dashboard to consider the risks of damp and mould. This would also consider vulnerabilities of residents where known.

·       Islington Council was also liaising with housing associations around damp and mould issues. There were 17,000 housing association properties and 36,000 Islington Council properties in the borough. Four of the largest housing associations had attended the Housing Scrutiny Committee meeting in June to explain their work around damp and mould and reducing inequalities in their stock.

·       The Council was working with health partners to fast-track cases where appropriate.

·       The Board noted the council’s enforcement powers in relation to private landlords. The council has a duty to make sure all types of housing are in a decent standard for residents.

·       Some residents had raised concerns around damp and mould in temporary accommodation. Officers summarised the standards that private landlords had to meet to provide temporary accommodation, as well as the right to inspection and the safety rating system.

·       The Director of Housing Needs and Strategy informed the Board that there was a meeting every eight weeks with key partners to discuss how to improve social housing for residents. A partnership agreement with housing associations was being developed and this would set expectations around health and wellbeing. It was commented that the council would work with residents to raise awareness about lifestyle factors that can increase instances of damp and mould.

·       Officers were developing a referral mechanism which will be piloted with GPs to fast track action where damp and mould was having an impact on health. If successful, this could be rolled out to other agencies.

·       Officers will be attending other board meetings as they recognised the need for critical appraisal of the work.

·       It was suggested that a future Health and Wellbeing Board meeting could consider a deep-dive on this topic.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the report on damp, condensation and mould in homes managed by Islington Council be noted, and phased progress to improve the situation be noted.

b)    That consideration be given to other actions which health and social care services can make together with the Homes and Neighbourhoods team to further tackle the issue of damp, condensation and mould and its effect on the quality of life and health and wellbeing of tenants.

c)     That the Board schedule a wider and deeper dive into health and housing at a future Health and Wellbeing Board meeting, to assist with developing partnership approaches and working around this wider determinant of health and wellbeing, including other issues currently under review such as overcrowding.