Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed those present to the meeting and introductions were made.

To receive any apologies for absence.

It was noted that apologies had been received from the following people:

Niall Bolger    -Jo David substituted

Neil Mawson

Jo Murphy

Claire Winstanley

To confirm the minutes of the 28 January 2008 as a correct record of the meeting.

RESOLVED: 

That, subject the amendment of a figure in relation to ABG being amended to £20M, rather than £500K as stated, the minutes of the meeting held on 28 January 2008, be confirmed as a correct record of the meeting.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business. (Late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with at Item 17 below).

No urgent items of business were raised.

Members of the Board must declare any personal and/or prejudicial interests with respect to agenda items and must not take part in any decision required with respect to these items.

No declarations of interest were made.

A presentation will be made.

The Board received a presentation on the Greenest Borough Strategy.

The Board was advised of the national and regional context within which the Strategy had been formed. It was noted that the Strategy would address Government targets in relation to the reduction of emissions and the targets within the Mayor’s London Plan and supporting strategies.

In addition to the broader national and regional targets, the Strategy was also informed by the local context, including the Sustainable Community Strategy, the Haringey Council Plan and the Strategic Framework for Improving Adults’ Well-Being 2007/10.

In terms of linkage to the Integrated Housing Board it was noted that the following issues were addressed within the Strategy:

• Reducing CO2 emissions
• Improving energy efficiency
• Improving external public spaces –green spaces and the built environment
• Targeting landlords

It was noted that an extensive consultation programme had been undertaken and that this had included residents, Partners and Members and Council staff. The feedback received as part of this process had been taken on board and was now reflected in the Strategy.

The Council’s Cabinet would consider the Strategy in April 2008 and it would be submitted to Council in July 2008.

The Chair noted that Fuel Poverty was a key issue for the Board and ensuring that new heating systems installed into Council properties were energy efficient was important. He requested that a report be brought to the Board in relation to this setting out how the Council, Partners and residents should go about tackling this.

The Board was advised that the Decent Homes standard required that certain measures were applied to all new builds. The Assistant Director Strategic and Community Housing advised that a report would be submitted to the Boards next meeting pulling together all of the information available in relation to reducing emissions from domestic dwellings.

There was agreement that it would be useful if a set of standards, to be used when discussing new projects with Partners, could be drafted. This  should also include details of builders, appliances and materials that were recommended in terms of energy efficiency. This could then be used to measure bids against. It was agreed that this could be combined with the report on the new Code for Sustainable Homes.

It was noted that at present the Council’s Corporate Procurement Team were putting together guidelines on ‘green purchasing’.

RESOLVED:

1. That the presentation be noted.

2. That a report be submitted to the Board setting out how  the Council, Partners and residents should address the need to ensure new heating systems were energy efficient.

3. That a report on the new Code for Sustainable Homes should include details in relation to the creation of a new set of standards in relation to energy efficiency for use by the Council and Partners.

A presentation will be made.

The Board was provided with a verbal report on the link between Housing and Planning and the new Core Strategy.

The Board was advised that the Core Strategy formed part of the Council’s Local Development Framework (LDF) which was being compiled at present and would replace the existing Unitary Development Plan (UDP). The Core Strategy was a key document in terms of housing; as the main spatial planning document for the Borough, it would set out where new developments would take place and contain planning guidance on new housing, acceptable densities and a range of other issues.

It was noted that an joint Member/Officer Working Group had been established to consider the Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) that should be contained within the Core Strategy and Housing officers would input into this.  The Chair requested that any proposals in relation to SPG be passed onto Partners as soon as possible.

The Board was advised that the Core Strategy would bring together existing and new SPG in relation to housing. It was envisaged that this would provide a more consistent approach and allow less room for interpretation.

Concern was raised that a protocol was required to ensure that planning applications, made by either the Council or its Partners, were discussed with planning officers to ensure that technical issues, which may result in the application being refused, were discussed before the application was determined. It was noted that there had been occasions where planning applications made by the Council itself and Partners had been refused due to technical issues that could have been resolved before the application was considered.

The Chair underlined the need to ensure that Partners were included in relation to new policies and consultation exercises taking place. In this instance it was particularly important that there was discussion with Registered Social Landlords (RSL’s) regarding applications that were made and supported by the Council.

There was a general consensus that it would be useful if Partners were to meet outside the meeting and discuss in more detail a case study of an application made by an RSL where problems had been experienced. This meeting could be used as a forum to look at the establishment of a protocol for discussing planning applications by the Council’s partners.

The Chair requested that this meeting should take place prior to the Boards next meeting and that a report should be produced setting out the outcome of discussion at the meeting and submitted to the Board.

RESOLVED:

1. That the verbal report be noted.

2. That a meeting should be held, prior to the Boards next meeting, to discuss in more detail a case study of an application made by an RSL where problems had been experienced.

3. That a report, setting out the outcome of discussion at the meeting, be submitted to the Board at its next meeting.

A verbal update will be provided.

The Board received a report setting out the progress that had been made towards agreeing the thirty-five National Indicators to be included within the new Local Area Agreement (LAA).

The Board was advised that a second meeting had taken place between the HSP Performance Management Group (PMG) and GOL on 25 January where GOL had confirmed that the HSP was on track to meet the June deadline for selection of the targets. However, GOL had proposed a number of amendments at that meeting and these were now being considered by each of the Thematic Boards. 

It was noted that several Local Indicators were also included within the new LAA. Although there was not a statutory obligation to report on Local Indicators they would be monitored and form an important role in the LAA.

There was a general consensus that the LAA Workshop held during the previous week had provided a useful forum to discuss a variety of issues attached to the LAA and how, in practical terms, Partners could work together to deliver the targets contained within the new LAA.

The Chair underlined the need to ensure that targets were measurable and deliverable and requested that a report be brought to the Boards next meeting setting out how the Board intended to deliver on it’s targets. He noted that the report should also set out the responsibilities of specific Partners in meeting the targets.

RESOLVED:

1. That the verbal report provided be noted.

2. That a report be submitted to the Boards next meeting setting out how the Board intended to deliver on it’s targets and the responsibilities of each of the Partner organisations in meeting the targets.

A verbal update will be provided.

The Board received a verbal report on the Area Based Grant (ABG) allocation for the Board for 2008/09.

It was noted that the new ABG drew together a range of existing separate funding streams with the intention of providing more flexibility and a more joined up approach to funding. In order to ensure that the projects funded by the ABG were effective and linked to the targets within the LAA, a new Performance Management Framework was being introduced. This would provide a consistent means of monitoring all the projects funded by the Partnership.

It was noted that 2008/09, would form a transitional year and a review of each of the projects would be made, using the new Performance Management Framework after the first six months.

Concern was raised that money previously available to support and reduce the number of people living in temporary accommodation, under the Supporting People scheme, would mean some services would no longer be able to be provided. The need to provide strong Business Cases for continuing these services was underlined.

The Chair noted that the ABG would provide a positive opportunity to review how services were delivered and whether improvements could be made.

It was noted that discussion at the recent LAA workshop had demonstrated the effectiveness of Partnership working. At the workshop there had been a good level of engagement and this approach could be built up on to identify how the new funding should be allocated to provide the best possible outcomes for the public.

RESOLVED:

That the verbal report provided be noted.  

The Board considered a report setting out proposals for the creation of an inter-tenure consultation group.

It was noted that the group would assist the IHB tackle over-arching housing challenges by providing an opportunity for a broad range of Borough based groups, with an interest and awareness of the housing issues facing Haringey, to consider proposals and initiatives under the Boards responsibility.

It was proposed that the Board would meet on a half-yearly basis and that it should consist of tenants and residents associations, Housing Associations and RSL’s. The group would also include private landlords and representatives from ethnic minority groups.

The Chair noted that representatives from tenants associations were already attended several existing forums. In contrast, there was no provision with the proposed structure for representatives from private tenants forums or people living in temporary accommodation. It was noted that the Audit Commission was likely to pick up on this.

The Board was advised that it may be preferable to hold the meetings on an annual basis as this would be more manageable and prevent possible overlaps. At present a data base of people, who would received regular information and be asked for their comments, was being compiled. This would also help improve the service and better address the needs of tenants.

In response to a query, the Board was advised that consideration had been given to using the Area Assemblies as a forum to consult with the public. However, this proposal not been accepted and was not taken forward.

There was a general consensus that the rather than forming a group that met on a quarterly or twice yearly basis an annual conference should be held.  

RESOLVED:

That a conference should be held on an annual basis to look at Inter-Tenure issues.

A verbal update will be provided.

The Board received a verbal update on the Mayor of London’s Draft Housing Strategy.

It was noted that the consultation process had finished and at that the Strategy was currently being rewritten to reflect this. The Strategy would be published in May and the Board would be required to make a formal response to this.

The Chair requested that before the Board was asked to respond to the Strategy, Homes for Haringey, the RSL’s and the Cabinet Advisory Board should be asked for their comments.

RESOLVED:

1. That the verbal report be noted.

2. That before the Board was asked to respond to the Strategy, Homes for Haringey, the RSL’s and the Cabinet Advisory Board should be asked for their comments.

A verbal update will be provided.

The Board received a verbal update in relation to the Draft Homelessness Strategy.

It was noted that a present a detailed programme of consultation was being constructed and that a scoping paper was being drafted that would identify the key issues that needed to be addressed.

The Board was advised that guidance was still awaited from GOL in relation to the Strategy and that this would also have an impact upon the Mayor’s Housing Strategy.

It was anticipated that the first draft of the Strategy would be published in May and that the final version would be submitted to Council in November for agreement.

The Chair noted that it was important that Partners had a clear sense of ownership towards the Strategy in order for it to be successful. As health was central to the Strategy it was important that Partners in this area were fully consulted as during the drafting of the document.

RESOLVED:

That the verbal update be noted.

A verbal update will be provided.

The Board received a verbal update on progress in relation to the Housing Strategy.

It was noted that a Steering Group was being established, which would include representatives from the RSL’s, HAVCO and other Partners. The Steering Group would oversee the formation of the Strategy and help create a sense of ownership amongst Partners. It was hoped that colleagues from the Regeneration Team and Homelessness agencies would also sit on the Group.

There would be an Action Plan included within the Strategy setting out the responsibilities of all the agencies involved in its delivery.

The Board was advised that the first draft of the Strategy would be published in July.   

RESOLVED:

That the verbal update provided be noted.

The Board received a report setting out how Fuel Poverty was being tackled the Council and the Partnership.

The Board was advised that Fuel Poverty was a broad based problem that required the cooperation of all Partners if it were to be addressed effectively. It was noted that funding from the ABG had been allocated to tackling Fuel Poverty and that this was a priority within the new LAA.

The Chair noted that a key priority was to ensure that people were aware of the grants and other financial assistance that they were able to access. He noted that there had been some success in this area following the allocation of dedicated resources.

The Board was advised that at present there was not a multi agency strategy in place to address Fuel Poverty and that this may need to be considered in the future and developed by the Board. The Chair requested that the Board should received a report setting out the options in relation to forming a multi agency strategy.

RESOLVED:

1. That the report be noted.

2. That the Board should received a report setting out the options in relation to forming a multi agency strategy.

The Board received a report setting out a draft Work Programme for the remainder of the year.

The Board was advised that the Programme should have referred to the June, rather July meeting, as stated in the report.

There was agreement that there should be a report added to agenda for the next meeting, setting out the Action Plans attached to each of the Performance Indicators, which were within the Boards responsibility. The Chair requested that these should set out clearly the responsibilities of each of the Partners in terms of delivery. It was noted that there may need to be one meeting dedicated to this topic.

The Chair suggested that future agendas should be divided into reports for consideration and information reports and there was agreement that this was sensible.

RESOLVED:

1. That the report be noted.

2. That a report added to agenda for the next meeting, setting out the Action Plans attached to each of the Performance Indicators, which were within the Boards responsibility.

To receive any items of AOB.

No items of AOB were raised.

To consider to any new Items of Urgent Business accepted under Item 4 above.

No new items of Urgent Business were raised.

Please note that dates listed below are provision until the Council’s Calendar of Meetings for 2008/09 has been agreed and may be subject to change.

• 19 June, 6pm
• 16 October, 6pm

The following provisional dates were noted:

19 June, 6pm

16 October, 6pm