Issue - meetings

Report of the Corporate Director of Adults, Housing and Health. To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Housing & Planning (Deputy Leader)

Declarations of interest for this item:

None

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Noted the report and the continued improvements being made to provide further assurance in future.

Reasons for decision

The purpose of this report is to provide Cabinet and council tenants and leaseholders with the assurance and confidence that the Housing Service’s arrangements for monitoring the ‘big six’ compliance areas are robust and are subject to ongoing review and improvement.

Alternative options considered

Not applicable.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, and Deputy Leader of the Council introduced the report.

The Cabinet Member stressed that every resident deserved a safe and secure home and that maintaining good quality, safe, warm, and sustainable Council homes was a key priority for Haringey Council. It was explained that the Annual Compliance report for 2024/25 included information on the ‘big six’ safety compliance areas: gas, electricity, fire safety, asbestos, legionella, and lifts.

It was noted that one of the key priorities of Haringey Council’s Housing Improvement Plan, approved by Cabinet in 2023, was to improve compliance and reporting. The Council had implemented a range of proactive safety and risk assessment programmes for all compliance activities and that this was closely monitored through the Council’s governance processes. It was noted that, on a monthly basis, the Council’s internal Building Safety and Compliance Board were presented with a key performance indicator report on the ‘big six’ compliance areas.

It was also explained that the Council also sought out, through Mazars auditors, independent review and assessment of the quality of reporting and assurance to ensure that it was accurate and robust. This provided assurance to the public and to elected members that Council Executives and Officers were appropriately managing property-related Health and Safety risks. The Mazars audit reported a high level of accuracy whilst setting out several recommendations which the service progressed.

In response to comments and questions from Councillors Cawley-Harrison, the following information was shared:

• It was noted that there would be some changes within the Renters Rights Bill which could potentially change compliance requirements for private landlords.
  
  
• It was stressed that tenants were made aware of the compliance requirements for landlords, and are are given information on reporting any concerns. It was noted that the Council was working towards giving residents the ability to access their property’s certifications remotely. It was additionally noted that the Council was installing resident engagement boards within high-rise buildings in order to encourage resident engagement with building safety if they were concerned.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Noted the report and the continued improvements being made to provide further assurance in future.

Reasons for decision

The purpose of this report is to provide Cabinet and council tenants and leaseholders with the assurance and confidence that the Housing Service’s arrangements for monitoring the ‘big six’ compliance areas are robust and are subject to ongoing review and improvement.

Alternative options considered

Not applicable.