Agenda

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Report to follow.

a)    Audit Committee

b)    Licensing Committee

c)    Overview and Scrutiny Committee

d)    Standards Committee – report to follow

Cllr Barbara Blake to Cllr Williams

What does the success of the regeneration of Broadwater Farm and other community-driven projects tell us about the council’s relationship with its communities?

Cllr Emery to Cllr das Neves

When becoming aware of the hundreds of safeguarding emails that had been left unread as referenced in the recent Local Government Ombudsman Report, what steps did you take to inform the Adults and Health Scrutiny Panel?

Cllr Anna Abela to Cllr Chandwani

How is the council supporting disadvantaged residents with their bills this winter?

Cllr Connor to Cllr Brabazon

The Jay Report into Rotherham and Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation have shown that some councils failed to protect children because elected members did not ask enough questions or assumed others were dealing with the problem, with both reports reminding us that councillors have a statutory duty under section 11 of the Children Act 2004 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in our borough.

With that in mind, can the Cabinet Member confirm what steps this council is taking to support councillors to ask the right proactive questions of our safeguarding partners, particularly in light of recent media reports of organised child sexual exploitation or grooming activity in our area?

Cllr Matt White to Cllr Ovat

What does the decision to keep open the Front Desk at Tottenham Police Station mean for the residents of Tottenham?

Cllr Cawley-Harrison to Cllr Carlin

The draft budget proposes borrowing a further £57m EFS from the Government in 2026/27 on top of the already budgeted borrowing of £37 million. When accumulated with all existing EFS borrowing to date, what will be the annual and total cost of repaying this debt (including interest and other fees from 2026/27 onwards)?

Cllr Cathy Brennan to Cllr Arkell

Please could the Cabinet Member explain why libraries are so important to this administration.

Cllr Paton to Cllr Williams

Since the Council brought housing repairs back in-house in 2022, the council has built up a huge repairs backlog - with residents reporting long repair wait times and voids still contributing to Haringey’s huge budget deficit. 

The industrial dispute has now settled; please present to us a targeted plan showing the timeline for reducing the backlog for repairs and voids.

Cllr Anna Lawton to Cllr Hakata 

Please could the Cabinet Member highlight some of the benefits of Haringey's new 'Fixing Factory'?

Motion E

Liberal Democrat  Group Motion Better rented homes for Haringey

Proposer: Cllr Barnes

Seconder: Cllr Cawley-Harrison

Council notes that:

1. The Housing Act 2004 requires Homes of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) accommodating five or more people to be licensed (with a small number of exceptions).
2. Haringey has an Additional HMO Licensing Scheme under section 56 of the Housing Act which applies to all buildings that are HMOs as defined by sections 254 of the Act other than HMOs that are subject to mandatory licensing under section 55(2) (a) of the Act subject to any statutory exemption or exception with licenses granted for up to five years.
3. Haringey has an additional Selective Licensing Scheme which applies to  all privately rented homes let to a single person, 2 people, or a single household (e.g. a family) in thirteen wards across the borough (Bounds Green, Bruce Castle, Harringay, Hermitage and Gardens, Noel Park, Northumberland Park, Seven Sisters, South Tottenham, St Ann's, Tottenham Central, Tottenham Hale, West Green, White Hart Lane, Woodside).
4. Unlike Enfield or Barnet, Haringey does not inspect HMOs for safety before granting licences to landlords.
5. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025, whilst bringing important benefits to tenants, has led some landlords to pre-emptively increase rents, to exit the sector, or to switch to Nightly Paid Accommodation, all of which have been significant drivers in the recent increase in demand for housing support from Haringey¹, which is now at an all-time high.
6. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 gives councils new powers and responsibilities to enforce higher standards in the private rented sector.
7. Awaab’s Law, which places new requirements on landlords to tackle damp and mould, came into force on 17th October 2025.
8. The council currently makes use of the Private Rental Sector, including HMOs, to provide Temporary Accommodation to Haringey Residents, and to direct Haringey Residents to private assured shorthold tenancy agreements through the Council’s Private Sector Renting team, including by making Private Rented Sector Offers.
9. That the Council considers HMOs as licensed as soon as an application is submitted, and not only once the licence has been granted.
10. That due to this, an HMO may have a series of actions that need fulfilling to meet the licensing criteria, but by the council be considered a “licensed” HMO
11. A recent report in The Guardian claimed that Haringey Council has arranged for residents to be placed in rooms on shorthold tenancies in an HMO that had neither planning permission to be an HMO, nor been granted a licence as an HMO, and that the property had been subject to enforcement and court action by the council where the landlord was found guilty;
12. The council is aware that the landlord of this HMO has a number of unlicensed HMOs across the borough, but has not taken enforcement action against these properties to date.
13. According to the National Residential Landlords’ Association³, Haringey carried out just 21 Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) inspections of private rented properties from 2021 to 2023, and  ...  view the full agenda text for item 13.