Cllr Emina Ibrahim,
Cabinet Member for Housing and Estate Renewal reported on and
responded to questions on the following issues:
- Reducing the
need to use temporary accommodation is a priority for the Council.
The current use can involve paying expensive rates for poor
accommodation and the use of such accommodation for periods of up
to 12 weeks can be particularly damaging for children and
destructive to their education. The provision of more Council
housing would contribute towards this aim although it was
recognised that the building of 1,000 new homes, as promised by the
manifesto, was not going to end the waiting list by itself.
Increasing the supply of temporary accommodation owned by the
Council may help to improve matters as this could often provide
better living standards than some of the privately-owned temporary
accommodation available elsewhere.
- Cllr Ibrahim
confirmed that the current Housing Strategy would be reviewed. The
development of a new Housing Strategy would take some time and
require a period of consultation and this will take place during
2019. In the meantime, amendments to the existing Housing Strategy
will be submitted to Cabinet in November. This will involve changes
to Appendices C and D of the strategy which relate to the mix of
housing in new developments and the definition of
affordability.
- The process
of rehousing the residents of the Tangmere block of the Broadwater Farm Estate due to the structural
defects that had recently been identified was proceeding quickly.
Only seven households were still waiting to be matched to a
suitable home. There were some complications, including that the
large room sizes in Tangmere block made
it difficult for residents to move their existing furniture to
otherwise suitable alternative housing with smaller room sizes.
Because this evacuation had happened quite rapidly it was important
not to put too much pressure on residents to move too quickly while
these issues were resolved. Secure tenants and resident
leaseholders would receive Home Loss Payments to compensate them
for the loss of their home. A decision had been taken not to hold a
residents’ ballot on the Council’s preferred option to
demolish the blocks as the fact that this related to a health and
safety issue made it an inappropriate issue to hold a ballot
on.
- A decision
had been taken at Cabinet to create a single homelessness hub which
would provide a range of specialist services in order to deal with
the multiple and interrelated problems typically faced by people
who find themselves to be homeless.
- Performance
issues at HfH had been improved with
99% of appointments now on time.
Cllr Charles Adje,
Cabinet Member for Strategic Regeneration, outlined the headline
areas of his portfolio including regeneration in Tottenham and Wood
Green and the approach to employment and skills and the approach to
accommodation strategy. Particular priorities included the progress
of the High Road West project, determining the future approach to
Northumberland Park following the cancellation of the HDV, the
future of the High Road in Wood Green and Town Centre management in
Tottenham. It would also be necessary to look at options for the
Council’s accommodation in Wood Green, specifically River
Park House, Alexandra House and Wood Green Library as the Council
is struggling for space and has maintenance issues.
Due to a lack of time, it was agreed that Cllr
Adje should be invited back to the next
meeting of the Panel in November for a full Q&A session. It was
also agreed that a written question from Cllr Hare regarding data
on employment sites should be submitted to Helen Fisher for a
response. (ACTION: Dominic O’Brien/ Helen
Fisher)