Agenda item

Verbal update

The Leader, Cllr Ahmet introduced the Corporate Development Plan for 2024 – 2026 and ran through the achievements of the council so far.  Information that was highlighted is included below.

·         A translation policy has been introduced and will be bedded down into corporate culture over the next year. Several initiatives were to be trialed next year including a Participatory Budgeting Pilot, a Community Assembly, and a Youth Council.

·         It was mentioned that in response to the Climate Emergency, engagement work had started on the Climate Partnership and Forum.  This is the basis for a Climate Action Plan to be co- produced with residents. More school streets are also planned for next year and 400 more EV point locations by 2026.

·         The senior management team are working on a 10-year vision for the borough and are involving stakeholders in this.

·         The Homes for the Future Board chaired by Andy Donald are driving improvements and standards in housing. Consequently, the housing repairs complaints backlog is down and resident satisfaction with repairs is up. SLT is now focusing on reducing voids and housing disrepair legal cases. It was emphasised that Housing and Housing Repair had been a major priority for the last two years after Homes for Haringey had been brought back in-house. It was pointed out that the council had self-referred to the regulator and not shied away from doing what was necessary to get Housing up to standard. Timely progress has been made and work is still being done to get the service up to the level that residents expect. In the design and quality of builds, a new focus has been made on family sized and intermediate income housing. And the placemaking aspect of building was emphasised as key to creating great communities.

·         It was also noted that the borough had also built up a new Culture Team, which has led to Haringey being named the Borough of Culture in 2027. The library strategy has also been co-produced with residents and Cllr Arkell was now leading on its implementation.

·         Meetings were being held on a regular basis with Jewish and Muslim community groups in the area to reduce hate crime and increase safety following the events of Oct 7th. Also, Community Safety and Hate Crime strategies have been delivered. Other work included the effect of ‘Stop and Search’ and trauma on young people in the area. The council are also building a gambling harm reduction strategy for the borough.

·         Through Haringey Works, 800 residents have been placed in employment so far.

·         It was noted that the budget was a significant challenge with little or no funding expected from the government. The cost of adult and children’s social care had increased and was set to increase further, as had the price and availability of temporary accommodation.

·          It was pointed out that there were issues with clearing up the council’s property portfolio and historic leases.

·         The council will continue to work towards 100% decency in Housing Standards.

·         The insourcing of leisure centers in the borough would also present some challenges.

·         It was also mentioned that a recent peer review by the Local Government Association highlighted issues that SLT had since rectified. The long-term vision for the borough is now on track. Ensuring that controls are in place for the Capital portfolio and embedding a culture of performance management and service improvement will continue.

The floor was then open to questions from the committee.

·         In response to questions from Cllr Gunes, the Leader assured the Committee that the delivery of the Corporate Plan was achievable. However, it was noted that there may be some changes around the budget, as funding from central government was not yet known. Chief Executive Andy Donald noted that the worst-case scenario was planned for in all instances. The longer-term vision would inform all priorities in the Corporate Plan and how money is spent.

·         The predictability of wider issues that affected spending was discussed. Cllr White noted that the council could not predict factors such as a decrease in funding or an increase in demand in care provision. The Leader stated that although unpredictable factors exist good planning could be made for these scenarios. It was affirmed that the Corporate Development Plan was realistic and achievable, and if there was need to re prioritise to respond to external factors – then opinion would be sought from many stakeholders.  It was also clarified that although overspends had occurred this year, it was understood as to the reasons why - and this could be addressed. The budget is now being driven by the Corporate Plan.

·         Cllr Connor raised questions about ‘safe havens’ for women and girls experiencing domestic abuse. More information was promised to the Committee from the Chief Executive’s Office, as to these. ACTION 

·         Cllr Connor then asked for clarification on the dates that the new phase of the LTN trials would take place. Information was to be checked and detailed to the Committee by the CEO’s office. ACTION.

·         The Borough of Culture award and its impact on spending was then discussed. It was noted that there was anxiety around this, however SLT had secured this in a clear bid with a lead in time to secure extra resources. The project team was in place, and the council had the expertise to produce the project on time and on budget.

·         Cllr Connor then raised questions about the high legal costs incurred by Housing Repairs.  Assurance was given that this was needed to recover costs – and to build a safer and better service.

·         Cllr Worrell raised a query regarding accountability in the Corporate Development Plan.  The Leader responded that there were lines of accountability and measurements within the Corporate Development Plan. Special emphasis was given to a performance management culture being bedded down in the council. Cllr White then asked whether a performance report had been produced this year. Although this had been promised twice a year – the Committee had not yet received a copy of the most recent report. The CEO’s office promised to investigate this and send a copy as soon as possible. ACTION   

·         Cllr Worrell then asked the Leader and CEO about the specific areas for concern in the future. The Leader responded that aside from the financial challenges – housing and temporary accommodation demands remain the most concerning. Although progress has been made with housing and support had been given from both the Mayor and new government, there are still issues that need to be addressed. Mr. Donald also added that a CQC inspection for Adult Social Care will bring its challenges as the service had not been inspected for 15- 20 years.

·         Discussion then followed about alternative sources of funding for the council. It was noted that the GLA and Mayor’s Office were traditionally a useful source of funding, especially regarding housebuilding, youth and eco projects. The Borough of Culture award was given by City Hall. However, it was emphasised that the generation of income was another area that was considered a priority for the council. It was explained that the new government’s focus is one of growth and that usually comes with resources. However, there may be more emphasis on working with partners to gain funding. There also maybe more focus on preventative projects.

·         Cllr Buxton then enquired about the longer-term plans for the future that the CEO had mentioned. More details were requested. The Leader then clarified that the longer-term plans had grown from a Peer Review led by the GLA. This would set out the vision for the borough over the next 10 years – the Corporate Delivery Plan would sit under this. A special emphasis on levelling up inequalities in the borough has been made. Mr. Donald added that the vision would be going to September Cabinet and November Council for approval and wide-ranging stakeholder engagement was planned.

·         Cllr Buxton then raised the issue of local government funding and how it had been consistently reduced this past decade or so. He enquired whether plans were being made to plan for times of financial stability and ensure that the budget the council received was sustainable. Mr. Donald responded that the vision was the place for this – it would outline the council’s role in a more ambitious way. However, he stated that although there was good progress, there was still a way to go, the focus was more about getting the basics right as a council first. 

·          Questions about co-production were then discussed. Cllr Buxton wanted to know what had been learned from the approach and how the council’s culture had changed. The Leader responded that coproduction was about engaging people who would not normally engage. She also stated that there had definitely been a positive culture change in the organisation – and it had been picked up from the recent Peer Review.  Mr. Donald added that staff understood that a good understanding of the communities had to be achieved first to deliver a good service, and this was part of the culture change.

·         Cllr Buxton then stated that in terms of working together with partners in funding bids and service delivery, how was it being ensured that Haringey residents were being represented in a fair way within the partnership. Mr Donald replied that the current relationships were mature enough to have robust conversations as to the roles and responsibilities within the partnerships. He felt very confident that directors were able to handle this in the way that was right for Haringey.

·         Cllr White then raised the issue of residents feeling less safe across the borough. There is open drug dealing in areas, and a perception that nothing is being done about it. Although there has been work done with council’s ASB and Safer Neighbourhood's Team, a lack of funding in the police and an increase in the external forces pushing people into addition has made things worse. Tottenham being an example of addicts and dealers moving into the area making it an intimidating place to live. Cllr White then asked whether this was on the radar of the Leader. The Leader stated that being councillor herself, this was something she was familiar with. She emphasised that work needed to be done on the partnerships with the Police, and for the council to provide more input into the ways communities work. There was also more work that could be done with preventative measures and projects such as drug and alcohol projects and more. More work on early interventions and working with communities. Mr. Donald added that most early prevention projects had disappeared with austerity. He also stated that Haringey had two intervention services in Finsbury Park and Northumberland Park – however it should only be expected to disrupt drug supply. After extensive lobbying, changes also had been made to how the police defined ‘high harm wards’ - meaning that not only is it being defined by serious violence but also the drug supply that underpins it. This means there are now more resources for Haringey - however the Met are now having problems filling the posts to deal with this. Mr. Donald stated that they were also working with the police to look at the root causes of drug dealing. He said they would have to multiagency approach at a national and Europewide level to deal with stopping the drugs supply.

·         Cllr Worrell then asked how the council was approaching ASB within general needs housing settings. She stated that those with extra needs – such as those exiting the criminal justice system or those who have mental health needs are increasing being placed in a general needs setting where there is not the appropriate support. From her conversations with the police, there had also been a significant increase in neighbourhood disputes across the board. The Leader responded that there are definitely challenges around Tenancy Management. The CEO responded that there needs to be a better ratio between tenants and housing officers, so they are investing in recruiting more people. He emphasised that there needed to be a more in-depth relationship between tenants and housing officers, whereby officers understood each tenant's need and could offer them the right support. Regarding ASB and Mental Health, work needed to be done around how the voluntary sector and community groups can be engaged to help with providing support. The way in which Mental Health issues are dealt with has changed – with more focus on preventative measures. Mr Donald stated that Mental Health Social Workers have been brought back in-house. There are also now Social Work Assistants, who deal with lower-level mental health support issues and will prevent residents reaching crisis point.

·         Cllr Connor raised that for many years the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Board had been looking at ways in which communication between GPs, Council, the Police, and the Mental Health Trust could be better improved. However, this is something that would be helpful to have higher up on the agenda with partners as it has been reprioritised many times. Mr. Donald stated that work was being done within the Borough Partnership meeting which included senior managers from all the partners that Cllr Connor mentioned. However, they had been looking at health issues from a perspective that covered themes that were wider and included other areas of work such as Housing. This was a way to deal with health issues at the intersection with housing. The Partnership had produced workstreams and an action plan on this. The challenge would be resourcing and how to redirect it to produce better outcomes.