Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Kamal Kaur with Councillor Tony Burles substituting.

Councillor Tony Burles declared a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 5 as he was on the Management Board of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Hillingdon. Councillor Burles remained in the room but did not participate in the discussion on this item.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting dated 18 July 2024 be approved as an accurate record.

It was confirmed that all items of business were in Part I and would be considered in public.

Dan Kennedy, Corporate Director of Central Services and Melissa Blower, Housing Programme Manager, introduced the report on the Select Committee’s ongoing Review of Homelessness and the Customer Journey. Colleagues from the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) were also in attendance to provide information about the services provided by CAB and to answer Members’ questions in relation to this.

Jas Nagra, Citizen’s Advice Service Manager at CAB informed Members that she had been with the service for 12 years. Joanna Smith, Citizen’s Advice Senior Adviser at CAB was also in attendance and mentioned that she had been working as an Adviser for over 20 years and had recently completed a housing advance project funded by Nationwide.

Members heard that Housing Advice currently sat within core services at CAB but a funder was being sought to enable CAB to provide bespoke housing advice.  Ms Smith highlighted the high demand for housing advice and the challenges faced due to limited resources. She praised the Council’s housing officers for their knowledge and ability to manage expectations but also pointed out issues with communication and responsiveness.  An example was cited of one particular client who had submitted a housing application. It was reported that the local authority had closed the application because the client had allegedly not responded to an email within the 24 hours allocated to submit additional evidence. It was claimed that the additional evidence had been provided within the deadline. Concerns were raised regarding a lack of cooperation to resolve issues that arose.

Ms Smith shared her experience of submitting complaints to the housing service through the standard local authority complaint procedures; none of which had been successful. She emphasised the need for better cooperation and responsiveness when things went wrong. It was alleged that, the higher CAB went within the LBH complaints process, the less expert and knowledgeable were the responses. The Committee was informed that, if complaints were unresolved at stages 1 and 2, the next step was to contact the Housing Ombudsman, but this was a lengthy process – processing times could reach up to 12 months.

The Corporate Director of Central Services acknowledged the feedback and mentioned the need for a stronger relationship with partners like the Citizens Advice Bureau. He proposed regular meetings to address issues more effectively and improve communication. He also committed to checking on the complaints mentioned by the representatives of CAB.

In response to questions from Councillors regarding the need for a CAB base in Hayes, officers from CAB confirmed that they were in support of this suggestion and would appreciate any assistance in securing a permanent office base at the One Stop Shop in Hayes. 

Members enquired about the primary barriers faced by the Citizens Advice Bureau and how the Council could revise its policies to remove these obstacles. In response to this, the CAB officers outlined the importance of managing expectations as many members of the public were unaware of the reality of the housing crisis. It was recognised that this would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

Richard Webb, Director of Community Safety and Enforcement provided a brief summary of the work of the Community Safety Partnership. He highlighted the following key points:

• The Making Hayes Safer Project aimed to reduce violence in Hayes and supported the Serious Violence Strategy.

• Completion of community safety strategic assessments and development of a new dashboard for monthly crime updates were planned.

• Plans were in place to develop an overarching Community Safety Strategy by the beginning of the next financial year.

• A Community Safety Survey would be launched in the near future to gather residents' and businesses' input on partnership priorities. This information would feed into the Community Safety Strategy.

Chief Inspector Ben Wright of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) presented the police report, covering strategic context and key issues. Key points highlighted included:

• The impact of recent disorder across the UK and the minimal manifestation in Hillingdon was highlighted. It was noted that there had been a knock-on effect for the MPS locally due to the supply of resources to the rest of the United Kingdom and the MPS at large. This had resulted in minimum resourcing in Hillingdon whilst those matters had been ongoing. Members heard that there had also been an after effect whereby people who had been on duty for extended periods of times on operations required rest and recovery periods.

• Challenges relating to prisoner releases and the recidivism rate were highlighted. Statistics for the United Kingdom were 25% recidivism rate i.e. 25% of offenders had been convicted of a crime within a year of being released from prison.

• There were issues with court backlogs which had an impact on victims of serious offences. These backlogs affected the MPS’ ability to prosecute.

• The effect of international conflicts on local community relations was noted. Members heard that the response from community leaders and religious leaders in Hillingdon had been excellent in terms of supporting the Council and the police to work through these issues in a collaborative way; this had borne some fantastic results. The MPS had contributed a considerable number of resources to safeguard the communities affected.

• Immigration-related challenges were noted including crimes relating to the Colnbrook Immigration Centre which significantly impacted MPS resourcing.

• Recruitment challenges at a national and local level and the implementation of a new policing model were highlighted. It was noted that the Commissioner had implemented a New Met for London plan and aimed to drive significant change in the organisation. There had been some successes in terms of recruitment of PCSOs which meant more people out in the communities to improve the information flow. It was hoped that the situation in respect of the recruitment of PCs would continue to improve.

• In terms of local performance, Members were informed that figures for burglary were broadly unchanged year on year. There had been a reduction in theft from / of motor vehicles and homicide rates were down by 75% year on year (from 4 to 1).

• Schemes such as Right Care Right Person  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

Daniel Ferrer, Licensing Team Manager, was in attendance to respond to Members’ questions regarding the draft Statement of Gambling Policy as set out in the agenda pack.

Councillors sought further clarification regarding possible saturation in some areas noting the existence of six gambling establishments within a small area of Hayes. The Select Committee heard that all applications were considered on their individual merits – all the relevant data and the impact on the local area were taken into account. It was noted that the number of complaints received in relation to gambling establishments was low compared to those received regarding alcohol-related premises. It was difficult to refuse an application unless there was concrete evidence of substantial harm.

In response to Members’ queries regarding funfairs and alleged flyposting without permission, it was confirmed that the Head of Service was undertaking a piece of work in relation to this.

Members noted the importance of safeguarding and sought further clarification as to how officers ensured that the Gambling Policy was being adhered to. In response to this, it was confirmed that risk-related inspections were carried out proactively by the enforcement team. Recent visits with the Gambling Commission had also been undertaken.

RESOLVED: That the Residents’ Services Select Committee considered the revisions to the Statement of Gambling Policy and sought further clarification as necessary.

Debby Weller, Head of Housing Strategy and Policy, was in attendance to respond to Members’ requests for clarification regarding the Housing Allocation Policy Consultation Draft as set out in the agenda pack.

Members enquired whether the figures set out in the chart on page 122 of the agenda pack included migrants temporarily housed in hotels. It was confirmed that responsibility for asylum seekers placed in hotels by the Home Office did not sit with the local authority – the figures in the aforementioned table represented those households considered to be at risk of homelessness.

In relation to overcrowding, Members referenced the proposed changes to the current social housing allocations policy as set out on page 125 of the pack and expressed concern that the proposal would serve to further increase stress on housing stock. It was explained that larger properties were in high demand and short supply; the proposed changes would allow families to bid on smaller properties provided this did not result in statutory or severe overcrowding. The pressure on the three-bed queue was far greater than on the two-bed queue and it was anticipated that this change would help to reduce the pressure on larger properties.

In response to further queries, the Committee was advised that a housing offer would be considered ‘reasonable’ provided that it met the needs of the individual(s) concerned. In the case of domestic abuse victims who chose not to leave a property, Members heard that the local authority would carry out a risk assessment and do everything possible to make the property safe.

Councillors sought further clarification as to how residents’ expectations were being managed. The Head of Housing Strategy and Policy confirmed that part of the rationale behind the proposed changes was to increase residents’ understanding of the situation and the chances of being rehoused. It was anticipated that residents would be able to see more clearly which were the top priority bands. Information would be widely publicised to raise awareness of the current housing situation / waiting lists etc.

Members expressed concern that some residents housed outside the Borough incorrectly assumed that they would be able to move back into the Borough at a future date. Officers explained that those moved out of Borough into a temporary accommodation placement retained their residency with Hillingdon as Hillingdon Council had placed them there. However, those who moved into the private rented sector would be removed from Hillingdon’s housing register. It was agreed that officers would follow this up to ensure residents fully understood the implications of accepting any offer.

The Select Committee noted that the Policy was a lengthy document and a difficult read and sought reassurance that it would lead to an improved experience for residents. It was confirmed that the revised Policy offered genuine change – the new banding system would provide increased clarity and would ensure people were moved more easily through the different types of accommodation.

In response to further questions from the Committee regarding the consultation process, Members  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

RESOLVED: That the Forward Plan be noted.

RESOLVED: That the Work Programme be noted.