Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Housing and Growth Committee held on 24 November 2020 be approved as a correct record.

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Councillor Wardle declared a pecuniary interest in relation to item 11 by virtue of the company with which the lease was looking to be agreed, currently being a client of her employer.

Councillor McGuirk declared a non-pecuniary interest in relation to item 10 by virtue of being an employee of the John Lewis Partnership.

Councillor Houston declared a non-pecuniary interest in relation to item 8 and item 9 by virtue of being a Council appointed member of the Barnet Group Board and by virtue of having a £1 non-recoverable share in Notting Hill Genesis.

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Cllr Kath McGuirk – Self-employed ad small business support.

Members agreed to discuss this item as part of the discussion on the Recovery report.

Cllr Ross Houston – Cladding and appropriateness of insulation materials at Zenith Close.

Councillor Houston introduced his Members items and asked officers to comment on the actions he requested.

The Deputy Chief Executive updated the Committee that major registered providers were working on the cladding issues directly with the MHCLG. The MHCLG was co-ordinating and prioritising the cladding issue across the whole country. The Deputy Chief Executive agreed that it would be sensible to have an update on the Barnet Homes programme, to confirm no inappropriate materials were being used within the council’s schemes. Cladding reports are published on the website, which would be shared with the committee and any issues for discussion could be brought back to a future meeting.

Members asked that landlords be informed that the Council did not want any discontinued material to be used. Officers agreed to work with MHCLG to ensure any cases raised, around suspected inappropriate materials being used, were dealt with appropriately.

Members also agreed to meet with residents to discuss the matter, ensuring that residents understood that the Council was working with MHCLG to resolve cladding issues.

Cllr Paul Edwards – Homelessness and evictions – follow-up.

Members agreed to discuss this item as part of the discussion on the Recovery report.

Cllr Sara Conway – Review of boiler and general maintenance in Barnet Homes properties.

Councillor Conway introduced her Members item and stressed the seriousness of the living conditions of some residents living without heating for long periods of time.

Officers advised that a programme of work had been started, to review the boiler and maintenance in Barnet Homes properties and agreed to take forward all the actions outlined within the member’s item.

The Chairman introduced the Asset Acquisition Strategy report. The proposed strategy set out how the Council would acquire assets, identify, and manage risks and the overarching governance arrangements that would be deployed to improve the acquisition of assets as outlined in Appendix A to the report.

Following consideration of the item, the Chairman moved to vote on the Officer’s recommendations as outlined in the report.

The votes were recorded as follows:

RESOLVED that the Committee:

-       Approved the Asset Acquisition Strategy as per Appendix A of the report.

The Chairman introduced the report outlining the proposed changes to the Council dwelling rents and service charges including accommodation rents, to take effect from the 1^st April 2021.

Following discussion, the Chairman moved to vote on the Officer’s recommendations as outlined in the report.

The votes were recorded as follows:

:

RESOLVED that the Committee:

-       Noted and commented on the proposed rent increase in line with Government policy for existing council tenants as set out in paragraph 1.5 for social rent dwellings and 1.7 for affordable rent dwellings to take effect from 1 April 2021.

-       Noted and commented on the proposed rent increases for temporary accommodation to the relevant outer London Local Housing Allowance rates as set out in paragraph 1.9 to take effect from 1 April 2021.

-       Noted and commented on the proposed service charges and garage rents as set out in paragraphs 1.11 to take effect from 1 April 2021.

Noted that the proposed rent increase and charges would be submitted to the Policy and Resources Committee as part of the budget proposal paper and then take to Council for approval.

The Chairman introduced the report on the latest Covid-19 recovery plan for the Thriving workstream. The report provided an update to Committee on progress across a number of core themes under the workstream including business support, unemployment, homelessness, housing supply and digital connectivity. 

Councillor McGuirk discussed her Members item on self-employed and small business support. She raised the issue that many businesses had not been able to work or generate income due to the lockdown restrictions, however, were not eligible for furlough arrangements. Councillor McGuirk requested that figures outlining how many people and business had been affected and the types of support available to assist them, be included within the body of the recovery plan report submitted to the next Housing and Growth Committee meeting. Councillor McGuirk also asked for an update on what assistance could be provided to those working in the creative industries, which had been particularly adversely affected by Covid-19.

Officers advised the Committee, that work had been done in collaboration with the FSB to identify sole traders and small businesses seeking grants and offering support. Officers notified the Committee that a significant amount of small business grants had already been distributed out across the borough to 4,800 businesses but acknowledged that there was still more work to be done. Officers also flagged two schemes currently available and advertised on the Council’s webpages; 1) Additional restrictions scheme for small businesses and 2) Self employment income support scheme run by central government. Officers agreed to incorporate an update on this work within the next recovery report.

Councillor Edwards introduced his Members item on homelessness and evictions. Councillor Edwards thanked Barnet Homes for all the work that had done to prevent any evictions taking place since March 2020. He asked for clarification on the reference to targeting recruitment in the care sector within the report and asked that the Council worked to improve the image of the care sector, including increasing training, professionalism, and the rates of pay. Councillor Edwards also asked officers to update the Committee on the situation regarding homeless applications within the private sector and what the impact of the governments ban on bailiff evictions ending on the 21^st February might be.

The Assistant Director of Development and Economy advised that employment opportunities had arisen within the care sector and the Council was working to support and develop individuals currently unemployed, into these roles. The Covid vaccination programme had provided a number of opportunities for individuals to find employment via supporting this campaign, which would also result in permanent and long-term employment.

The Barnet Group Chief Executive advised that there had been a reduction in the amount of homeless applications within the private sector, however the rate was not zero, but a significant decrease. The homeless service was supporting a far higher number of single homeless people than families during this time, which brought different challenges in terms of finding suitable and available accommodation. Following the 21^st February, officers felt there could be difficulties  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Chairman introduced the Brent Cross Cricklewood update report, which provided an update on the progress across the programme since the last committee meeting on the 24^th November 2020, with particular regard to the updated Brent Cross West delivery programme, the acquisition of Brent Cross Retail Park, delivery strategy of the replacement homes for Part 1 of the Whitefield Estate and land assembly strategy.

Members asked officers to review the engagement strategy with residents. Members also requested Ward Councillors automatically be invited to the working group, in addition to the Administration and Opposition leads. Members and officers agreed to further discuss the best way to involve interested parties in the forum, outside of the committee meeting.

Members enquired as to whether the Donoghue site could be moved at the same time as the waste management site. The Brent Cross Programme Director advised that meetings with Donoghue were taking place, and an update would be provided in due course.

Following discussion of the item the Chairman moved to the vote on the officer’s recommendations.

The votes were recorded as follows:

RESOLVED that the Committee:

1)    Noted the updated Brent Cross West programme to reflect the agreed rail possessions with Network Rail and that the station contract with Volker Fitzpatrick has been updated to align with this programme as set out in paragraph 1.7;

2)    Approved the council entering into contract with Network Certification Body (NCB) to undertake the role of Assessment Body (AsBo) to provide assessment with regard to CSM-RA; the services of a Notified Body (NoBo) and Designated Body (DeBo) under the Railways Interoperability Regulations for GRIP 5-6 of the Brent Cross West Station project (paragraph 1.8);

3)    Delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive to procure in accordance with all lawful requirements, including the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended or as appropriate replaced) and the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules the necessary resources to maintain the BX programme and manage the Brent Cross South Retail Park and extend the existing contracts in place as required in accordance with the Council’s procurement rules on the contract as set out in paragraph 1.16 and 1.53 of this report.

4)    Noted that the legal documentation for the student accommodation block on plot 25 as set out in this report is being progressed with a target date end of January and delegated authority to the Director of Finance in consultation with the Chairman of the Committee to finalise legal agreements and to authorise that the Council enters into contract with BXT JVLP and Vita in relation to plot 25 and completes any other related contractual documentation including agreements relating to Station; the form of lease and development matters; and change of use of the ground floor and, a side letter relating to the operation of particular clauses in the project agreement and approval of the forms of documents restricting competing development on neighbouring sites, and relating to failure to satisfy the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

The Chairman introduced the report which update the committee on the Passenger Transport Service (PTS) leases for the PTS office and minibus parking, which expires on the 28h February 2021. The report request approval for renewing both the office and the minibus parking leases.

Following discussion, Members agreed that the current cost of the rent for the office and minibus parking spaces was at an unacceptably high rate and that the Council should only enter into this agreement if there were a break clause at 12 months, rather than the current proposal of 24 months. This would allow officers an opportunity to investigate alternative options for parking, which during the pandemic had not been possible.

Members moved to amend the recommendation, which was unanimously agreed as follows:

That the Committee approve the renewal of the Passenger Transport Service (PTS) office and minibus parking leases for 1 year only from 1^st March 2021 to 28^th February 2022, for an annual rent of £98,166 plus VAT for the office, and £495,000 plus VAT for the minibus parking spaces. The lease would be reviewed after the 12-month period and is subject to Stamp Duty and Land Tax at £4,329 and reasonable legal fees.

The Chairman moved to vote on the recommendation, as amended.

The votes were recorded as follows:

*Cllr Wardle did not vote on this item – due to her pecuniary interest outlined earlier in the meeting.

RESOLVED that the Committee:

Approved the renewal of the Passenger Transport Service (PTS) office and minibus parking leases for 1 year only from 1^st March 2021 to 28^th February 2022, for an annual rent of £98,166 plus VAT for the office, and £495,000 plus VAT for the minibus parking spaces. The lease would be reviewed after the 12-month period and is subject to Stamp Duty and Land Tax at £4,329 and reasonable legal fees.

The Chairman introduced the referral report from Children, Education and Safeguarding Committee on the Housing needs of Care Leavers. 

Following discussion, the Chairman then moved to vote on the recommendations as outlined in the report.

The Committee unanimously agreed the recommendations.

RESOLVED that the Committee:

1)    Recognised the importance of effectively meeting care leavers’ housing needs, as set out in the report at Appendix 1.

2) Agreed to the following work being undertaken:

a. A review of the Care Leaver Housing Protocol, including reviewing the target of providing long-term housing for 4 new care leavers per month.

b. A review of existing and known pipeline local affordable housing stock, and to explore other options such as shared accommodation in larger properties to ensure more long-term tenancies can be secured by care leavers, reflecting growth in this cohort.

c. The Barnet Group be invited to collaborate with council officers, including Family Services, to identify the most effective route to purchase approximately 30 units for use by care leavers, if possible, within existing programmes.

d. To ensure that the Infrastructure Delivery Plan to be considered by [Policy and Resources] Committee in due course reflects the need to deliver further properties to meet future forecast need.

e. A review of the banding options for care leavers.

f. To ensure when sourcing additional temporary accommodation, that accommodation that is suitable for care leavers is included and explore the acquisition of new provision that specifically meets the needs of increased numbers of care leavers.

g. A review of the booking policy for transitional / TA accommodation for care leavers, with a view to moving away from the nightly booking arrangement to enable stability within ring-fenced units.

2)    Noted that on completion of the activities outlined in recommendation 2), recommendations that cannot be implemented within existing officer delegations be reported to a future Committee for decision.

The Chairman introduced the post decision scrutiny report for the rent relief policy DPR. In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Urgency Committee on the 27^th April 2020 provided delegation to Chief Officers (in consultation with the relevant Committee Chairmen) to take decisions on business-critical matters normally reserved to theme committees. The Committee resolved that any and all such decisions taken, shall be reported back to the relevant committee for post-decision scrutiny.

Following discussion of the item the Chairman moved to the vote on the officer’s recommendations.

The votes were recorded as follows:

 RESOLVED that the Committee:

Noted the decision taken by Chief Officers via delegated powers in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic or related matters.

The Committee noted the Forward Work Programme.

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