CAB 051/090 - Committee and Member Services

Committee:
Date:
Classification:
Report No:
Cabinet
7th October 2009
Unrestricted
CAB 051/090
Agenda
Item:
Report of:
Title:
Corporate Director: Aman Dalvi,
Development & Renewal
An Overcrowding Reduction Strategy for the
London Borough of Tower Hamlets (2009-12).
Originating officer(s) Faisal Butt,
Housing Policy Officer.
Wards Affected: All
1.
SUMMARY
1.1
Tower Hamlets Council, with partner organisations, intends to deliver a
structured and sustained reduction in overcrowding in line with the
overarching objectives set out in the 2009/12 Housing Strategy, the
Child Poverty Strategy and the Council’s Community Plan. The aims in
the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy will build upon existing initiatives
and develop and implement new ones that will help deliver an overall
target of improving the quality of life for 500 households currently
suffering from overcrowding by alleviating them from living in
overcrowded conditions by 2012.
1.2
This report seeks agreement to implement the Overcrowding Reduction
Strategy 2009-12 and associated Action Plan. The strategy has been
subject to wide ranging consultation which has informed the final
proposed strategy.
2.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Cabinet is recommended to:-
2.1
Approve the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy for Tower Hamlets 200912 (shown as Appendix 1) and associated Action Plan (shown as
Appendix A to the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy (Appendix 1)).
2.2
Note that implementation of some aspects of the Action Plan will be
subject to availability of funding and further appraisal, which will be the
subject of Cabinet reports in due course. (Paragraph 5.9 refers)
2.3
Agree to receive further associated updates on the Overcrowding
Reduction Strategy through updates presented in the Housing Strategy
Delivery reports.
1
3.
BACKGROUND
3.1
In December 2007 the Government outlined its strategy to tackle
overcrowding. The CLG published an action plan and announced
funding of £15 million over 3 years to tackle overcrowding. This gave a
new focus to the problem of overcrowding and called for a substantial
reduction in the number of households who are living in overcrowded
conditions. The CLG gave each London Borough (including Tower
Hamlets) a ‘Pathfinder’ status and funding to develop further housing
options and advice services targeted at overcrowded households.
3.2
Tower Hamlets Council has made steady progress since then and has
now developed an Overcrowding Reduction Strategy to ensure that a
co-ordinated approach to reduce overcrowding is adopted across the
borough. In tandem with this, the Mayor of London has announced in
his draft new London Housing Strategy a pledge to halve severe
overcrowding in London’s social housing sector by 2016.
3.3
The Council made a commitment in its Housing Strategy adopted by
Cabinet in May 2009 to develop and implement an Overcrowding
Reduction Strategy drawing on previous successful approaches and
initiatives whilst piloting some new ones.
4.
EXTENT OF OVERCROWDING IN TOWER HAMLETS
4.1
A measure of overcrowding is the ‘bedroom standard’ as defined by the
CLG.
A
broad
assessment
of
‘under occupation’
and
‘over occupation’ was conducted based on a detailed analysis of the
family composition data as part of Tower Hamlets 2009 Strategic
Housing Market Assessment based on the ‘bedroom standard’. The
number of bedrooms required in each household was established
allowing for age and gender of occupants as defined by the ‘bedroom
standard’. In the case of over occupation any dwelling without
sufficient bedrooms to meet that requirement has been categorised as
over occupied. In the case of under occupation, any dwelling with
more than one ‘spare’ bedroom above requirement has been
categorised as under occupied.
4.2
The overall over occupation level in the Borough is 16.4%, or 15,752
implied households. Further analysis revealed that the majority of the
overcrowding is in BME households.
4.3
Social rented stock has the highest levels of overcrowding, 26.6% of
the Tower Hamlets Homes stock and 19.0% of the RSL rented stock,
around 8,500 overcrowded homes in total.
4.4
Table 1 below shows the assessment of under/over occupation by
tenure revealed some disparity between tenure types as indicated at
below.
2
Table 1: Overcrowding and Under-occupation in Tower Hamlets by Tenure
4.5
By the far, the largest amount of overcrowding occurs in the socially
rented tenure. Whilst Tower Hamlets has made some progress in
reducing overcrowding within its existing stock, the number of families
on the waiting list remains daunting. In total, more than 11,000
households (as evidenced below) are registered for two, three, four or
five-bedroom plus properties. While some of those will be households
placed in suitably-sized temporary accommodation, a significant
proportion of the remainder are currently living in overcrowded
conditions.
Tower Hamlets Housing Demand (15 June 2009)
Bedrooms
Needed
1
2
3
4
5+
Total Demand
CG1
CG2
CG3
CG4
Total
911
426
160
53
20
1,570
661
768
903
331
78
2,741
7,679
2,929
3,231
994
133
14,966
2,293
572
383
87
12
3,347
11,544
4,695
4,677
1,465
243
22,624
Note: CG denotes Community Group category as referenced above
3
Homes Let (Between 1 April 2008 – 31 March 2009)
Bedroom Size
0
1
2
3
4
5+
Total Lets
CG1
3
137
65
48
26
2
281
CG2
22
432
500
201
21
5
1,181
CG3
143
241
166
97
14
5
666
CG4
2
10
2
0
0
0
14
Total
170
820
733
346
61
12
2,142
Source: Tower Hamlet Homes
4.6
In June 2009 the waiting list stood at 22,624 households. The need
was greatest (over 11,500) amongst households seeking a home with
one bedroom. In addition, over 1,708 households needed a home with
four bedrooms or more.
4.7
Furthermore there were 6,385 applicants on the housing register
seeking 3 bed plus family sized accommodation. In 2008/09 419 lets
were made for 3 bed plus accommodation. This only addressed 6
percent of the need with supply clearly not meeting the demand.
4.8
Specifically looking at overcrowded households, 7,648 households on
the housing register lack 1 bedroom (overcrowded) and 1,798 lack 2
bedrooms or more (severely overcrowded). This means that around 41
percent of households on the housing register currently live in
overcrowded households.
4.9
There are around 10,720 households on the housing register requiring
2 bed plus sized properties, and by implication therefore are
households with children as you would require only one bedroom for
the parents and any additional bedrooms for children. Of these, 4,950
households lack 1 bedroom or more. This would imply that 46 percent
of families on the housing register are living with children in
overcrowded conditions.
4.10
Table 2 shows the ratio of waiting list demand to supply. It shows the
number of years it would take for the waiting list for individual property
sizes to be met through the turnover of the existing stock. This also
makes the extreme assumption that there was no future need other
than the current backlog, which clearly will not be the case.
4
Table 2: Social Stock, Waiting List Need and Social Turnover
4.11
5.
Table 2 shows that in Tower Hamlets, even if no new need arose, it
would take:
• Almost 12 years to meet the requirements for 1 bed properties.
• Over 6 years to address the 2 bedroom requirement, the best
supply ratio.
• Almost 14 years to address the 3 bedroom family unit
requirement.
• 24 years to meet the need for 4 bedroom family units.
• Over 20 years to meet the need for 5 or more bedroom larger
family units.
AN OVERCROWDING REDUCTION STRATEGY FOR TOWER
HAMLETS
5.1
We have invested in pilots to determine how we might best support not
just overcrowded families but also under-occupiers in order to make
best use of stock. We are now expanding this approach and are
seeking agreement to employ an Officer, to help co-ordinate Tower
Hamlets approach to tackling and preventing overcrowding and to
improve the quality of life of all residents living in the borough.
5.2
An Overcrowding Reduction Strategy is presented before Cabinet with
a SMART action plan based on initiatives listed in Appendix 1 of this
report. The initiatives are underpinned by three objectives which fall
into strands taken from the Community Plan, Housing Strategy,
Homelessness and Child Poverty Strategy.
The three aims of the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy are to:
• Reduce overcrowding in existing housing stock and put in place
preventative measures to reduce future overcrowding.
• Increase the overall supply of housing for local people including
a range of affordable, family housing and;
5
•
Prevent overcrowding and homelessness by providing access to
the right housing options at the right time.
5.3
The aims in the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy will build upon
existing initiatives and develop and implement new ones that will help
deliver an overall target of improving the quality of life for 500
households currently suffering from overcrowding by alleviating them
from living in overcrowded conditions by 2012.
5.4
The first aim looks to ‘reduce overcrowding in existing housing stock
and putting in place preventative measures to reduce future
overcrowding’. This will be achieved by a package of support and
incentives which can be found in Chapter 5 of the strategy in Appendix
1. Existing initiatives include;
Cash Incentive Scheme 1: Social mobility to the owner
occupied sector for social housing tenants.
Cash Incentive Scheme 2: Getting under-occupiers to
downsize to smaller accommodation.
Cash Incentive Scheme 3: Making the private rented sector a
viable alternative tenure of choice through the Rent Deposit
Scheme.
Knockthroughs – knocking through 2 smaller properties into 1
larger one.
Lettings Policy – Sons & daughters priority *based on the
current Lettings Policy (which is under review).
5.5
In addition to this the council has proposed a number of additional
proposals to supplement existing initiatives to further reduce
overcrowding. These include;
Reviewing the sub-regional nominations agreement to
maximise housing for local residents.
Reviewing the Council’s Lettings Policy and looking into the
feasibility of equalising priority between homeless and
overcrowded households. The 29 July Cabinet has authorised
proposals to be put to public consultation.
Improve living conditions for overcrowded households
currently waiting to be re-housed through additional facilities
such as extra wash hand basins, WC, cupboard conversions
etc.
Better RSL partnership working to work collectively to reduce
overcrowding across all social housing stock.
Improve overcrowding in the private sector through assisted
loans/equity release, enforcement and action.
5.6
The second aim looks to ‘increase the overall supply of housing for local
people including a range of affordable, family housing’. This will be
achieved by a package of funding and incentives for which further
details on each can be found in Chapter 6 of the strategy in Appendix 1.
Initiatives include;
6
Piloting the Local Homes Initiative – By carrying out an initial
pilot to build 61 units of family sized housing with a preferred
development partner on small plots of council land. This will
increase as more sites are identified.
Building New Council Housing – the council is currently in the
early stages of developing a plan to start its own house building
programme to build 17 units, housing 86 persons over 5 sites on
3 LBTH estates. This pilot scheme is subject to the council
securing funding from the HCA first.
Buying back ex-council 3 bed plus Right to Buys properties –
around 100* planned (*subject to review) as the council has first
refusal on re-sales.
Increase housing supply through New Build by 9,000+ units by
2012 of which 5,064 will be affordable and 1,400 will be family
sized social housing *Targets subject to re-negotiation with the
GLA, and GOL.
Putting in place a detailed plan to tackle Under-occupation
through incentivisation and a package of support thus increasing
our social stock.
Promoting Low Cost Home Ownership products to
overcrowded households.
Re-housing 19 Gypsy & Traveller families and looking into the
feasibility of providing additional pitches on a new site.
5.7
The third aim looks to ‘prevent overcrowding and homelessness by
providing access to the right housing options at the right time’. This will
be achieved by a package of support and incentives which can be
found in Chapter 6 of the strategy in Appendix 1. Initiatives include;
Increasing home visits to overcrowded and under occupied
households to discuss housing options and alert residents to
incentives and initiatives to help alleviate overcrowding and
reduce under-occupation.
Reviewing the Council’s Lettings Policy and looking into the
feasibility of equalising priority between homeless and
overcrowded households.
Tackle empty properties by bringing more back into use to let
to people on the waiting list.
Procuring larger sized properties in the private rented sector
through ‘Private Sector Leasing’ to offer severely overcrowded
households some breathing space whilst they bid for properties.
5.8
Through a range of options presented in this strategy it is hoped that
we can tackle the wider social exclusion overcrowding brings. Through
this strategy we hope to reduce inequality and increase the life chances
of residents now and in the future.
5.9
The Overcrowding Reduction Strategy is a detailed document with a
number of associated strands that contribute to the fulfilment of
commitments outlined in the council’s Housing Strategy 2009-12. It is
7
therefore proposed that separate reports covering key elements of
delivery are brought to future Cabinet meetings. It is proposed that
these reports will cover a number of targeted strategic areas such as
the Local Homes Initiative, Building New Council Housing and the
review of the Councils Lettings procedures (which will all be timetabled
separately for Cabinet consideration).
5.10 The strategy itself will be monitored six monthly against a SMART
action plan and annual progress on the Overcrowding Reduction
Strategy will be provided to Cabinet via the Housing Strategy Delivery
Reports.
6.
COMMENTS OF THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
6.1
This report seeks agreement to implement the Council’s Overcrowding
Reduction Strategy 2009-12 and the associated action plan, and
follows on from the Housing Strategy 2009-2012 report which was
approved by Cabinet in May 2009. It sets out a number of proposals
which will form the basis of targeted action plans for the Council
working with its key partners.
6.2
As stated in the previous report, the approved Housing Strategy
document underpins key decisions that will be taken in relation to the
allocation of resources in respect of both private and public sector
housing within the Borough, and will have significant financial
implications in respect of capital investment, priority areas financed
from the Council’s General Fund and landlord priorities financed
through the Housing Revenue Account. As previous reports have
indicated, both of these budgets are projected to have funding deficits
over the next few years and this will inevitably affect the pace at which
progress can be made towards delivering this strategy.
6.3
This report outlines the overcrowding concerns that are inherent within
the Borough and proposes various initiatives to address the issues.
Each of these must be seen in the context of limited resources being
available and where appropriate will be subject to further Cabinet
decision where detailed scheme specific financial implications will be
considered.
6.4
Chapter 5 of the Strategy attached at Appendix A proposes initiatives
for reducing overcrowding in existing housing stock. These initiatives
are already either being financed through the Capital Programme
(Cash Incentive Scheme, Knockthroughs, and Improved Living
Conditions) or, as is the case with the review and development of
existing policies, will be contained within existing revenue budgets.
6.5
Chapter 6 of the Strategy outlines initiatives for ‘increasing the overall
supply of housing for local people including a range of affordable,
family housing’ and Chapter 7 looks at ‘preventing overcrowding and
homelessness by providing access to the right housing options at the
right time’.
8
6.6
In respect of the specific initiatives detailed in Chapter 6, the Buying
Back of Ex-Council Homes scheme is already in place, with a capital
estimate of £19.4 million being adopted by cabinet in May 2009. Other
proposals that are still being developed, but that will be subject to
availability of funding, detailed financial appraisal and Cabinet approval
as the schemes are progressed are listed below. Some of these
initiatives will be delivered in partnership with third parties such as
Registered Social Landlords and may be eligible for grant funding.
- Local Homes Initiative
- Building Council Housing
- New Build Development Programme
- Under-occupation plan
- Low Cost Home Ownership
- Gyps y & Travellers
6.7
Again, the main inputs of the Authority into the review or development
of existing policies will be staffing resources and will be met from within
existing resources. It must be noted however that any policy changes
will be verified by Cabinet and at that stage any detailed financial
implications arising from the introduction of, or amendment to a policy
must be assessed.
7.
CONCURRENT REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT CHIEF EXECUTIVE
(LEGAL)
7.1
The report seeks Cabinet’s approval of the Overcrowding Reduction
Strategy set out in Appendix 1.
7.2
The Council has functions in relation to combating overcrowding, both
in respect of properties in respect of which it is the landlord (Housing
Act 1985) and in respect of private sector properties (Housing Act 1985
and Housing Act 2004).
7.3
The Council is also empowered under section 2 of the Local
Government Act 2000 to do anything which it considers is likely to
promote the social, economic or environmental well being of Tower
Hamlets, provided the action is not otherwise prohibited by statute.
The power may be exercised in relation to, or for the benefit of: (a) the
whole or any part of Tower Hamlets; or (b) all or any persons resident
in Tower Hamlets. In exercising the power, regard must be had to the
sustainable community strategy (the Community Plan).
7.4
The Tower Hamlets Community Plan clearly identifies the need to
continue to combat overcrowding under the theme of A Great Place to
Live. The Community Plan sets priorities designed to impact upon
overcrowding that are reflected in the proposed Overcrowding
Reduction Strategy. The report addresses in detail below (under the
heading One Tower Hamlets) how adoption of the Strategy will further
the goals in the Community Plan.
9
7.5
Having regard to the Council’s functions outlined above and the
contents of the Community Plan, it is consistent with good
administration for the Council to adopt an overcrowding reduction
strategy.
7.6
There are several measures in the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy
that involve expenditure, some existing and some proposed. In each
instance the Council will need to ensure that it complies with its duty as
a best value authority within the meaning of the Local Government Act
1999 to secure continuous improvement in the way its functions are
exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and
effectiveness.
7.7
Subject to the question of value, the measures contained in the
Strategy are capable of being carried out according to law and it will be
for officers to ensure that this is done. The report specifies in
paragraph 5.9 that reports covering key elements of delivery will be
brought forward to future Cabinet meetings. Detailed legal advice will
be provided at that time.
8.
ONE TOWER HAMLETS CONSIDERATIONS
8.1
The commitments set out in the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy will
help deliver real and lasting change on reducing inequalities. The
delivery of more affordable homes will help give households, including
those from black, Asian, or other minority ethnic backgrounds, on low
incomes (many of whom are benefit dependent) a secure home. This
has the potential to create an environment for household members –
particularly children – to improve their educational attainment which will
in turn help them access sustainable employment in the future. The
delivery of more housing that is wheelchair accessible and meets
lifetime homes standards will help reduce inequalities. An equalities
impact assessment of the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy has been
undertaken and will help ensure that it impacts positively on groups
who have historically suffered from particularly poor housing conditions
(see Appendix 2).
8.2
The tenure of housing developed can potentially impact on community
cohesion. The amount of private housing developed for sale and
private rent has been particularly high in Tower Hamlets. However, the
majority of this housing is unaffordable to local people due to high
house prices. Therefore, maximising the amount of affordable housing
for both rent and intermediate (e.g., shared ownership) can contribute
to community cohesion. This can be achieved by reducing the number
of households on the Common Housing Register waiting for a home,
whilst also giving an opportunity for local applicants to access low cost
home ownership opportunities The delivery of the decent homes
programme, within the Council’s own stock will also contribute to the
cohesion agenda, by providing a safe, comfortable and secure
environment for people to live in
10
8.3
9.
9.1
10.
10.1
The Borough’s Community Plan and the work of the Tower Hamlets
Partnership have been reflected in the 2009/12 Overcrowding
Reduction Strategy. Delivery of the strategy commitments set out in the
document has the potential to make a significant contribution to the
‘Great Place to Live’ strand of the Community Plan. The housing
agenda directly and indirectly makes a significant contribution to core
Local Area Agreement targets, such as decent homes and new
affordable homes delivery. Housing also makes a wider contribution to
Community Plan objectives, such as on increasing household
recycling; increasing educational attainment; reducing crime; and,
increasing skills and training opportunities. Adoption and
implementation of the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy has a good
‘strategic fit’ with the Community Plan and will help Tower Hamlets
deliver both the housing and sustainable communities priorities that are
identified in both documents.
SUSTAINABLE ACTION FOR A GREENER ENVIRONMENT
The Overcrowding Reduction Strategy sits as a sub-strategy to the
Housing Strategy which makes reference to the contribution that
housing makes to climate change and the need for carbon emission
reductions from existing housing across all tenures, and new housing
that will make a significantly reduced contribution in the future, with the
objective of zero carbon housing by 2016.
RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
Primary risks to the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy relate to finance
and delivery issues. The impact of the ‘credit crunch’ continues to
cause downward pressure on the availability of mortgage finance for
both developers and homebuyers, with little short-term prospect of the
situation changing. This in effect will also have an impact on the
deliverability of new supply. The Council will mitigate this risk by
finalizing its Local Investment Plan (LIP). This will be developed by
working closely with key partners and funding agents such as the HCA
to drive through large strategic projects which are aiming to deliver a
significant new supply of affordable housing on identified key strategic
sites.
10.2 The ‘Right to Buy’ buy-back programme is to a degree reliant on
housing market conditions. If house prices rise, then the Council will
have to reduce its delivery target. The Council will look to mitigate this
risk by close project management essentially focused around progress.
The Council will also look to regularly review the programme and have
a clear marketing and negotiating parameters procedure in place to
maximize the number of units it can obtain within the budget identified.
10.3 Helping overcrowded households living in social housing through a new
Lettings Policy could be limited by the potential newly-arising demand
coming from tenants decanted from regeneration schemes. A careful
11
balance will have to be adopted in the Lettings Policy review to mitigate
this risk and this will be monitored through an annual lettings plan.
11.
EFFICIENCY STATEMENT
11.1 The Overcrowding Reduction Strategy seeks to achieve greater
efficiency in a number of ways. The Strategy seeks to build on the
Council’s record as a market leader in the development of new
affordable housing. Developing new affordable housing, particularly
social rented housing, helps reduce dependence on temporary
accommodation which is often expensive for the Council to use and not
satisfactory for the households concerned.
11.2 The Strategy is seeking to make all social landlords raise their
standards of service delivery and the quality of their homes.
11.3 The Strategy is also seeking that public sector land, whether vacant or
with housing currently developed, be asset managed effectively. Major
strategic projects have been identified, most of which involve sites that
Tower Hamlets has a major land interest in: by releasing these sites for
development, Tower Hamlets will be helping to bring forward a
significant amount of additional affordable housing in the Borough. It is
also proposed that a panel of preferred RSLs be established in order to
reduce the number of developing housing associations in the borough
and the consequent proliferation of housing management organisations
that usually accompanies this process.
11.4 All proposals under this strategy will need to demonstrate value for
money in delivery and outcomes.
12.
Equalities
12.1
An Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out on this strategy
(Attached as Appendix 2).
_____________________________________________________________________
Local Government Act, 1972 Section 100D (As amended)
List of “Background Papers” used in the preparation of this report
Brief description of “back ground papers”
Name and telephone number of holder and address
where open to inspection.
Housing Strategies File
John Coker – 0207 364 3782
LBTH, Development and Renewal Directorate, Anchorage
House, 5 Clove Crescent, London E14
Strategic Housing Market Assessment for Tower
Hamlets 2009
Faisal Butt – 0207 364 6149
LBTH, Development and Renewal Directorate, Anchorage
House, 5 Clove Crescent, London E14
12
13.
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: London Borough of Tower Hamlets Overcrowding
Reduction Strategy
13
14
APPENDIX 1
London Borough of Tower
Hamlets
Overcrowding Reduction
Strategy
2009 - 2012
1
Accessibility
This document sets out the council’s plans for tackling and
preventing Overcrowding in Tower Hamlets over the next three
years. A summary of the main points is available on request. If you
need a translation of the summary in your language please contact
the Strategic Housing Team by telephoning 020 7364 6250. If you
need the strategy in a large print, tape or Braille version, please
contact us by telephoning 020 7364 6250 or email us at
housing@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Bengali
Somali
Equality Impact Assessment
An Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out on this strategy.
2
FOREWORD
As Lead Member for Housing I
welcome the first Overcrowding
Reduction Strategy for Tower
Hamlets. This is an important
document that sets out how the
Council wishes to tackle and prevent
overcrowding in Tower Hamlets. It
explores the causes of overcrowding,
the challenges we face, and our longterm strategic aims and priorities for
tackling overcrowding over the
next three years.
The housing agenda in Tower
Hamlets already has many positive
aspects, but we need to achieve
more, we must meet our housing
need, and we need to ensure that
we create places where people
want to live and work, striving to
achieve the vision of One Tower
Hamlets and the Community Plan.
I am confident that through this
strategy, we will improve the
quality of life for households
No housing problem in Tower Hamlets currently suffering from
overcrowded housing conditions
is as acute as that of household
within the borough.
overcrowding. Historically, the East
End was often associated with
A Housing Strategy Delivery Board
overcrowded as well as squalid
will be started to ensure delivery of
housing conditions. The post-War
the strategy. This will be the first
council housing boom and migration
step in ensuring positive change in
into the suburbs meant that
housing for residents and
overcrowding was much reduced in
the years up until 1979. However, the stakeholders.
arrival of new communities and the
I am looking forward to working
squeeze on building new council
with you to help achieve that
homes in the 1980s and 1990s
change.
resulted in increases in overcrowding
back to levels not seen since the
1930s.
Overcrowding impacts on residents’
health, education, employment
opportunity and well being. If we can
get the housing supply and housing
services right, then we can make a
positive impact towards securing a
better and brighter future for our
residents in all aspects of their lives.
Councillor Marc Francis
Lead Member for Housing and
Development
3
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
5
2. Background
6
3. Overcrowding and its impact
9
4. Aims
14
5. Reducing Overcrowding
15
6. Increasing Supply
23
7. Preventing Overcrowding and Homelessness
32
8. Conclusion
36
9. Monitoring and Delivery of the Strategy
37
Appendix A: Action Plan
38
Appendix B: Consultation
44
4
1. Introduction
1.1 The Council continues to face challenges in meeting the huge demand for
affordable housing and attempting to reduce the significant overcrowding that
many in the community experience. Although some progress has been made
in reducing overcrowding, the issue continues to be a major blight on some of
the most vulnerable groups in the community. It is a major constraint on
children and young adults who are learning at school and college but have
little or no space at home to study. Ensuring a supply of affordable, family
housing is a key priority. The Tower Hamlets Partnership aspires for all
children to have a bedroom of their own.
1.2 Tower Hamlets Council with partner organisations intends to deliver a
structured and sustained reduction in overcrowding in line with the overarching objectives set out in the 2009/12 Housing Strategy and the Council’s
Community Plan. The aims in this strategy will build upon existing initiatives
and develop and implement new ones that will help deliver an overall target of
improving the quality of life for 500 households currently suffering from
overcrowded housing conditions within the borough.
1.3 Tower Hamlets has always been at the forefront of preventing and tackling
overcrowding and this received further support during 2007 when the
Government turned its attention to the problem of overcrowding and asked
housing authorities to look at ways to address the problem. In December 2007
the Communities and Local Government Department (CLG) published
“Tackling Overcrowding in England, An Action Plan” in which it identified the
social problems associated with and resulting from overcrowding. The Action
Plan highlighted 5 best practice schemes which addressed the problem, of
which Tower Hamlets enhanced grants programme to under occupying
families was one.
1.4 The Action Plan set out a definition for overcrowding called the ‘Bedroom
Standard’ and asked all Pathfinder authorities (including Tower Hamlets) to
measure overcrowding in their area according to this standard. In Tower
Hamlets there are approximately 1,800 households on the Common Housing
Register who are overcrowded by 2 bedrooms or more and are therefore
classed as severely overcrowded.
5
2. Background
2.1 Overcrowding was already a cause for concern in the public health and
social reforms of the 19th century. By 1891 more than 10 per cent of the
population were living at densities of more than two people to a room.
Families huddled in damp basements consisting of one small room without
drainage and little or no natural light. In these overcrowded conditions cholera
and tuberculosis ran rampant and child mortality was high. The introduction of
overcrowding standards for the first time in 1935 reflected two key concerns:
decency through the separation of the sexes; and provision of adequate
space. These form the basis of the current overcrowding standard. The
standards are set out in Part 10 of the Housing Act 1985.
2.2 Although the intention of the legislators in 1935 was that the standards
should be regularly updated, they have in practice been carried over
unchanged into the 1985 Act. They are as a result now well out of line with
contemporary expectations. For example a couple with a boy aged 15 years
and a girl aged 13 years in a one-bedroom flat would not be statutorily
overcrowded because the father and son could share one room and the
mother and daughter the sitting room (or even the kitchen). A more modern
definition of overcrowding is used in the Survey of English Housing, known as
the Bedroom Standard. This is based on the ages and composition of the
family. A notional number of bedrooms are allocated to each household in
accordance with its composition by age, sex and marital status and
relationships of family members. A separate bedroom is allocated to each.
This standard is then compared with the number of bedrooms available for the
sole use of the household. Bedrooms converted to other uses are not
included; bedrooms not in use are included unless they are uninhabitable.
Under this standard the family described above would be entitled to three
bedrooms rather than one.
2.3 The Housing Act 1996 and 2004 respectively have given further scope for
identification and direction of how to decide whom is overcrowded. Since then
the government has renewed its focus and recognises living in overcrowded
accommodation can have a devastating effect on families. If a home is
overcrowded it can affect health and educational attainment and can impact
negatively on life chances. The government is committed to addressing
overcrowding and have an Overcrowding Action Plan (2007) which outlines
the Government's strategy for tackling overcrowding. It is intended to support
housing providers develop a range of housing options and advice services to
assist those households worst affected by overcrowding.
2.4 According to the department of Communities and Local Government,
using the bedroom standard to measure overcrowding, it is estimated that
some 500,000+ households are overcrowded, of which 200,000+ are in the
social rented sector (see Table 1). There are particular concentrations of
overcrowding in London. The twelve worst areas for overcrowding in social
housing (which includes Tower Hamlets) are all in London boroughs, whilst in
the private rented sector five of the six most crowded areas are London
boroughs. There are also high rates of overcrowding amongst lone parents
and large households, and in the black and minority ethnic (BME) community.
6
Table 1: National Estimates on Overcrowding by the CLG using the
Bedroom Standard definition.
All tenures
Under
Owner
Occupiers
Occupiers
(SRS)
51,000
207,000
64,000
Social
renters
Private
renters
London
102,000
55,000
North West
20,000
13,000
9,000
28,000
58,000
63,000
19,000
10,000
8,000
17,000
22,000
47,000
44,000
54,000
51,000
11,000
11,000
9,000
7,000
14,000
8,000
34,000
26,000
32,000
38,000
9,000
2,000
5,000
16,000
32,000
South East
West
Midlands
East
Yorkshire
and Humber
South West
East
Midlands
North East
ENGLAND
25,000
22,000
14,000
234,000
14,000
28,000
33,000
126,000
206,000
67,000
66,000
565,000
49,000
73,000
456,000
Source: Department for Communities & Local Government (CLG)
2.5 The government through its publication of its Overcrowding Action Plan
has committed to actively working with local authorities to tackle and reduce
overcrowding. They have invested £15 million over three years to tackle
overcrowding, and awarded pathfinder status to over 54 Local Authorities
including Tower Hamlets to use the resource to take a strategic and proactive
approach to tackling overcrowding.
2.6 Recognising London has the highest cases of households living in
overcrowded conditions, the Mayor of London, in his draft new housing
strategy 2009 has committed to reducing severe overcrowding in social
housing by half by 2016. Overcrowding in London has increased in recent
years. Around 27,000 households in London are now severely overcrowded
(lacking 2 bedrooms or more), of which 11,000 are social renters (draft
Mayors Housing Strategy 2009). Most recently, the greatest increase in
overcrowding has been in the private rented sector, doubling from 28,000
households at the start of the decade to 59,000 in 2006/07 and with around
10,000 household’s now severely overcrowded (draft Mayors Housing
Strategy 2009).
2.7 The impact of overcrowding in London on communities, families and
individuals is huge. Overcrowding in London tends to be concentrated in
particular neighbourhoods, is more likely among minority communities, and is
linked to poorer health and educational outcomes and increases in anti-social
7
behaviour. To address this serious and growing problem, the Mayor has set a
target to reduce overcrowding in his new draft housing strategy. A similar step
is now being taken by Tower Hamlets, which has pledged to help an
additional 500 of its overcrowded households over the next three years.
2.8 Even though overcrowding is a problem prevalent across London; it is
unfortunate that the most severely affected overcrowded household are within
the East London Sub-region. According to the 2001 Census, Tower Hamlets,
Newham, Hackney and Waltham Forest have some of the highest cases of
overcrowding within London. Recognising this, the department for
Communities and Local Government have funded a sub-regional
overcrowding co-ordinator who is employed on a full time basis by the East
London Housing Partnership to focus on engaging partners, stakeholders,
users and boroughs to create tangible actions and outputs in addition to
outcomes for the benefit of a creating a better, more prosperous and
sustainable community within the East London Sub-region to tackle
overcrowding.
2.9 As part of the East London Housing Partnership programme on tackling
overcrowding in the sub-region, they are aiming to achieve the following longterm vision by:
Providing solutions from all East London boroughs to reduce the
overcrowding in East London Sub-region.
To have developed a network of stakeholders, private contacts who
share the vision of tackling overcrowding in a socially cohesive and
financially viable approach.
Tackling overcrowding to such an extent by enabling a seamless
coordinated approach that reduces the current level of overcrowding
and includes all facing social difficulties related to overcrowding.
2.10 Overcrowding in Tower Hamlets is now discussed in more detail in
Chapter 3.
8
3. Overcrowding and its impact in Tower Hamlets
3.1 No housing problem in Tower Hamlets is as acute as that of household
overcrowding.
Historically, the East End was often associated with
overcrowded as well as squalid housing conditions. The post-War council
housing boom and migration into the suburbs meant that overcrowding was
much reduced in the years up until 1979. However, the arrival of new
communities and the squeeze on building new council homes in the 1980s
and 1990s resulted in increases in overcrowding back to levels not seen since
the 1930s.
3.2 The impact of overcrowding is always most acutely felt by young children.
Independent research has shown that the health, education and well-being of
children growing up in overcrowded homes are all markedly lower. For
example, youngsters sharing three or four to a bedroom are much more likely
to suffer from infectious diseases. Their performance in school is affected by
the lack of quiet space to study and having their sleep disrupted by other
siblings at night. The lack of private space is particularly unfair on teenage
girls sharing a bedroom with their brother.
“Living in overcrowded accommodation can, both directly and indirectly, have
a devastating effect on families. Older children may spend more time outside
the home, on the streets, simply to find privacy and space. Overcrowding may
exacerbate stress, depression and in the worst cases domestic violence or
breakdown of relationships.” (Tackling overcrowding in England, An action
plan – CLG Dec 2007).
3.3 Overcrowding is also a key driver of homelessness in the borough,
including statutory homelessness acceptances. With many households
waiting long periods for transfer to appropriate family-sized homes, many
children become adults whilst their families are still on the Housing Register,
some of these household members get married and have children of their
own. This sometimes leads to tensions resulting in an application to the
council as homeless.
3.4 Tower Hamlets is widely-recognised as being at the forefront of innovative
schemes to try to help overcrowded families. However, the Council and its
partners need to work much more closely and effectively and consider radical
actions that will help alleviate this ongoing problem that blights the livelihoods
of so many people.
3.5 Current initiatives in Tower Hamlets have helped ensure that the level of
overcrowding does not get any worse. However, the Council believes it is not
acceptable to leave another generation of young children growing up for years
in overcrowded conditions. The real solution to this crisis is clearly a
significant and sustained increased in the delivery of new family-sized social
rented homes. HM Treasury’s Spending Review announcement in July 2007
of an £8 billion programme of investment in new affordable housing over the
following three years provides some scope to begin to deliver those homes in
the numbers required. And Tower Hamlets’ housing association partners has
already been allocated £37m of HCA grant for social rent schemes from the
9
2008/11 programme and is expecting to receive considerably more given the
borough’s delivery track record.
3.6 However, those homes will take several years to build. In the meantime,
we believe it is right that LB Tower Hamlets utilise every available resource at
its disposal to maximise the number of overcrowded families move into bigger
homes over the next three years. We believe it is possible to help an
additional 500 overcrowded families over and above those who would have
been re-housed otherwise.
Extent of the overcrowding found in Tower Hamlets
3.7 There are two measures available to assess the extent of overcrowding.
These are the occupancy rating measure of overcrowding and the CLG
Bedroom Standard.
3.8 The 2001 Census uses the ‘occupancy rating’ measure of overcrowding.
‘Occupancy rating’ is a measure of under occupancy and overcrowding. A
positive measure refers to the number of rooms in addition to the minimum
requirements. A negative measure refers to the number of rooms short of the
minimum and gives some indication of overcrowding.
3.9 Using the CLG ‘bedroom standard’, overcrowding occurs if there are
insufficient bedrooms in the property, based on the number of residents and
their age / sex / marital status composition. In the case of over occupation,
any dwelling without sufficient bedrooms to meet that requirement has been
categorised as over-occupied. In the case of under occupation, any dwellings
with more than one ‘spare’ bedroom above requirement (i.e. two) has been
categorised as under occupied.
3.10 Utilising the ‘occupancy rating’ measure of overcrowding from the 2001
Census, 29.3% of homes in Tower Hamlets were overcrowded, a high level
when compared to the East London sub-region.
3.11 However a better measure of overcrowding is the ‘bedroom standard’ as
defined by the CLG. A broad assessment of ‘under occupation’ and
‘over occupation’ was conducted based on a detailed analysis of the family
composition data as part of Tower Hamlets 2009 Strategic Housing Market
Assessment based on the ‘bedroom standard’. The number of bedrooms
required in each household was established allowing for age and gender of
occupants as defined by the ‘bedroom standard’. In the case of
over occupation any dwelling without sufficient bedrooms to meet that
requirement has been categorised as over occupied. In the case of
under occupation, any dwelling with more than one ‘spare’ bedroom above
requirement has been categorised as underoccupied.
3.12 The overall over occupation level in the Borough is 16.4%, or 15,752
implied households. Further analysis revealed that the majority of the
overcrowding is in BME households.
10
Social rented stock has the highest levels of overcrowding, 26.6% of the
Tower Hamlets Homes stock and 19.0% of the RSL rented stock, around
8,500 overcrowded homes in total.
3.13 Table 2 below shows the assessment of under/over occupation by tenure
revealed some disparity between tenure types as indicated at below.
Table 2: Overcrowding and Under-occupation in Tower Hamlets by Tenure
Focus on socially rented stock
3.14 By the far, the largest amount of overcrowding occurs in the socially
rented sector. While Tower Hamlets has made significant progress in reducing
overcrowding within its existing stock, the number of families on the waiting
list remains daunting. In total, more than 11,000 households (as evidenced
below) are registered for two, three, four or five-bedroom plus properties.
While some of those will be households placed in suitably-sized temporary
accommodation, a significant proportion of the remainder are currently living
in overcrowded conditions.
Tower Hamlets Housing Demand (15 June 2009)
Bedrooms
CG1
CG2
CG3
CG4
Needed
1
911
661
7,679
2,293
2
426
768
2,929
572
3
160
903
3,231
383
4
53
331
994
87
5+
20
78
133
12
Total Demand
1,570
2,741
14,966
3,347
Note: CG denotes Community Group category as referenced above
11
Total
11,544
4,695
4,677
1,465
243
22,624
Homes Let (Between 1 April 2008 – 31 March 2009)
Bedroom Size
CG1
CG2
CG3
CG4
0
3
22
143
2
1
137
432
241
10
2
65
500
166
2
3
48
201
97
0
4
26
21
14
0
5+
2
5
5
0
Total Lets
281
1,181
666
14
Total
170
820
733
346
61
12
2,142
Source: Tower Hamlet Homes
3.15 In June 2009 the waiting list stood at 22,624 households. The need was
greatest (over 11,500) amongst households seeking a home with one
bedroom. In addition, over 1,708 households needed a home with four
bedrooms or more.
3.16 Furthermore there were 6,385 applicants on the housing register seeking
3 bed plus family sized accommodation. In 2008/09 419 lets were made for 3
bed plus accommodation. This only addressed 6 percent of the need with
supply clearly not meeting the demand.
3.17 Specifically looking at overcrowded households, 7,648 households on
the housing register lack 1 bedroom (overcrowded) and 1,798 lack 2 bedroom
or more (severely overcrowded). This means that around 41 percent of
households on the housing register currently live in overcrowded households.
3.18 There are around 10,720 households on the housing register requiring 2
bed plus sized properties, and by implication therefore are households with
children as you would require only one bedroom for the parents and any
additional bedrooms for children. Of these, 4,950 households lack 1 bedroom
or more. This would imply that 46 percent of families on the housing register
are living with children in overcrowded conditions.
3.19 Table 3 shows the ratio of waiting list demand to supply. It shows the
number of years it would take for the waiting list for individual property sizes to
be met through the turnover of the existing stock. This also makes the
extreme assumption that there was no future need other than the current
backlog, which clearly will not be the case.
12
Table 3: Social Stock, Waiting List Need and Social Turnover
3.20 Table 3 shows that in Tower Hamlets, even if no new need arose, it
would take:
• Almost 12 years to meet the requirements for 1 bed properties.
• Over 6 years to address the 2 bedroom requirement, the best supply
ratio.
• Almost 14 years to address the 3 bedroom family unit requirement.
• 24 years to meet the need for 4 bedroom family units.
• Over 20 years to meet the need for 5 or more bedroom larger family
units.
13
4.
Aims
4.1 This strategy has three broad aims, which will be underpinned by
objectives in a SMART action plan that can be found in Appendix A of this
Strategy. The three strategic aims bring together existing and new initiatives
with real outcomes in terms of the reducing and preventing overcrowding in
the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
4.2 The three strategic aims for tackling and reducing overcrowding are;
•
Reduce overcrowding in existing housing stock, and put in place
preventative measures to reduce future overcrowding.
•
Increase the overall supply of housing for local people including a
range of affordable, family housing.
•
Prevent overcrowding and homelessness by providing access to the
right housing options at the right time
4.3 This will build on existing initiatives and develop and implement new ones
that will help deliver an overall target of improving the quality of life for 500
households currently suffering from overcrowded housing conditions.
14
5. Reduce overcrowding in existing housing stock and putting
in place preventative measures to reduce future
overcrowding.
5.1 Overcrowding continues to be a significant issue for tenants on the
council’s housing register, both for families seeking to be re-housed by the
council and for those already living in council accommodation. The council is
committed to tackling overcrowding and this is central to the council improving
the quality of life for tenants and residents of the borough. Unfortunately
demand for council housing now clearly outstrips supply with over 22,000
applicants on the housing register and around 2,000 new lets being made
every year.
5.2 To help reduce overcrowding in existing council housing stock, the council
has adopted a range of initiatives to encourage tenants to release properties
to other applicants on the housing register through a range of initiatives.
These are discussed in more detail below.
Cash Incentive Schemes 1: To encourage under-occupiers to move into
the owner occupied sector where possible.
5.3 ‘Cash Incentive Scheme 1’ awards grants to encourage social renting
under-occupiers to move into the owner-occupied sector where possible. As
shown in Figure 1, grants of between £16,000 to £43,000 are offered to help
tenants access the owner-occupied market. Between 2008/09 Tower Hamlet
Homes were able to assist 13 secure tenants to move into the owner occupied
sector and awarded grants totalling £224k. The Council will be revisiting this
scheme to look at ways of improving it through its under-occupation plan
which is discussed in further detail in Chapter 6.
Figure 1: Maximum grant allocated to people wanting to buy their own
home.
Cash Incentive Schemes 2: To encourage under-occupiers to downsize
into smaller accommodation.
5.4 There is a shortage of family-sized accommodation in Tower Hamlets. A
high priority is given to those tenants who move to smaller accommodation
giving up at least one bedroom. They can apply for any size property and they
15
will be given the priority to move as long as they give up at least 1 bedroom
and downsize. If they live in a home with 3 bedrooms and they are assessed
as needing 1 bedroom then they will get priority if they apply for a home with 1
or 2 bedrooms. The greater the number of bedrooms they give up, the higher
their priority to move. Tenants can receive anything from £500 to £4000
dependent on the number of bedrooms they are giving up as seen in Figure 2
below. Last year, under the CLG funded scheme, Tower Hamlet Homes
(THH) successfully arranged for 29 tenants on the Common Housing Register
to release homes they were under occupying. During 2008/09 THH managed
to acquire 19 x 3 bed properties, 9 x 4 bed properties and 1 x 2 bed property
through this scheme. This has increased the number of larger properties
within the council’s rented housing stock and helped tenants seeking larger
properties on the housing list.
Figure 2: Cash Incentive given to tenants to down size their property.
Cash Incentive Schemes 3: To encourage council tenants to secure
private sector accommodation.
5.5 This scheme encourages council tenants to secure private sector
accommodation. The ‘Rent Deposit Scheme’ (RDS) aims to provide access to
accommodation in the private rented sector for council or Partner Landlord
tenant in a 2 bedrooms or larger sized property. The service is also offered to
overcrowded council or Partner tenants who would otherwise have difficulties
in gaining access to private sector rented accommodation. The scheme works
by giving an incentive of paying one month rent and deposit and helps tenants
search for accommodation in the private rented sector as well as helping with
removal costs. During the last financial year it had proven difficult to get
tenants to sign up to this scheme, however this year the Council has
successfully re-housed 8 tenants within the Private Rented Sector. Other
London authorities have quite successfully run a RDS for a number of years
and the Council will investigate how we can make a better success scheme
can work just as well in Tower Hamlets.
Knockthroughs
5.6 The council has set aside funding to knock through two smaller properties
into one to help alleviate some of the most chronic cases of overcrowding. If a
property becomes vacant adjacent to a dwelling where the family is
overcrowded then it will be considered for a knockthrough. Careful
16
consideration is given when considering knocking two properties into one as
this reduces the council’s supply of housing stock. Funding for around half a
million pounds a year has been set aside to achieve around 20 knockthroughs
per annum from the HRA and the Mayor’s targeted funding stream. This
initiative has seen limited success over the last financial year and the Council
need to review the qualifying criteria set in order to help more families
suffering from overcrowding.
Sons & Daughters Policy
5.7 In the past the Council’s “Lettings Policy” gave priority to sons & daughters
of existing social housing tenants. This was criticised for being potentially
discriminatory and undermining community cohesion.
From 2002 the
Council‘s “Lettings Policy” gave additional priority to a young adult member
of social housing tenant’s household, living with their parents for the previous
five years, and living in overcrowded conditions lacking three or more
bedrooms (excluding the young adult in question). This is a very high test to
qualify.
In 2008/09, only 8 young adults were re-housed into their own
accommodation under this policy. A review of the “Lettings Policy” has
concluded the overcrowding threshold should be reduced in order to offer
more opportunity to ease overcrowding. The review also recommended the
introduction of a policy to offer separate re-housing to a social housing tenant
and adult son or daughter where this may release a larger property that can
be let to an overcrowded households on the register. These proposals have
been approved by Cabinet to go to public consultation. An equalities impact
assessment of all proposals will be carried out before final decision by Cabinet
on a new “Lettings Policy”.
What new things are we intending to do further reduce overcrowding?
In addition to the current initiatives, the council is putting in place preventative
measures to reduce future overcrowding. This will be done by:
Reviewing the Sub-regional Nominations Agreement
5.8 The council and its housing association partners are signatories to the
East London Sub Regional Nominations Protocol. This allows a proportion of
affordable homes developed in the borough to be made available to the other
East London boroughs housing register applicants. Similarly the Council has
access to nominations in the same boroughs. Whilst the Council supports the
flexibility that this offers, it is also concerned that it is not benefiting sufficiently
from the high amount of affordable housing that is being developed in Tower
Hamlets, particularly in respect of large family social sized rented housing.
5.9 In connection with the above, members of the Common Housing Register
(CHR) forum make available all their stock for nomination through their
Homeseekers website. A number of housing associations that develop in
Tower Hamlets are not members of the CHR and consequently nominations
are not necessarily being maximised. By not being involved in local decision
making processes, it is also likely that non-CHR members are not necessarily
maximising their contribution to the wider socio-economic agenda overseen
by the borough’s Community Plan Partnership.
17
5.10 Through the East London Housing Chief Officers group, the sub-regional
nominations agreement will be reviewed. This is to ensure Tower Hamlets
maximises the number of units it benefits from through new development to
help further reduce people on the housing list. Furthermore, it will be an aim
of getting all 46 housing associations operating in the borough to sign up to
the Common Housing Register helping us to maximise the nominations we
receive.
Review Lettings Policy
5.11 The Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered a report in
May 2008 which recommended a number of changes to the Council’s Lettings
Policy. These recommendations are to be submitted to Tower Hamlets’
Cabinet for decision. The review was wide ranging and the objectives of the
review were to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Consider the accessibility of the scheme with a view to improving
access particularly for elderly and disabled residents
Consider the impact of the Council’s policy to tackle overcrowding in
the borough
Consider the medical assessment process and how they work
Consider homelessness in the context of choice based lettings
Explore resident and other stakeholder understanding of how the
process works with a view to addressing any issues identified
Consider the level of transparency in decision making in the allocation
of properties
5.12 Key elements of the Overview and Scrutiny Report included
recommendations to:
•
•
•
Consider joining the East London Lettings Company scheme, subject
to a feasibility study
Adopt a Local Lettings Plan approach for all new developments of 20
units or more affordable homes to help facilitate sustainability
Undertake a full Equality Impact Assessment of choice based lettings in
Tower Hamlets in order to understand its impact on community
cohesion
5.13 In response to this report, a full review of the Council’s Lettings Policy
has been undertaken. On 29 July 2009 Cabinet approved new proposals
produced by the review to go out to public consultation.
5.14 As part of the housing strategy review process, the need for a renewed
focus on addressing overcrowding, the estate renewal decanting demand and
homelessness became evident.
5.15 The legislation requires that both homeless and overcrowded households
are given “reasonable preference” in the allocation of social housing. The
present “Lettings Policy” awards greater priority to homeless households by
placing them in a higher band than overcrowded households.
18
5.16 Several other London Boroughs are beginning to move away from this
interpretation of a “needs-based” approach to allocating social housing.
Newham Council has been at the forefront, and won its legal challenge as a
result. However, Hackney, Southwark and Islington Councils are now all
moving to balance the priority between homeless and overcrowded
households.
5.17 The proposals for a new “Lettings Policy” include placing priority need
homeless and overcrowded households in the same band, awarded priority in
date order of applying to go onto the Housing Register. Those households
with “additional preference” factors for example who are both statutorily
homeless and with Extenuating Health Priority will be placed in a higher band.
Additional measures will be brought forward to increase the priority awarded
to single applicants and couples within overcrowded households. The
feasibility of this scenario will be tested to see what impact if any it has on
alleviating overcrowding whilst potentially not adversely affecting any other
preference groups. Although homeless households have been allocated the
higher proportion of lettings annually (39% over the last 5 years), the Council
has a reasonable record on assisting overcrowded households (32% of
lettings over the last 5 years). However, the demand from overcrowded
households is very high and the proposals from the lettings policy review are
aimed at increasing lettings to overcrowded households, reducing homeless
demand and developing alternative housing options for them.
Better Living Conditions
5.18 We need to revisit ‘in situ’ conversions to properties, by providing where
feasible additional facilities such as wash hand basins, WC, cupboard
conversions etc in accommodation that are severely overcrowded temporarily
whilst they wait for suitably sized accommodation. This will help to the
improve the quality of life for the tenants.
5.19 Through public consultation on this strategy, there were two key areas of
improvements tenants would also like to see in their current homes whilst they
area waiting to be re-housed. The first was a problem with the bathroom.
Often one bathroom was not enough to cater for large families. The problem is
exacerbated by the fact that if one member needed to use the toilet and the
other the bath, then a better use of these facilities would be to separate the
bath and toilet out by a separation wall. Tower Hamlet Homes and RSLs
would need to assess each property on an individual basis but could consider
offering this simple short term solution to make better use of these facilities.
5.20 Secondly, improvements again could be made to the kitchen, which is
often designed for the occupancy of what the house should be and not that of
overcrowded household. Through public consultation, tenants requested that
the council considered providing additional cupboard storage space in
kitchens, new kitchen doors and a quicker response to repairs. This would
make living in overcrowded households more tolerable. The council will be
carrying out home visits to overcrowded households to look into the feasibility
of making such improvement where possible.
19
RSL Partnership Working
5.21 One of the ways the council works to tackle overcrowding is in
partnership with RSLs, both to increase the number of affordable homes being
built and to ensure that as many new homes as possible are family-sized
homes. Two thirds of the overcrowded families re-housed last year have been
to housing association new-build homes.
5.22 Tower Hamlets operates a Common Housing Register with 16 of the
largest Registered Social Landlords operating in Tower Hamlets and more are
in the process of joining. This means vacancies are pooled and offered to
housing applicants on Tower Hamlets housing list, giving applicants a much
wider choice and improving their chances of re-housing.
5.23 The under-occupation scheme this year included tenants of partner RSLs
as a result it has been possible to assist more tenants.
5.24 RSLs have their own strategies for tackling overcrowding and these are
coming into effect for tenants who have transferred as part of Housing Choice
Programme. One of the most successful RSLs who have reduced
overcrowding since the housing choice transfer programme is Tower Hamlets
Community Housing who have reduced overcrowding from 17% to 5% on its
managed estates.
Case Study: Tower Hamlets Community Housing
5.25 Tower Hamlets Community Housing (THCH) have a highly successful
overcrowding strategy, which has seen the organisation reduce overcrowding
from one in five of its homes in 2000 to under six in 100 homes today. As part
of the Housing Choice Programme, THCH made a commitment to tenants
agreeing to transfer from the Council to the RSL, a commitment to reduce
overcrowding on the transferred estates.
5.26 When THCH was formed a little over eight years ago, overcrowding was
identified as the biggest challenge. THCH had to use an innovative approach
to create the larger homes required primarily by the BME community. In 2000
17.3% of their tenancies were overcrowded. By 2007 this had been reduced
to 5.6%, a decrease of over 300%.
5.27 This was achieved by an innovative remodeling programme on their
Estates, identifying knock-through opportunities, demolishing poorly built bedsit blocks, building larger family sized accommodation, buying-back former
RTB homes, offering assistance to under-occupiers coupled with an active
lettings strategy were used to help generate large suitably sized
accommodation to alleviate overcrowding.
5.28 Other achievements included:
•
Remodelling of the Barnardo Gardens Estate by replacing 16 poorly
unlifted homes for the elderly with a new secure 24 unit block of lifted flats
for the elderly and 14 large family sized houses
20
•
•
•
•
•
Remodelling the Bigland Estate by replacing 16 poorly designed unlifted
homes for the elderly with 17 new large family sized houses and two new
infill properties
Providing larger homes through knock-through opportunities
Ensuring that a larger number of new family houses have been built as
part of our new build schemes than normally required
Buying-back leasehold homes from tenants who exercised the RTB
Offering assistance to under-occupiers coupled with an active lettings
strategy that generates large suitably sized accommodation to be used to
alleviate overcrowding.
5.29 THCH recognised that overcrowding can damage the health and wellbeing of household members, particularly children. Overcrowding in
childhood can significantly affect stature, disease and mortality in adulthood
and old age.
5.30 Tower Hamlets Council will continue to work with our partners and use all
the tools available to us to address overcrowding as we recognise the
damage this can cause to families and communities and the benefits of
working with RSLs will bring to help tackle and reduce overcrowding in Tower
Hamlets.
Overcrowding in the Private Sector
5.31 Research from our Housing Needs Survey (2009) and the Census (2001)
into overcrowding in the private sector has shown that significantly lower
levels of overcrowding can be found in the owner occupied sector. Higher
levels of overcrowding can be seen in the private rented sector but again this
is not at the levels or depth seen in social housing. The council will continue to
work with residents in the private sector to look at ways to reduce
overcrowding, and the council is currently looking at equity release and
dormer grants programmes that have worked quite successfully in other parts
of the country to see if they can be feasibly worked in Tower Hamlets.
5.32 The Council has enforcement powers for tacking overcrowding in the
private rented sector. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System
(HHSRS) was introduced in 2006 under the Housing Act 2004. This standard
outlines 29 hazards that apply to any residential premises. The HHSRS
includes ‘crowding and space’ as one of the 29 hazards. The HHSRS
operating guidance outlines the ideal conditions for space and crowding
depending on the age and gender mix and the size and number of the rooms
available for sleeping. The council is currently working with the Environmental
Health Team in drafting the ‘Crowding Space Policy’.
5.33 A prohibition order by the Environmental Health Team is only likely to be
served in the event of a ‘Category 1’ hazard, where there is severe
overcrowding. It is only appropriate to serve a prohibition order where there is
a ‘threat to health or safety’. The council can not serve a Category 1 hazard
prohibition notice on itself for council tenancies. For a home to be decent, it
must be free of Category 1 hazards under the HHSRS. The council continues
to work with the Environmental Health Team and the private rented sector to
ensure standards in the private rented sector remain complicit and go beyond
21
the minimum standards set down in law. We will also encourage Landlords to
join the London-wide ‘Landlord Accreditation Scheme’ and drive forward
higher standards of accommodation we expect to see in the Private Sector
through training, support and finally enforcement.
22
6.
Increase the overall supply of housing for local people
including a range of affordable, family housing.
6.1 Tower Hamlets sits at the heart of the new development opportunities and
will have a key role to play in realising the Government’s plans for increasing
the supply of housing.
6.2 Despite being a geographically small borough, Tower Hamlets delivers a
comparatively large amount of ‘new affordable housing’. In the last financial
year, Tower Hamlets hosted the delivery of 360 social rented affordable
homes and 604 intermediate affordable homes. This was one of the largest by
a local authority in London. Despite this impressive record, not enough
affordable housing is being developed for social rent and intermediate (e.g.
shared ownership) purposes, which is having an impact on re-housing
overcrowded households within the borough. The council will endeavour to
continue to deliver large, affordable, family housing. However given the
current challenging economic conditions, build targets as set out the GLA, and
in our LAA agreements will be more challenging to meet.
6.3 In order to increase housing supply over the next three years, the council
has proposed the following initiatives to increase housing supply by:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Piloting the Local Homes Initiative – By carrying out an initial pilot to
build 61 units of family sized housing with a preferred development
partner on small plots of council land. This will increase as more sites
are identified.
Building New Council Housing – the Council is currently in the early
stages of developing a plan to start its own house building programme
to build 17 units, housing 86 persons over 5 sites on 3 LBTH estates.
The Council will look to bid and hopefully win funding from the HCA in
order to go ahead with this pilot scheme.
Buying back ex-council 3 bed plus Right to Buys properties – around
100* planned (*subject to review) as the council has first refusal.
Increase housing supply by 9,000+ units by 2012, of which 5,064* will
be affordable and 1,400* will be family sized social housing (*these
targets are indicative and still subject to negotiation with the GLA &
GOL).
Putting in place a detailed plan to tackle under-occupation through
incentivisation and a package of support thus increasing our social
stock.
Promote Low Cost Home Ownership products to overcrowded
households.
Re-housing 19 Gypsy &Traveller families and looking into the feasibility
of providing additional pitches on a new site.
Below, the initiatives are discussed in more detail.
23
Local Homes Initiative
6.4 The council believes that there is significant scope to build family-sized
social rented homes on land within existing estates. Many such sites were
identified during the ‘Housing Choice Process’, but on those estates where
transfer did not go ahead, most of those sites have remained empty and in
some cases derelict. Some of these sites will clearly need to be sold on the
open market to help raise funding for the decent homes works in neighbouring
blocks. However, there is a balance to be struck between addressing the
funding shortfall facing Tower Hamlets Homes and helping overcrowded
families trapped for years on the council’s waiting list.
6.5 We are therefore proposing to pilot a new initiative designed to sell the
leasehold on a small sample of these sites to an RSL partner willing to focus
development there on three and four-bedroom social rented homes. Some
RSL’s have expressed an interest in this kind of development, and detailed
negotiations are ongoing. In some cases, in return for a capital receipt, Tower
Hamlets Council will secure a commitment from a RSL to supply a specific
number of family-sized homes on each site, subject to planning permission.
6.6 While we recognise the importance for social tenants being able to move
to other parts of London, LB Tower Hamlets wishes to maximise the number
of lettings made available to people from within the Borough. To ensure this
occurs, we will consider investing our own grant resources from Section 106
agreements rather than Homes and Communities Agency funding if that
organisation will not provide an exemption from the sub-regional nominations
agreement. In total, we hope to secure around 61 family-sized social rented
homes from pilot schemes (e.g. Figure 4). This will increase as more sites are
identified.
Figure 4: Sample of the sites Identified for development through the LHI
6.7 The LHI Pilot Scheme and the LHI has significant potential to reduce
inequalities. The lack of large family accommodation for social rent is well
evidenced and is causing significant harm to households that are currently
living in substandard and/or temporary accommodation. By creating more
decent and appropriately sized accommodation this presents an opportunity
24
for household members - particularly children and young adults – to fully
release their personal potential, which is often constrained by a poor living
environment.
Building Council Housing
6.8 The Building Britain’s Future programme initiated by the Prime Minister
pledged up to £250 million for direct development by local authorities of
around 3,000 new homes, in addition to the £100 million announced in the
Budget. Successful bidders for the £100 million for direct development by
local authorities, again under an existing bidding process, are expected to be
announced in September 2009. This time, instead of building large estates the
government wants small clusters of 30 to 40 homes built on infill sites and will
insist that they are indistinguishable from private housing. Family houses
rather than two-bedroom flats will be prioritised and councils will be
encouraged to use redundant land, such as sites of disused garages, instead
of building on green belt.
6.9 Tower Hamlets has a successful track record in housing delivery, in the
more recent past this has been delivered by RSL partners but the borough is
well placed to deliver its own house building programme. The borough has
identified some development potential on a possible 360 sites and is now in
the process of examining the potential of each site. An expression of interest
in July 2009 was made to the HCA for the initial tranche of social housing
grant funding for this scheme.
6.10 The grant funding would enable the Council to build 17 units, housing 86
persons over 5 sites on 3 LBTH estates. The 3 schemes are forecast to obtain
planning consent between mid February and 1 May 2010. The forecast start
on site dates are between 1st April 2010 and end of June 2010.
6.11 The Council will learn in September 2009 if it has been successfully in its
bid to obtain funding from the HCA to build its own Council Housing. If the
Council is unsuccessful it will aim to put in a more consolidated bid in the
October 2009 bid round.
New Build Development Programme
6.12 One of the reasons for developing an Overcrowding Reduction Strategy
is to set the framework for the delivery of new housing in the borough, with a
particular focus on delivering more new affordable family housing for social
rent.
6.13 Tower Hamlets’ annual housing target set by the Mayor of London for all
tenures is 3,150 (subject to re-negotiation) homes per annum up to 2016/17.
Tower Hamlets supports the target of achieving up to 50% affordable housing
across a range of sites and will seek a minimum of 35% affordable housing on
individual sites (subject to viability) by habitable room with up to 15% coming
from a range of sites that can deliver more. The Strategic Housing Market
Assessment 2009 stated that of the new affordable housing built, 70% should
be for social rent and 30% for intermediate purposes. As shown in Table 4
below, we will seek 45% of all affordable housing delivered to be family
housing (i.e. 3 bed plus). We also welcome at this time the Mayor’s Draft
25
Design Guide for London which looks at increasing space standards of new
build property using the ‘Parker Morris’ standard plus 10%.
Table 4: Future Delivery by Tenure.
Source: SHMA 2009
6.14 Ensuring that the borough achieves maximum value from new housing
development in the medium to long term will mean adopting a more
‘programme managed’ approach to housing development. A key link to be
developed here is the development of the Strategic Housing Land Availability
Assessment (SHLAA). The SHLAA will effectively become the register of
available developable land in the borough, which necessitates the need for a
renewed focus on how the borough oversees the development of new
housing in its area. By populating the SHLAA, the council has identified the
following key strategic sites that have the potential to deliver large scale
developments now and in the future. Sites include;
2012 Olympic Park – over 9,000 homes will be developed in the Olympic
Park. Apart from the housing developed in the Olympic Village (in Newham)
the housing in the rest of the park will take over ten years to develop, some of
which will be developed within Tower Hamlets’ north eastern boundary.
Blackwall Reach/Robin Hood Gardens - The development is expected to lead
to the development of about 1,600 homes (including 35% affordable homes).
Ailsa St. - The site has estimated capacity for 850 homes, a primary school,
open space and employment uses.
Bow Lock – The site has estimated capacity for 300 homes, improved public
realm and employment uses.
Chrisp St. Area – Poplar Harca, the key landowner, is in the process of
selecting a development partner who can help regenerate this key area in
Poplar.
St Clements Hospital (Bow Rd) has capacity for about 300-350 homes. The
current use is vacant but not demolished.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Goldsmith Row / Hackney Rd) has the capacity for
about 160 homes, again currently vacant, but not demolished.
Mildmay Hospital (Hackney Rd / Austin St) has capacity for 150 homes. It’s
currently still being used as a hospital and church. These are likely to remain
and residential added.
Aspen Way - This is a 100+ acre area site surrounding Poplar DLR station
which is in a mix of land ownerships including LBTH, Canary Wharf, TfL/DLR.
A long term project, this site is expected to yield over 5,000 homes and will
have a strong public realm element.
Ocean Estate - The new build element of this project will lead to new build of
over 800 social, intermediate and market homes and refurbishment of over
1,200 existing homes.
26
Reshaping Poplar – The Council is working in partnership with Poplar Harca
on a series of projects (which includes Chrisp St. above) that will help both
regenerate the Poplar area and deliver a significant number of additional
homes.
Tower Hamlets Homes/Housing Estate Renewal Strategy – It is a corporate
priority for the Council that Tower Hamlets Homes will be awarded the ‘Two
Star’ management standard (or forthcoming TSA equivalent standard)
required to unlock the additional investment available from Government to
deliver Decent
Homes.
This
additional
investment
will
help to significantly raise the quality of life for Tower Hamlets
Homes' residents.
6.15 The spread of sites across the borough is great and the potential to
deliver the volume of housing is encouraging. However these sites will take
some time to build out and some projects are further advanced than others.
Essentially, the potential of developable land identified gives Tower Hamlets
the ability to progress quickly.
Buying Back Ex-Council Homes
6.16 The loss of so many family-sized council homes is one of the root causes
of today’s housing crisis, not only in Tower Hamlets but across the country.
While this council supports the principle of residents being able to exercise the
right to buy, the refusal of successive governments to allow local authorities to
reinvest the proceeds of those sales in building new social rented homes has
resulted in ever greater pressure on an ever scarcer resource.
6.17 The Government has recently introduced changes to ‘Right to Buy’ which
seek to place it on a much more sustainable footing. Among these changes is
a right of first refusal for councils on all former council homes being sold on by
the original purchaser. The Council will seek to maximise opportunities
available through this route.
6.18 Nevertheless, a sizeable number of ex-council flats are usually on the
market at any given time. In today’s difficult housing market it seems that
private landlords owning these properties as part of an investment portfolio
are finding rental returns diminishing. Some are therefore looking to dispose
of these assets. At the same time, a growing number of ex-council flats are
coming up for auction following repossession. Both sources include three and
four-bedroom properties. They are usually valued at between £190,000 to
£230,000, depending on their location and condition. The council has set
aside £19.4 million for this initiative. There is a joint working group set up
between Tower Hamlets Homes, Corporate Property Services, Strategic
Housing, Planning and Legal Services to take this initiative forward.
6.19 Tower Hamlets Council therefore proposes to buy back around one
hundred* (*subject to review) of these family-sized homes to be let to
overcrowded families on a secure council tenancy. These acquisitions will be
focussed in blocks on the remaining council estates, rather than those
transferred to an RSL. We will encourage partner RSLs to adopt a similar
approach on stock transfer estates. Officers are assessing the viability of
potential funding options.
27
6.20 Clearly, in a declining market the timing of these acquisitions will be
crucial to ensure the tax payer secures value for money. It will also be
essential to assess the quality of each property in detail, as many of those that
have been let out privately for several years are now in dire need of significant
repair. These acquisitions have begun to take place from summer 2009
onwards.
6.21 The council has moved quite quickly forward with this initiative by writing
to all leaseholders on its estates that own a 3 bed plus property and placing
adverts in local newspapers stating the council wishes to buy back 3 bed plus
ex- council housing (see Appendix B). As of August 2009, the Council had
over 300 enquiries about the scheme, 38 properties under offer, 167 offers
made, awaiting acceptance or rejection by the owner and 9 completed sales
with a further 2 to follow in September. THH has successfully let 3 of these
homes. The void properties that these tenants move out off are also offered
to overcrowded families. All future completed buy-backs will continue to be
prioritised lets to overcrowded Council tenants on the housing register.
Under-occupation Plan
6.22 Under-occupied properties present a potential source for the council to
obtain a supply of larger properties. Managing under-occupation allows the
council to make better use of its stock and help more overcrowded
households. The extent to which a dwelling is ‘under’ occupied can be
measured by comparing the number of bedrooms currently rented by an
existing tenant with the minimum number you would be prepared to offer if
you were to let them another property. This does not mean, of course, that
any ‘spare’ bedrooms are not being used for sleeping or other purposes, or
that members of the household consider they have too much space.
6.23 A broad assessment of ‘under occupation’ was conducted based on a
detailed analysis of the family composition data from the Housing Needs
Survey 2009. The assessment of under / over occupation by tenure revealed
some disparity
between tenure types as indicated in Table 5 below.
Table 5: Under and Over Occupation by Tenure
28
6.24 Under-occupation can be found to be the highest in the owner occupied
with no mortgage sector (33.9%). This is because a higher proportion of
elderly households live in this tenure type.
6.25 Under-occupation in the Tower Hamlet Homes / Council rented stock
was 5.3% and in the RSL rented stock the level was 4.0%. These represent
approximately 1,760 social rented family units with two or more spare
bedrooms.
6.26 Tackling under-occupation of family houses to make best use of the
existing stock would make a positive contribution to meeting need through
better re-let supply although in practice it is recognised that this is difficult to
achieve.
6.27 We need to increase mobility within our housing stock so we can release
suitable housing. We hope to do this through ‘incentivisation’ such as offering
new build social rented properties to under-occupiers and if feasible upgrade
kitchen and bathroom facilities to get tenants to release larger properties. This
would help us increase our supply of the larger properties and help with stock
turnover.
6.28 To begin with, it is important to get a true picture on the extent of which
under occupation occurs in council and RSL managed stock. The following
proposals will be made to tackle under occupation to increase lets in our
social stock to allow mobility and get more overcrowded households rehoused.
6.29 To this endeavour the council proposes to:
• Devise an Under-occupation Plan: Set up a project board to come up
with a detailed under-occupation plan for stock managed by the
Common Housing Register participants.
• Assess Supply & Demand: Carry out detailed analysis of under
occupation by undertaking a survey and writing to all under-occupiers
on the list to obtain a true reflection of under-occupation in its stock.
• Assess a Cost and Benefit Strategy: Come up with a package of
support to encourage under-occupiers to move. This includes, handholding, paying for removal costs, paying for handy men to carry out
repairs, offering new build and improvements to existing stock that
under-occupiers are moving to.
• Employ Specialist Staff: By doubling the number of under-occupier
and over-crowding specialist officers conducting home visits to present
housing options and solutions to under-occupied households on a case
by case managed approach.
• Providing the Right Properties: To further approve a range of support
packages and incentives including direct lets in locations that underoccupiers would like to move to (often the same local area), and other
incentives that have worked in other parts of the country.
• Work with Regional Initiatives: Sign up to the Mayor’s Sea-side and
Country Homes initiatives offering properties to elderly under-occupiers
out of London.
29
6.30 Under-occupation is a sensitive issue and many under occupiers have
waited a long time to obtain their larger homes. However since children have
left the family home, these properties are often too big for the under-occupiers
to manage. We are confident that with the right support, incentives and
engagement we can better utilise our housing stock and create homes that
people want to live in.
Low Cost Home Ownership
6.31 We need to find ways of alleviating the pressures on social housing and
to bring about opportunities to support those who aspire to homeownership.
Tower Hamlets Council needs to develop a stronger partnership with ‘Housing
Options’ to promote low cost home ownership products to overcrowded
households in Tower Hamlets. Overcrowding and the demand for social
housing has continued to rise locally and shared ownership schemes
designed to assist people into homeownership is an attractive option for local
residents unable to openly buy on the housing market to become home
owners. ‘Housing Options’ is the gateway for all affordable housing in London
and is the ‘one stop shop’ for all East, North, and West London boroughs. It
allows council tenants, key workers and first-time buyers on a moderate
income to get more information on further opportunities to own a home of their
own. Housing Options provides a one-stop shop for anyone interested in
buying their own home in Tower Hamlets.
6.32 There are a number of new build schemes available to help people who
are on moderate incomes make that first step onto the property ladder. These
need to be marketed to residents of the borough by the council as a viable
alternative to social and private tenancies.
6.33 The term ‘key worker’ means people in areas of employment that are
recognised to have difficulty buying a home. Individual local authorities can
set the definitions of who are key workers. Tower Hamlets should consider
defining key workers as, “anyone who lives or works in the borough on a
moderate income, which is anyone on a household income of less than
approximately £60,000” (in line with regional policy). However it should be
noted that low cost home ownership products marketed in the borough
generally target people on incomes that range from £18,500 (Bellmaker Court,
E3) to £35,000 (Gun Street) making them more affordable to residents on low
to medium incomes.
6.34 Enabling people into different tenures would get more people into home
ownership and create more mixed and balanced communities. Therefore we
would look to develop and expand the council’s Housings Options service to
get more people into home ownership and re-define the council’s key worker
policy to enable local people who live or work in the borough to become key
workers.
Gypsy & Travellers
6.35 Tower Hamlets has one official council Gypsy and Travellers Site located
at Eleanor Street, E3. First opened in 1983, it has been extended and
modernised to provide accommodation to a settled community on 19 pitches.
The Crossrail project has given rise to the need to relocate the site to an area
30
of land immediately adjacent its current location. This is due to the
requirement to build a ventilation shaft for the railway tunnel, to be constructed
underneath the site from 2013.
6.36 The Eleanor St site has a number of overcrowded pitches, in common
with similar sites elsewhere in London. The Council carried out an initial local
needs assessment in 2006, as supporting evidence for the petition to the
Crossrail House of Commons Select Committee. The assessment indicated
that additional provision would need to be planned in this particular instance
following the site relocation exercise.
6.37 The Council has successfully negotiated an undertaking within the
statutory framework of the Crossrail Bill to ensure that the site at Eleanor
Street is relocated in line with relevant provisions of site design guidance
produced by Central Government’s Communities and Local Government
department. Opportunities will be sought to provide an enhanced level of
improvement in the new site design to meet best practice standards. The site
will be designed to maximise the potential use of land adjacent to the site that
will be returned to the Council when the Crossrail construction is complete in
2017. The new site will alleviate overcrowding for existing gypsy and travellers
on the site once the new site has been completed.
6.38 The Strategic Housing Needs Assessment for gypsy and travellers for
pan London in 2008 set out the need for provision of additional site
accommodation. The Council’s current site holds 19 pitches, with an
additional need for up to 33 pitches required by 2017. The council will look
into the feasibility of a potential new site to accommodate the potentially
arising new need but this will be subject to detailed stakeholder consultation.
The Mayor of London is currently consulting with all London boroughs on how
they intend to meet this potential future arising need and the council is in
continuing dialogue with the Greater London Authority on this matter.
31
7. Prevent overcrowding and homelessness by providing
access to the right housing options at the right time
7.1 Over the last 25 years the number of homes in Tower Hamlets has
increased by 50% from 62,000 in 1985 to 95,000 in 2009, with a huge amount
of private and public sector housing investment in the borough. Demand,
however, continues to out-pace supply. The number of households on the
Common Housing Register is now over 22,000, but every year only about
2,000 social housing lets become available, only 19% of which are family size
homes (3- beds or more). Whilst overcrowding reduction and supply has been
the focus of the first two sections, this strategy would be only half complete
without talking about the obvious - the right access routes into housing.
7.2 Increasing housing supply locally is obviously a key aim for the borough.
In 2008-09 Tower Hamlets delivered around 1,000 new affordable homes.
The borough has the second highest annual new homes target in the capital –
3,150 per year. Despite these increasing levels of new supply, the issues for
homeless households remain about access to affordable housing, and getting
the balance right with other community needs.
7.3 Overcrowding in particular remains a key local issue, despite considerable
achievements in this area. Work on overcrowding, measures to prevent
homelessness and the potential to review the borough’s lettings policy mean
that we now have the opportunity to develop a more integrated and strategic
approach to social housing, as well as wider options and alternatives.
7.4 Over the next 3 years our approach will include reviewing and developing
access routes to social housing, enabling integrated and strategic use to
tackle underlying problems, including preventing homelessness from
overcrowded households by:
•
•
•
•
Considering whether priority should continue to be given to homeless
families above others with a ‘reasonable preference’ and whether to
increase the priority given to overcrowded households. Whatever the
outcome, a key aim will be to increase information and transparency on
waiting times.
Developing a different approach to lettings for single person
households – with potentially a greater use of supported housing and
longer-term move-on quotas to meet overall needs in a more holistic
way than the priority need test (as currently applied) allows.
Developing proposals for increasing the proportion of 1-bed lettings to
go to homeless / vulnerable single people moving on from supported
housing, on the basis that access to supported housing will be
focussed exclusively on local people.
Review the allocations policy to meet overall need in a more strategic
way, recognising that overcrowding and new household formation are
the main cause of homelessness locally.
7.5 The Council intend to increase social housing supply by making best use
of existing stock to meet the need that is out there. Pivotal to this is the
32
prevention of evictions of young adults from households that are overcrowded
by providing:
Housing Advice and Options
7.6 The council will continue to deliver a strong housing advice and options
service to all residents across the borough. The service provides essential
housing advice and presents key housing options to residents in the borough.
This service is accredited by the Legal Services Commission and attempts to
prevent homelessness at the earliest possible stage. The Council now has a
full range of homelessness prevention services in place including tenancy
support, rent deposit schemes, debt advice, housing advice and options,
mediation, and a sanctuary scheme for women at risk of domestic violence.
The Council will continue to work with overcrowded families and young adults
with a specific focus on 16/17 year olds in order to prevent parental eviction
due to overcrowding whilst coming up with the right housing advice and option
most suitable to an individual and their families’ circumstances.
Home visits
7.7 The Council will also continue to carry out home visits to overcrowded
households. During the last financial year, the council carried out over 190
‘home visits’ to council tenants lacking 2 bedrooms or more to explain housing
options and the bidding process, and to discuss options for re-housing
extended family members.
7.8 The Council through Tower Hamlets Homes visited nearly 30 council
households who were under-occupying to tell them about the cash incentive
scheme if they released their homes and down sized their property. The
benefits of the home visits have been realised through the take up of the cash
incentive schemes. The council also offers housing advice to private
residents and is actively working with them too.
Lettings Policy Review
7.9 The Council intend to change the way it allocates social housing to meet
overall need in a more strategic way, recognising that overcrowding and new
household formation are the main cause of homelessness locally. A review of
the allocation policy and its impact on overcrowded households is discussed
in more detail in chapter 5 under ‘Reviewing the Lettings Policy’.
Empty Properties
7.10 The Council will bring empty properties back into use in the private sector
through the continuing use of targeted grants and incentives. The Council
wants to reduce the number of private sector empty properties, and where
possible bring them up to the decent homes standard and make them
available for letting for overcrowded households or via the Council’s rent
deposit guarantee scheme. The Council has an Empty Property Policy
Framework in place which seeks to maximise the provision of new homes
through:
1. The re-use of existing empty dwellings.
2. The re-use, conversion or adaptation of empty living space over
shops.
33
3. The conversion and
commercial buildings
adaptation
of
appropriate
redundant
7.11 This will be achieved by establishing the ownership of the empty
properties and prioritising them for action. By enabling the owner to bring the
property back into use by providing advice, information and where appropriate
financial assistance and finally, the refurbishment and reoccupation of the
property by using all enforcement tools available, such as
environmental/planning notices, compulsory purchase powers or compulsory
leasing schemes.
7.12 The Council will also make available Empty Property Grants to owners of
empty properties who wish to refurbish, demolish and rebuild their property or
to convert it into a number of units and make it available for letting. The Empty
Property Grant could cover the cost of works needed to bring the home up to
the decent homes standard and incorporate works to make the home safe,
secure and affordable to keep warm.
7.13 The maximum amount of grant assistance would be dependent upon the
size of the resultant units and any rent levels for the next 5-years. The owner
of the empty property would be required to let out the property for a period of
5 years to families nominated by the Council under the rent deposit guarantee
scheme, key workers or other local residents at a rental level that is below the
market rent.
7.14 Should the owner of the empty property wish to renovate the property
and let it on the open market without any restrictions on the rent level or type
of tenant an Empty Homes grant would still be available but grant would be at
a reduced rate.
Private Sector Leasing
7.15 The Council wish to procure larger sized properties through ‘Private
Sector Leasing’. The council is looking towards procuring large family sized
units in the private sector on long leases to offer overcrowded Council tenants
some “breathing space” whilst they bid for appropriately sized LA or RSL
homes. A similar scheme operates in Kingston where tenants can remain in
their Breathing Space home for up to 5 years whilst the council seeks to
increase the proportion of large family homes on new developments.
7.16 Whilst the tenant is living in this larger 'Breathing Space' temporary
home, they can continue to look for council or housing-association properties
as they become available through the Common Housing Register. They must
continue to bid for a permanent home which is large enough to meet their
needs. Breathing Space homes are let at market rents, which are higher than
council rents. However, they can still claim Housing Benefit if they are entitled
to help with their rent.
7.17 If a tenant is severely overcrowded, they have the option of moving
temporarily to a larger Breathing Space home, while they stay on the housing
register as a ‘transfer applicant’. This allows them and their family to live in a
34
home which is large enough for their needs until they successfully get a
tenancy with the council or with a housing association.
7.18 After two years from the date they move into the Breathing Space home,
if they have not been successful in getting a larger permanent home, the
Council will place them in Community Group 2 on the Common Housing
Register. Their priority date will change to the date we placed them in
Community Group 2. This will improve their chances of successfully getting a
permanent home.
7.19 If after another two years, they have still not been successful getting one
of our permanent homes or a housing-association home, the Council will
place them in Community Group 1 on the Common Housing Register for six
months. Their priority date will be the date we placed them in Community
Group 1.
7.20 After six months, if they are still not successful in getting a permanent
homes, the Council will find them a suitable home if one is available.
7.21 The ‘Breathing Space’ scheme has operated quite successfully in the
London Borough of Kingston and the Council will look at the feasibility of
developing a similar scheme that reflects local demand within Tower Hamlets.
If Tower Hamlets were to adopt such a scheme, consultation on this scheme
would have to be carried out as part of the Lettings Policy review work before
it can be implemented.
7.22 Finally, 1 in 12 children in Tower Hamlets live in homeless households.
Young people leaving home feature disproportionately highly amongst
homelessness presentations. Figures show that families in Tower Hamlets
face some very considerable challenges - particularly around transitions to
new household formation in the context of overcrowded housing and a lack of
affordable options. Through a range of options presented in this chapter it is
hoped that we can tackle the wider social exclusion, inequality and increase
the life chances that these children face now and in the future.
35
8. Conclusion
8.1 We need to help families out of unacceptable overcrowded housing. It is
not fair if children do not have space to do their homework, play with their
friends or enjoy family life at home.
8.2 We have invested in pilots to determine how we might best support not
just overcrowded families but also under-occupiers in order to make best use
of stock. We are now expanding this approach and are going to set up a
Housing Strategy Delivery Board to help co-ordinate Tower Hamlets approach
to tackling and preventing overcrowding and to improve the quality of life of all
residents living in Tower Hamlets.
8.3 The initiatives’ underpinned by three objectives fall into strands taken from
the Community Plan, Housing Strategy, Homelessness and Child Poverty
Strategy.
8.4 The aims in this strategy will build upon existing initiatives and develop
and implement new ones that will help deliver an overall target of improving
the quality of life for 500 households currently suffering from overcrowding by
alleviating them from living in overcrowded conditions by 2011.
36
9. Monitoring and Delivery of the Strategy
9.1 To make sure that the recommendations in this strategy are delivered on
time and to the highest standards, and that they continue to reflect the
priorities of local people, we will monitor progress in a number of ways.
9.2 Activity will include:
•
•
•
•
Progress on the strategy will be measured against a SMART (Specific,
Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, and Time-bound) action plan and updates
provided on a six monthly basis to the Housing Strategy Delivery Board.
Using our existing consultation framework to share progress with
residents, invite their feedback and measure success. For example,
Tower Hamlets Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, Tenant Management
Organisations and Local Area Partnerships will all be important platforms
for discussing progress.
Reviewing all monitoring activity after the first 12 months, to make sure
that local people and stakeholders continue to feel fully engaged in the
process.
Ensuring that key delivery partners monitor the progress of the strategy
according to a specific framework, which is set out below:
One Tower Hamlets
(LSP)
Housing Strategy Delivery Board
Common
Housing
Register Group
Tower Hamlets
Housing Forum
(RSL’s)
(THH)
Homelessness
Partnership
Board
&
Supporting People
37
Overcrowding
Strategy
Progress
Updates
Development
Forum
More inclusive
knockthrough policy
which will allow more
overcrowded
households to qualify.
December
2009
Date
(Faisal Butt)
Housing Policy Officer
Responsible Officer
Appendix A
1.3 Make the Private
Rented Sector a better
option (Cash Incentive
Scheme 3).
1.2 Create mobility of
tenure through social
homebuy (Cash
Incentive Scheme 1).
Promote take up of
private rented sector
accommodation to
Look at other authorities
who have quite
successfully used the
PRS as an alternative
choice of tenure.
More overcrowded
households helped.
Help social tenants to
become home owners.
38
Help 10 overcrowded families
through the PRS.
2010-11
Enable 20 social tenants to
become homeowners.
Visit West London authorities
who have quite successfully
used the PRS to re-house
social and homeless
households.
2010-11
2009/10
2009-10
2010-11
March 2009
Enable 15 social tenants to
become homeowners.
5 Knockthroughs achieved.
Re-written Policy.
(Rafiqul Hoque)
Lettings Manager, THH
(Rafiqul Hoque)
Lettings Manager, Housing
Options (L&Q)
(Sayeed Kadir)
Tower Hamlet Homes (THH)
Director Asset Management
Objective 1: Reduce overcrowding in existing housing stock, and put in place preventative measures to
reduce future overcrowding.
1.1 Re-write the
knockthrough policy to
make it more effective
and increase the
number of
knockthroughs carried
out this year.
Output
Commitment gained
Progress monitored against
from respective
commitments set out in the
organisations to achieve strategy.
reductions in
overcrowding levels
Expected Outcome
Provide 6 monthly
updates on the
Overcrowding Strategy
to the Housing Strategy
Delivery Board
Action
Overcrowding Action Plan
1.9 Better Partnership
Working with RSLs.
1.8 Better living
conditions for existing
tenants.
1.7 Continue to promote
the sons & daughters
scheme.
1.4 Review sub-regional
nominations agreement
to maximise housing for
local residents.
1.5 Get all RSLs in the
borough to sign up to
the Common Housing
Register Forum.
1.6 Undertake a review
of the Lettings Policy to
ensure it provides the
flexibility & priority
required to support the
overcrowding strategy.
39
Commencement of
Agreement to be agreed.
Improvement Programme to
comment.
2010
Targets set within allocations
plan to monitor move-on for
overcrowding.
Continue with old policy and
refresh in the new policy for
this scheme.
To begin in
2009-10
2010-11
2009-10
Policy review
completed
December
2009
All overcrowded households
assisted via reasonable
preference and not
homelessness route
Increased number of
households moving to
suitable
accommodation,
increased number of
properties released
through under
occupation moves.
Reduce overcrowding
by facilitating move on
for adult children
sharing with family in
overcrowded conditions.
Improve the quality of
life through
improvements to
existing homes of
overcrowded tenants.
To take forward
initiatives awarded to
THH tenants to include
2012
2010-11
To get all RSLs to sign up to
the CHR in Tower Hamlets.
Agree to take forward a review
of the protocol agreement.
Equalise status of all
social applicants on the
housing.
relieve overcrowding
through use of rental
deposits/incentive
schemes.
Increased lettings made
to local residents.
(John Kiwanuka)
(Sayeed Kadir)
RSL Partnership Manager
Tower Hamlet Homes (THH)
Director Asset Management
(Rafiqul Hoque)
Lettings Manager, THH
(John Coker)
Strategic Housing Manager
(John Kiwanuka)
RSL Partnership Manager
(Jackie Odunoye)
Head of Strategy
A ‘Crowding Space’
policy stating how
overcrowding will be
tackled in the private
sector.
Through Grants,
Enforcement and
Action.
Take forward enforcement
action.
Complete Crowding Space
Policy.
Award Grants to Private
Landlords & look into the
feasibility of awarding equity
release loan to owner occupiers
suffering from severe
overcrowding.
improvement programme.
2009-10
2009-10
2010-11
2010-11
(David Farrell)
Head of Environmental
Health
Increase supply of
larger family sized
social stock to help
overcrowded
households on the
waiting list.
Increase supply of
larger family sized
social stock to help
overcrowded
households on the
waiting list.
Increase supply of
larger family sized
social stock to help
2.1 Piloting the Local
Homes Initiative
2.2 Council Housing
Build Programme
2.3 Buying back excouncil 3 bed plus Right
To Buy properties.
40
2009-12
2012
2010-11
Start on site
Build 17 units, housing 86
persons over 5 sites on 3 LBTH
estates
100 planned over 3 years as
the council has first refusal.
2009-10
2011-12
2010-11
Social Housing Grant bid
Submission for funding.
Build 61 new 3 bed plus units
with a preferred development
partner on small plots of council
land as part of a pilot and look
at the potential to expand to
deliver more units in the future.
(John Coker)
Strategic Housing Manager
(John Coker)
Strategic Housing Manager
(Alison Thomas)
Private Sector & Affordable
Homes Manager
Objective 2: Increase the overall supply of housing for local people including a range of affordable, family
housing.
1.10 Improve Living
Conditions for
Overcrowded
households in the
Private Sector.
all RSLs.
2.7 Develop a Low Cost
Home Ownership
service as an
improvement to the
Housing Options service
offered by the Council.
2.4 New Build
Development
Programme - Increasing
housing supply by
9,000+ units by 2011
across all tenures
(Market, Intermediate
and Social).
2.5 In liaison with
planning continue to
secure larger family
sized units on all s106
and new affordable
housing schemes.
2.6 Devised a detailed
under-occupation plan in
conjunction with CHR
participants.
A new housing options
service piloted to
include Low Cost Home
In order to increase
supply, the council will
manage its existing
stock better by
focussing its efforts on
under-occupation as a
key area of increasing
its social stock.
New Key worker policy
to include anyone that
lives or works in the
borough.
Increase the supply of
larger family sized
accommodation.
overcrowded
households on the
waiting list.
Increase supply of
housing to create more
supply in the system to
meet the boroughs
housing need.
41
New Key worker policy to be
written and agreed by all
partners.
Action Plan Devised
To continue to achieve at least
35% affordable housing on
individual sites by habitable
room with at least 45% of
housing being family sized
accommodation.
Release 3+ bedroom properties
through the under occupation
scheme and ring fence these
properties for overcrowded
social housing tenants.
5,064* will be affordable and
1,400* will be family sized
social housing over three years
(*subject to negotiation with
GOL & GLA).
New
service to
be
launched
in 2010.
Implement
ation of
Plan 201011.
2009-10.
Ongoing.
2009-2012
(Jen Pepper, Rafiqul Hoque,
John Kiwanuka and Colin
Cormack)
Affordable Homes Manager,
Lettings Manager, RSL Manager
and Homelessness Manager.
(Rafiqul Hoque)
Lettings Manager
(Alison Thomas)
Private Sector & Affordable
Homes Manager
(Jen Pepper & Jennifer
Richardson)
Development & Renewal
2009-11.
2010-11
Secure & Design new Site in
consultation with existing
tenants.
Secure additional funding for
site improvements
Lettings Manager &
Homelessness Manager
(David Farrell)
Head of Environmental Health
3.3 Utilise Empty
Properties better in the
borough to help
overcrowded
Utilise empty properties
to house overcrowded
households and offer
through the RDS.
42
Carry out around 500 visits to
over and under occupied
households to discuss housing
options and find solutions.
Bring back 50 empty properties
back in to use to house people
of the waiting list.
Increased home visits to Double the Overcrowding and
discuss housing
Under Occupation Staff from
options.
1.5 to 3 officers.
2010-11
2010-11
2010-11
2010-11
New service to commence.
3.2 Carry out Home
Visits to under occupied
and overcrowded
households.
2009-10
Lettings and Homelessness to
work together to joint develop
housing options service.
Deliver a strong housing
options and advice team
providing the right
access to housing at the
right time.
3.1 Provide an excellent
Housing Advice &
Options Service to
residents of the
borough.
(Alison Thomas)
Private Sector & Affordable
Homes Manager
(Rafiqul Hoque)
Lettings Manager
(Rafiqul Hoque & Colin
Cormack)
Objective 3: Prevent overcrowding and homelessness by providing access to the right housing options at
the right time
Ownership products in
conjunction with
Housing Options.
2.8 Re-house 19
Many overcrowded G&T
Gypsies and Travellers
on the current site will
on a new site to
be re-located to a new
adequately address their bigger site with the
housing need.
same number of pitches
which will meet their
housing need.
households on the
housing register.
3.4 Acquire Large family
housing in the Private
Sector through Private
Sector Leasing to help
severely overcrowded
households.
Applied ‘Breathing
Space’ policy to the
most overcrowded
households on the
waiting list.
43
Acquire 30 large PSL
properties to house large
overcrowded households.
2010-11
(Colin Cormack)
Homelessness Manager
Appendix B
Communication & Consultation with the Public on Overcrowding.
44
An Overcrowding Summit, was held on the 7th July 2009. Key stakeholders, community
and voluntary organisations and RSLs were invited. Presentations on overcrowding were
given by the Department for Communities and Local Government, The Greater London
Authority, East London Housing Partnership and Tower Hamlets Community Housing.
Workshops around Overcrowding were held and the outcomes of those workshops are
summarised below.
Suggestions from Workshop 1
Dedicated under-occupation / overcrowding team (increase team size).
New letter to under occupiers (direct targeting).
More in-depth analysis on under occupiers bids.
More one on one case work & training incentives for case workers.
No links between RSLs & the Council on overcrowding – common approach.
Use a local estate agent for market intelligence and to aid programme in the private
rented sector.
Perfect Fit programme as proposed by the ELHP.
Look at overcrowding as a sub-regional and not just a local problem and work across
the partnership to resolve these issues.
The THH overcrowding officer should visit RSL tenants too.
Commonality of approach to deal with O/C & under-occupiers.
Pay RSLs to take under occupiers by paying moving & decoration allowances.
Legality of improving living conditions.
Safeguarding car parking for affordable housing .
Suggestions from Workshop 2
Increase Home Visits.
Handholding and greater support for elderly under occupiers moving. Also recycling
and furniture bank to get rid of elderly possession no longer required.
Stronger housing options with seaside homes, home swapper and mutual exchange
along side PRS & Social Home buy plugged.
Work with RSLs on cash incentive schemes to enable mobility within RSL stock.
Consistency against overcrowding and under occupation approach across all social
housing providers.
Offer Local storage facility offsite of overcrowded households.
Use intermediate rent to tackle overcrowding for sons & daughters (prioritise).
Ring-fence lettings.
Make other services such as Children’s Services aware of options they can offer to
families around housing.
Establish the 10 most common overcrowding problems and 10 ways to mitigate them
across all social housing providers.
Suggestions from Workshop 3
Write to under-occupiers before new schemes developed – target those interested.
Dedicated officer – but make sure this is not merely a research post.
Training & support for housing officers on housing options.
45
Identify what we can do for under-occupiers e.g. help with removals, packing service,
sorting out paperwork for things like utility bills.
Pre-allocate, allow people to choose etc (under-occupiers).
Better linkages between initiatives 5 and 8, targeting next-generation schemes/sons
and daughters policy/LCHO schemes.
Be honest at point of application re likely waiting time, and discuss all other options.
Tackling perceptions/managing expectations.
Be careful about spending too much on promotional/advertising for schemes which
will result in low take-up.
Hold an overcrowding event for Housing Officers and follow up with regular
events/updates.
Need promotion of people who have moved using alternative housing options, to “sell”
the positive aspects of the story.
Offer managing agent service to our own leasehold absentee landlords
Need range of incentives for under-occupiers, need to find out exactly what they want.
Out of borough, mutual exchange, private rent deposit.
Advertise properties and specify for under-occupiers only.
Make sure the document is a “doing” document, not a “talking” document.
A focus group on Overcrowding was held on Wednesday, the 5th August 2009, at 6.30pm at
the Chrisp St Idea Store. We had 8 attendees from different ages, sexes, backgrounds and
BME groups. The following is a note of the key point raised out of that focus group.
Facilitated by Glen Ocsko and scribed by Faisal Butt.
Question – What does overcrowding mean to you?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Why are we building 1&2 beds and not 3 bed plus properties?
Overcrowding means there aren’t enough bedrooms for everyone
Too many children are squashed into small properties
The group felt it was not acceptable to be requested to use their front rooms as
bedrooms as is what they are often told by their landlord.
People from outside the borough getting housing which is not right.
Some members felts that the constant state of in and out migration and fluctuation is
good for the borough.
Members felt the current lettings policy of awarding additional priority to a 18 year old
child for a sole tenancy was not right. It was not good with BME families traditions.
The sons & daughters policy was not sensitive to BME needs. Families want to stick
together.
Overcrowding households struggle to keep their properties clean as there is no space
or playing space for children
Placing overcrowded households in high rise flats with young children is not good or
practical.
Children need a safe play and homework space.
Lots of flats/houses only have one bathroom which is not good for overcrowded
households. Put a wall in and separate bathroom and toilet.
7 people in a 1 bed flat. It is affecting my education and children’s future.
Children go out instead of home. Get into mischief.
Children at home don’t get along and fight so they go out instead.
46
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Members believed the council’s standards on lettings have declined.
Adult children of different sexes in the same bedroom is wrong, but overcrowded
households haven’t got anywhere for the children to sleep other than share.
If the children had homes that they could ‘live in’ it would stop them doing drugs and
other bad things.
There are no supervised play areas for Children to go out and play in.
We should be investing more in parks and spaces.
Loads of empty properties, why don’t the council put people in them.
Why do some people get properties before other people, this seems unfair.
Question – What about under occupiers?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Elderly people have lots of possessions; they can’t fit them into smaller properties.
Age and location is key to getting under occupiers to move. Under occupiers generally
tend to be old and they don’t want to move out of the area.
Can under occupiers take a lodger from the housing register?
There should be some specialist accommodation for older people to go to.
You should give under occupiers money to buy properties, as they can’t get a
mortgage to buy. If they moved, the council to get their property.
RTB has caused the loss of stock and is to blame.
The council shouldn’t have allowed leaseholders to get 20k in arrears before doing
anything about it. They should force the leaseholders to sell their properties to pay off
the arrears, allowing that property to come back into stock.
If they sell more council houses, there is less stock to help overcrowded households.
Home visiting officer to discuss housing options is good. We should have more!
People don’t like to be forced into anything but like having the options presented to
them.
Creating a culture that if you have a daughter who has a child - within four weeks you
get a flat is not good.
Families are going homeless to get a flat. Again the system is wrong.
Give flats to people who work and not just workless families only.
A development on Brick Lane promised flats for local people, this never happened.
We should look at a lodging scheme or give cash to under occupiers.
Get under occupiers to move out to other boroughs.
Bring back localisation of services – housing offices and officers be estate based!
Question – How can the Council make people in their current homes lives easier
whilst they are waiting?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Create better living conditions.
Separate bathroom and toilet.
Kitchens designed for property size not inhabitants living in them. Need new cupboard
doors and more cupboards/storage space in the kitchen.
New builds, no body buying them, been given to homeless.
Housing choices offered in Tower Hamlets is poor, needs to bet better.
Council states it only gives ground floor flats to the disabled but then allocated to nondisabled people. Not good for older people to be climbing stairs either.
47
•
•
•
•
Should allocate ground floor to elderly, disabled and medical cases and families with
young children were possible.
No where to hang clothes to dry.
No place for dryer as property is too small.
Walls between properties are too thin, inhibits privacy.
Question – What about the Private Rented Sector as an alternative choice?
•
•
•
•
Give people the choice of the Private Rented Sector. Bring the option to people’s
attention.
Rents in the private sector too high, compared to social rents. Rents need to be
regulated.
Security of tenancy and succession rights not available in the private rented sector,
this is an issue.
The worry that if a private landlord’s home is repossessed, the tenant is usually the
last to know. The tenant is evicted.
Question – Anything else you would like to add?
•
•
•
Quality of repairs, rents keep going up but the repairs to doors and floors and
decorating is no longer done.
O/crowded households to get a higher priority when it comes to repairs.
Council should chase leaseholders (not the tenant chase) to pay for repairs where the
damage to a tenant’s property is made by a leaseholder. I.e. a leaseholder living in a
flat above damages a tenant below property due to flooding. The tenant below has to
chase the leaseholder to pay for the repairs to a tenant’s property, not the council.
A focus group on overcrowding was held on Thursday, the 6th August 2009, at 6.30pm at
the Whitechapel Idea Store. We had 8 attendees from different ages, sexes, backgrounds
and BME groups. The following is a note of the key point raised out of that focus group.
Facilitated by Glen Ocsko and scribed by Faisal Butt,
Translators Wahidul Islam and Afiya Begum.
Question – What does overcrowding mean to you?
•
•
•
•
•
No space for children to move about, even adults don’t have their own privacy. The
families stay stagnant and can’t move forward. Not good for peoples health.
Problem with size of accommodation. Problem with not enough toilets and places to
move around.
Overcrowding bad for health and mind like Mental Health.
6 people in a 2 bed house, gives depression. Bad for health. 16 & 18 year olds
sharing room (different sexes). No room to move out.
Condition of property poor.
48
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Where can I study – no place to sit.
In a family if a person is old or disabled and have bathroom problems. Only 1
bathroom for an overcrowded household is a problem.
Been on the waiting list for 16 years, why are some people that get on the list after,
get a property first?
In the past, council mess with buildings, now nowhere to build new houses unless you
move out of London.
Not easy to move people out of local areas because of education.
Living in awkward situations especially with teenager kids.
I was on the waiting list for a long time to get there to a big property and I only got it
because my old block got demolished.
I tried bidding for properties outside of Tower Hamlets but was unsuccessful.
Build more houses, some people are willing to go cross borough.
People are happier to move to places where other members of their community are.
You need to have good transport links.
Good communication is also important.
7 people in a 2 bed flat, only reasons why they got a new property was their old
building got demolished.
The council need to look at empty properties. If the property is in a block of flats the
council knock 2 flats together.
Get out on the street and find out what is going on.
Collingwood House being demolished due to damp, treat it, don’t demolish it.
Squatters are enjoying empty properties too.
Question – What about under occupiers?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
People don’t want to downsize. Because sometimes the family comes to visit or stay.
People keep larger properties just in case you might need a spare rooms in the future.
If a lady lives in a 3 bed house, they don’t want to exchange. They have lived there a
long time. They like the space. Sometimes their children come to stay.
Ask council about empty properties on estates. Get no reply. Why can’t we have
those properties.
Want to keep spare bedrooms in case children move back in. They have waited so
many years to get bigger property, they are scared to give it back in case they need a
larger property in the future, and they won’t get it back.
Feel comfortable in local area and community.
Give priority to new build to local under occupiers.
Council take them on a tour and show them new build and then give them priority.
If they need to upsize in the future give them priority to upsize.
Some people retain their family house because it is the family home that children
come back to.
Promise to give priority to under occupiers to upsize in the future if needs be.
Residents felt the system was to blame.
Family networks are broken so sense of community has gone. In the past they use to
exchange to smaller properties.
Should offer a higher quality and standard of repairs.
Why are they building more community centres and not new houses? Too many
community centres.
49
•
•
We should have one housing list for east London sub-region.
Not everyone is aware about the benefits of giving up properties. Not easy to give
properties up. Should give money to give properties up.
Question – How can the Council make people in their current homes lives easier
whilst they are waiting?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Make the living environment better.
Stepney Green, Ocean NDC etc properties there have been empty of years. Still
nothing happened. When you do build, builds lots more accommodation.
Given power to developers, that’s their downfall.
Council should build their own buildings with 2 bathrooms and 2 toilets.
Build more bigger homes.
Give every bedroom with a bathroom.
Refurbishment to kitchen create more space, more cupboards etc for overcrowded
households.
Repairs not fixed or no action taken. Some people taken to paying for their own
repairs.
Question – What about the Private Rented Sector as an alternative choice?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Yes people can move to the PRS.
People can move more between THH to RSL
However people are unsure if it will affect benefits if they move to the PRS.
The answer lies within the council. What is the council’s offer? What is the choices
available?
If the PRS and social rent was closer then for the better accommodation people would
consider moving.
RTB discount is too low so difficult to buy properties or change tenure.
Have to regulate the PRS.
Question – Anything else you would like to add?
•
•
•
•
•
If given support would buy properties.
Where are the properties to buy?
Don’t have financial capacity to buy because they are on benefits.
Repairs poor in property
People need to know about Tenant & Residents Association to help with
overcrowding.
50
The Council also received comments on the Overcrowding Strategy via the Tower
Hamlets Partnership Website.
http://www.onetowerhamlets.net/your_local_area/consultations/july_2009/lets_talk_overcr
owding.aspx
A summary of the comments made can be seen below.
51
Results from the Online Survey the Council took via Survey Monkey are available on
request. Over 85 respondents comments on the following questions which were analysed
and taken on board when writing this strategy.
Have you ever considered moving into the Private Rented Sector?
Do you agree with any of the options presented in the overcrowding report?
Are there any of the options which you think will not work well?
How does overcrowding affect you and other members of your household? Given that
there are not enough large homes to meet every family's needs,
What other options could be explored?
We have a number of properties where tenants are under occupying (e.g. one person
living in a three bed flat). How should we work with under occupiers to make better
utilisation of our stock?
Have you ever considered Low Cost Home Ownership products (such as shared
ownership)?
Do you think residents know what Shared Ownership is?
Do you think residents would benefit from more information about Shared Ownership?
Do you have any other comments or ideas about overcrowding in Tower Hamlets
52
APPENDIX 2
Overcrowding Reduction Strategy
EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT
August 2009
1
EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Name of the policy or function being assessed: Overcrowding Reduction Strategy
Directorate
Development & Renewal
Date Impact Assessment completed
Between August and September 2009
Is this a policy or function?
Policy Function
Is this a new or existing policy or function?
New Existing
2
Names and roles of the people carrying out the Impact Assessment:
(Explain why the members of the impact assessment team were selected i.e. the knowledge
and experience they bring to the process).
1. Faisal Butt – Housing Policy Officer for LBTH leading on the EqIA, former knowledge
and experience in policy and research relating to housing equalities, policy, strategy and
research experience working for local authorities and a housing association.
2. Hugh Chambers – Information and Equalities Officer for the directorate dedicated to
ensuring all policy, strategy and functions are carried out in accordance with the Council’s
commitment to Equality & Diversity. Hugh has served in the field for over 20 years and
brings a wealth of detailed knowledge and experience which will ensure and robust and fair
impact assessment has been carried out.
3. John Coker – Strategic Housing Manager working for LBTH - Vast experience and
history of local authority housing management in London as well as Tower Hamlets.
Numerous years experience in the housing field and sits on the board of a small BME
housing association.
4. Adrian Greenwood- Chief Executive of Gateway HA - vast all round experience of
heading up a housing association that owns and manages homes where provision and
services are mainly tailored to meet the need of social renting households. This association
also manages all the council’s sheltered housing stock in Tower Hamlets. Adrian also chairs
the Tower Hamlets Housing Forum which is a partnership between the council, RSLs and
stakholders.
5. Rafiqul Hoque – Lettings Services Manager for Tower Hamlets - vast experience in
allocations, choice based lettings, sales and marketing of social homes, sub-regional
working, overcrowding and under-occupation and good knowledge of legislation linked to
this area.
6. Colin Cormack – Service Head for Homelessness – expert knowledge and experience
on homelessness and manages systems relating to housing, lettings and temporary
accommodation.
7. Sandra Fawcett – Regional Director of housing at Swan Housing Association – vast all
round knowledge and experience of tenancy management, legislation, performance and
good practice in housing management. One of the largest HA operating in LBTH, this
member is highly qualified to highlight equality issues that actually occur in Tower Hamlets
social rented stock. She also chairs the Common Housing Register Forum between the
Council and its RSL partners.
8. Karl Henson - Supporting People Manager for LB Tower Hamlets Supporting People
programme – vast knowledge of supporting people client types, specialist housing provision
and commissioning of provision and services.
9. Hafsha Ali – Equality and Diversity Co-ordinater for LBTH. Hafsha has been instrumental
in leading the council forward on all equality strands from Stonewall to community cohesion.
She will be our expert panel member who will ensure that all strands are rigorously looked
at to mitigate any impacts identified.
3
Service Head
Signature
Jackie Odunoye
25th August 2009
Date
Once you have filled in this document please send a copy to the Equalities Team.
If you have any questions regarding this form please call the Equalities Team on 020 7364 4723.
SECTION 1
AIMS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE POLICY
Identifying the aims of the policy1
What is the policy?
What is the aim, objective, or purpose of the policy?
The Overcrowding Reduction Strategy intends to deliver a structured and sustained
reduction in overcrowding in line with the over-arching objectives set out in the 2009/12
Housing Strategy and the Council’s Community Plan. The aims in this strategy will build
upon existing initiatives and develop and implement new ones that will help deliver an
overall target of improving the quality of life for 500 households currently suffering from
overcrowded housing conditions within the borough.
The aims of the strategy are to:
•
Reduce overcrowding in existing housing stock, and put in place preventative
measures to reduce future overcrowding.
•
Increase the overall supply of housing for local people including a range of
affordable, family housing.
•
Prevent overcrowding and homelessness by providing access to the right housing
options at the right time
Please note the term ‘Policy’ is used for simplicity. The broad term can also refer to a function or a
service.
1
4
Rationale behind the policy and its delivery
(Please state the underlying policy objectives which underpin this service and what they are trying to
achieve).
Are there associated objectives of the policy? If so, what are they?
What outcomes do we want to achieve from this policy?
What factors could contribute/detract from the outcomes?
The first aim looks to ‘reduce overcrowding in existing housing stock and putting in place
preventative measures to reduce future overcrowding’. This will be achieved by a package
of support and incentives which include;
Cash Incentive Scheme 1: Social mobility to the owner occupied sector for
social housing tenants.
Cash Incentive Scheme 2: Getting under-occupiers to downsize to smaller
accommodation.
Cash Incentive Scheme 3: Making the private rented sector a viable
alternative tenure of choice through the Rent Deposit Scheme.
Knockthroughs – knocking through 2 smaller properties into 1 larger one.
Lettings Policy – Sons & daughters priority *based on the current Lettings
Policy (which is under review).
The outcome of the cash incentive scheme is to create mobility in the stock to allow
movement to get more overcrowded households re-housed from the waiting list. The
knockthroughs will allow the council to resolve the overcrowding problem for the family in
situ- without them having to move. The lettings policy for sons and daughters gives a
chance for the family to become less overcrowded than before.
Historically, take up of all the above initiatives has been low and all schemes need to be
revisited to increase the take up to improve living conditions for social tenants. Barriers to
low take up of initiatives need to be investigated and policies re-written if they are deemed
too restrictive.
In addition to this the council has proposed a number of additional proposals to supplement
existing initiatives to further reduce overcrowding. These include;
Reviewing the sub-regional nominations agreement to maximise housing
for local residents.
Reviewing the Council’s Lettings Policy and looking into the feasibility of
equalising priority between homeless and overcrowded households. The
review will also be taking on board recommendations made by a scrutiny
panel on the policy in 2008.
Improve living conditions for overcrowded households currently waiting to
be re-housed through additional facilities such as extra wash hand basins,
WC, cupboard conversions etc.
Better RSL partnership working to work collectively to reduce overcrowding
across all social housing stock.
Improve overcrowding in the private sector through grants, enforcement and
action.
5
Increasing supply through retention of more sub-regional stock, increasing priority to get
more overcrowded households re-housed through a revision of the lettings policy are two
areas that the council can focus on. Improving conditions through better living conditions in
the social and private sector help achieve the Community Plan outcome for a better quality
of life for residents.
The second aim looks to ‘increase the overall supply of housing for local people including a
range of affordable, family housing’. This will be achieved by a package of funding and
incentives include;
Piloting the Local Homes Initiative – By carrying out an initial pilot to build 61
units of family sized housing with a preferred development partner on small
plots of council land. This will increase as more sites are identified.
Building New Council Housing – the council is currently in the early stages
of developing a plan to start its own house building programme to build 17
units, housing 86 persons over 5 sites on 3 LBTH estates.
Buying back ex-council 3 bed plus Right to Buys properties – around 100
planned as the council has first refusal on re-sales.
Increase housing supply through New Build by 9,000+ units by 2012 of which
5,064 will be affordable and 1,400 will be family sized social housing *Targets
subject to re-negotiation with the GLA, and GOL.
Putting in place a detailed plan to tackle Under-occupation through
incentivisation and a package of support thus increasing our social stock.
Promoting Low Cost Home Ownership products to overcrowded households.
Re-housing 19 Gypsy & Traveller families and looking into the feasibility of
providing additional pitches on a new site.
All initiatives aim to look at increasing housing supply of family sized accommodation. The
Community Plan, Housing Strategy and Local Development Framework are all supported by
targets set in the LAA and National Indicators. This will ensure that everything possible is
done to achieve the targets on increasing supply. The impact of the ‘credit crunch’ continues
to cause downward pressure on the availability of mortgage finance for both developers and
homebuyers, with little short-term prospect of the situation changing. This in effect will also
have an impact on the deliverability of new supply.
The third aim looks to ‘prevent overcrowding and homelessness by providing access to the
right housing options at the right time’. This will be achieved by a package of support and
incentives which include;
Increasing home visits to overcrowded and under occupied households to
discuss housing options and alert residents to incentives and initiatives to help
alleviate overcrowding and reduce under-occupation.
Reviewing the Council’s Lettings Policy and looking into the feasibility of
equalising priority between homeless and overcrowded households.
Tackle empty properties by bringing more back into use to let to people on
the waiting list.
Procuring larger sized properties in the private rented sector through ‘Private
Sector Leasing’ to offer severely overcrowded households some breathing
space whilst they bid for properties.
By presenting a wider range of housing options, and giving realistic options to be re-housed
6
it is hoped that this will tackle some of the root causes of overcrowding.
Through a range of options presented in this strategy it is hoped that we can tackle the
wider social exclusion overcrowding brings. Through this strategy we hope to reduce
inequality and increase the life chances of residents now and in the future.
Who is affected by the policy? Who is intended to benefit from it and how?
Who are the main stakeholders in relation to this policy?
What outcomes would other stakeholders want from this policy?
Are there any groups, which might be expected to benefit from the intended outcomes
but which do not?
The main stakeholders that are set to benefit from the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy
are:
Social housing tenants – council tenants and their families will benefit from housing that
meets there housing need. Severe overcrowding (especially in the council rented sector) will
be part-alleviated during the lifespan of the Strategy.
Households on the common housing register waiting to be housed or re-housed –
applicants can bid to get a home that suits their bed-size requirement in an area/build type
of their choice. Groups like larger households requiring family-sized homes (which are less
available) may take longer to benefit from being adequately re-housed.
Homeless – some eligible homeless will benefit by routes into permanent housing.
Homeless households not accepted as homeless under current legislation aren’t likely to
benefit from permanent housing unless, but (depending on family circumstance) they may
housed through the Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme. A separate Homeless Strategy
covers the interests of this group.
Special needs households – better more suitable elderly supply, supported supply and
services that meet client need. Also, if they are on the accessible housing register they can
bid for new accessible homes completing. Young people will be helped to sustain their
tenancy.
Private rented sector vulnerable tenants – where identified tenants benefit from having
hazards removed by either the ‘carrot’ method (enabling incentives such as landlord grant)
or by ‘stick’ method –Environmental Health enforcement orders.
Private sector owner-occupiers – helped to meet decency through grants/ equity release
and grants and improved home energy efficiency through energy grants for insulation.
Those not wanting to release equity due to inheritance concerns will continue to be at risk.
Private Sector Landlords - irresponsible landlords letting properties to problem tenants
made to change the behaviour of tenants who blight their surrounding communities. Good
landlords to benefit from grants/loans and the benefits of landlord accreditation or to bring a
much needed home back into use.
Housing Providers: (Housing Associations, non-RSLs) – providers benefit if LBTH
supports them in HCA grant, this helps pay for the construction of new homes (that they
hold as an asset), it provides them with a rental stream allowing for growth and improving
their lending potential against their asset portfolios. However in the current housing market
there are reduced opportunities to build due to tougher lending arrangements or reduced
opportunities to take on S106 ‘housing in kind’ units, due to private developers mothballing
sites, this will have a medium impact on new homes coming available to let in 1-3 years time
and beyond that should the recession not lift.
7
Promotion of good relations between different communities
(How does the policy or function contribute to better Community Cohesion?)
How do you promote good relations between different communities you serve based on
mutual understanding and respect?
What opportunities are there for positive cross cultural contact between these communities
to take place e.g. between younger and older people, or between people of different
religious faiths?
Creating new communities on large sites introduces mixed tenure into the neighbourhood,
offers infrastructure (from planning gain) that can extend to benefit the close surrounding
communities. It could be argued that Introduction of mixed tenure (specifically private sale)
could have a trickle down effect on improving poorer people’s wealth. Also such sites
introduce low-cost home ownership (intermediate tenure), this creates opportunities for local
socially mobile households to buy and remain in the area - should they wish.
Investing in existing communities (on non-decant estates) – bringing forward regeneration;
on estates where the life span of residential buildings has expired; existing residents have a
level of empowerment to place shape their homes and community, assuming they choose to
engage with the process. Regeneration estates where people are decanted off-site won’t
benefit from regeneration unless they take up their ‘Right to Return’.
Tower Hamlet Housing Forum – aside from providing homes, RSLs offer extra’s, such as
engaging with residents regarding promoting health and well-being and getting into work,
(mainly initiatives, support, advice) The forum can also share good practice as to what
works in the area of community cohesion. RSLs (collectively) are the largest stock holders
of social rented housing; THH is still the largest sole provider, all have great influence to
provide opportunities for their residents to improve their lives.
Preferred partners managing the social housing stock in the Borough could create a
consistent improved housing management service to all social sector residents across the
borough to help meet the Community Plan aims. Currently this is a commitment in the
Housing Strategy at the feasibility stage.
(Specifically identify the relevance of the aims of the policy to the equality target groups and the
Council’s duty to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and
good relations between people of different racial groups).
A key aim of the Strategy is to meet the needs of disadvantaged people in the Borough.
These are homeless people (majority are BME), people living in overcrowded and cramped
conditions (majority are BME) and people living in hazardous properties (mainly White
and/or elderly) that may have a detrimental effect on dwellers health. Meeting housing need
by operating a fair, transparent allocations policy based on priority needs and opportunities
to alleviate overcrowded households through lettings and other initiatives. The Council is
working effectively to maximise the supply of existing and new housing. Ensuring the
Strategy fits with the Council’s duty to eliminate unlawful discrimination.
8
Policy Priorities:
(How does the policy fit in with the council’s wider aims? Include Corporate and Local Strategic
Partnership Priorities)
How does the policy relate to other policies and practices within the council?
What factors/forces could contribute/detract from the outcomes?
How do these outcomes meet or hinder other policies, values or objectives of the council?
Other strategies and policies will impact on the overall successes of the Overcrowding
Reduction Strategy action plan. This will feed into the Housing Strategy, Community Plan,
Children’s Plan, Homelessness Strategy, One Tower Hamlets Local Strategic Partnerships
and the Local Development Framework (Core Strategy).
The strategies feeding into our Overcrowding Reduction Strategy are:
Community Plan (new)
Housing Strategy (new)
Children’s Plan (new)
Homelessness Strategy (update)
Supporting People Strategy
London wide Gypsy and Travellers Strategy (new)
Private Sector Renewal Strategy (update)
Revision of Tower Hamlets Letting Policy (currently being reviewed)
Some of these plans are at the development stage, therefore it’s too early to identify
outcomes and critical success factors and these will require a separate EqIA. When EqIA
are published the conclusions, recommendations and the action plan will feed into to the
Housing Strategy Programme Board which will receive updates from the Overcrowding
Reduction Strategy Action Plan.
9
How the policy is implemented
(How is, or will, the policy be put into practice and who is, or will be, responsible for it?)
Who defines or defined the policy?
Who implements the policy?
How does the council interface with other bodies in relation to the implementation of this policy?
Is the service provided solely by the Department or in conjunction with another department, agency
or contractor?
If external parties are involved then what are the measures in place to ensure that they comply with
the Council’s Equal Opportunities policy?
An Overcrowding Reduction Strategy action plan has been produced. This clearly identifies
commitments, how they will be achieved, targets, timescales, resources required and the
designated lead person.
The initiation of the Housing Strategy Programme Board will give overall responsibility to
members for:
• Delivering the commitments set out in the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy.
• Delivering the action plan of this EqIA and facilitating the gathering of further information
needed.
• Overseeing the delivery each corporate strategic housing projects identified in the Strategy
• Reporting to the Great Place to Live Community Plan Delivery Group, helping to ensure
alignment between the Overcrowding, Housing and wider Community Plan objectives.
The process will require a designated officer to be responsible for facilitating and providing
support for the Housing Strategy Delivery Board.
The Strategy action pIan would need to feed into two key organisational work plans:
Tower Hamlets Homes (THH) work plan (a council established arms-length management
company, managing council tenant and leaseholder homes) whose main activity is reporting
on their performance, driving improvement, undertaking decent homes and regeneration
and environmental activities.
Tower Hamlets Housing Forum (THHF) work plan (a collective of representative from larger
Housing Association – stock transfer and traditional associations) whose main activity is
reporting on local RSL performance, driving improvement, delivering affordable
development, sharing knowledge and good practice.
The Strategy delivery board will decide effective accessible ways to feedback achievements
or challenges to other stakeholders, such as Councillors, LAP members and residents using
appropriate methods of communication.
10
SECTION 2
CONSIDERATION OF DATA AND RESEARCH
List all examples of quantitative and qualitative data available that will enable the impact
assessment to be undertaken
(include information where appropriate from other directorates, Census 2001 etc.)
An evidence base was compiled that accompanied the Housing Strategy and this went into
some detail of equalities strands (where data was available). This in turn informed the
evidence for the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy.
In addition, evidence was sought from:
Our internal system (mainly Northgate: people and property system) – business
query requests were sought detailing equality strands available.
Using Online Office for National Statistics using NOMIS (data wizard).
Tower Hamlet Homes Housing Register & Waiting List.
Strategic Housing Market Assessment for Tower Hamlets
Housing Needs Survey based on 1,700 face to face interviews across the
borough.
Overcrowding Strategy Focus groups qualitative transcripts.
Overcrowding Summit for professionals including the CLG, GLA, and ELHP
Experience and local knowledge of the EqIA members.
Online Survey via Survey Monkey which received 85 responses.
Equalities profile of users or beneficiaries
(Use the Council’s approved diversity monitoring categories and provide data by target group
of users or beneficiaries to determine whether the service user profile reflects the local
population or relevant target group or if there is over or under representation of these
groups)
General Equalities Profile of all LBTH Residents:
223,400 Total Tower Hamlets population at 2006 (Source: ONS 2006 Estimates)
98,799 Total Tower Hamlets households (Source: HSSA 2007/08)
Ethnicity: (rounded) 54 per cent White 34 per cent Asian/Asian British 5 per cent
Black/Black British 3 per cent mixed 4 per cent Chinese / other
Faith: 39 per cent Christian 36 per cent Muslim 1 per cent Buddhist .0.9 per cent
Jewish 0.8 per cent Hindu 0.3 per cent Sikh 18 per cent no religion. Looking at children
and faith – there are less Christian children under age 15 (13 per cent) than in the Muslim
faith (38 per cent)
Age: 22.9 per cent are aged 15 and under: 16.21 per cent aged 16-24 48.4 per cent
aged 25-59 8.6 per cent aged 60-74 and 3.97 per cent aged 75 plus.
11
Gender: 49 per cent female, 51 per cent male.
Disability: More disable people housed in the social sector (about 79 per cent) than the
private owner-occupier (about 19 per cent) or private rented sector (about 2 per cent)
Sexual orientation: One in ten Londoners is LGBT.
Specific profile of specific types of residents the Strategy will serve:
Council renters (15,253):
Ethnicity: 45 per cent Asian (mainly Bangladeshi) 28 per cent White (mainly White
British) 8 per cent Black (Somali/Caribbean/African) 1 per cent Dual 18 per cent
unknown/other.
Age: Age16-19 = less than 1 per cent Age 20-29= 11 per cent Age 30-39= 19 per
cent Age 40-49= 14 per cent
Age 50-59= 11 per cent Age 60-69= 9 per cent 70 and above= 14 per cent No DOB=
22 per cent.
More elderly in council housing than RSL sector, due to longer serving tenancies.
(Source: THH at June 2008)
RSL renters (11,875 in 2001 Census) *Many new-build completions and stock transfers into
RSL sector since 2001.
Ethnicity (of Census respondent): 58 per cent White (mainly White British) 25 per cent
Asian (mainly Bangladeshi) 12 per cent Black 2 per cent Dual 3 per cent
Chinese/other.
Age: Age 24 and under = 5 per cent Age 25-34= 23 per cent Age 35-44= 28 per cent
Age 45-54= 18 per cent Age 55 to pension age= 11 per cent Pension age to 75= 15
per cent
Household Composition (broad base) Census 2001: Single Person (pensioner and non) =
41 per cent Couples (pensioner & non) = 9 per cent Families with Children (dependent &
non-dependant) = 45 per cent of which a quarter are lone parent families 5 per cent other
(Source: Census 2001)
Accepted homeless (duty for LA to house)
Ethnicity: 23 per cent White 24 per cent African Caribbean 48 per cent
Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi 3 per cent other 2 per cent unknown. Disproportionate
homelessness experienced by minority ethnic groups.
Acceptance by priority need category: 71 per cent with dependent children or pregnant 9
per cent Young person 7 per cent Mental illness 7 per cent Physical disability 1 per
cent Fleeing DV 1 per cent of old age 4 per cent other. Vulnerable women (expecting/or
with children) are more reliant on homelessness support and provision than men.
(Source: CLG, Qtr 1 to 3, 2007/08)
A level of Disability: 8 per cent of households on the Accessible Housing Register (total
550 households) are homeless and waiting to be re-housed in suitable permanent accessible
social rented homes. Whilst homeless and in temporary accommodation, the disabled
resident can’t benefit from fixed aids and adaptations, therefore may suffer more hardship
than other households competing for new accessible housing.
Age: Many homeless applications from young people (not necessarily accepted). Service
areas report high numbers of non-dependent children of existing tenants presenting
themselves as homeless.
12
Sexual Orientation: It’s recognised (but not overly evidenced here) there could be young
LGBT people who are forced to leave the parental home or feel they must leave the parental
home. There is a need for sensitive handling of such cases by frontline Council staff.
HB claimants (detailed info available on council renters only)
Household Composition: Council renters not claiming housing benefit tend to be smaller
size households (1 to 3 people).
Housing benefit claimant and non-claimant council renting households of working age:Ethnicity
Claimants (full/part)
H/hold count
per cent
per cent
Asian (all)
2,271
Black (all)
559
Dual (all)
49
White (all)
1,625
Ethnic other/unknown 1094
40 per cent
10 per cent
1 per cent
29 per cent
20 per cent
Non-claimants
H/hold count
333
127
13
183
286
36 per cent
13 per cent
1 per cent
19 per cent
31 per cent
Worklessness
Ethnicity: People of working age from ethnic minorities are more likely to be economically
inactive and unemployed. This affects about 56 per cent of the Bengali working age
population, about 35 per cent of the Black African population and about 33 per cent of both
the Indian and Caribbean population.
Age: Employment rate levels among young people (16-24 year-olds) is lower in Tower
Hamlets (17 per cent) than the London average (9 per cent) despite there being twice as
many jobs in the borough as economically active residents.
Gender: High levels of economic inactivity among Muslim women in Tower Hamlets. For
half of households, child poverty is a reality; and nearly half of those are lone-parent
households. Having dependent children is likely to hinder access to work to bring in a
sufficient enough income that exceeds a benefit-based income.
Accessible Housing Register Clients (423 in Aug-08):
Ethnicity: 48 per cent Asian (mainly Bangladeshi) 28 per cent White (mainly White
British) 14 per cent Black 1 per cent Dual 9 per cent unknown.
Age: Age16-19 = 0 per cent Age 20-29= 16 per cent Age 30-39= 26 per cent Age
40-49= 22 per cent Age 50-59= 14 per cent Age 60-69= 8 per cent 70 and above= 14
per cent.
Fully wheelchair user households waiting housing or re-housing: 41
Partially wheelchair user households waiting housing or re-housing: 18
(Source: THH lettings IT Team)
Overcrowded households (social rented sector):
Ethnicity: 66 per cent Asian (mainly Bangladeshi) 17 per cent White (mainly white
British) 10 per cent Black 2 per cent Dual 5 per cent unknown/ethnic other.
Age of overcrowded main tenant (total 9,411- all ethnic groups): Age under 19 = 2 per
cent Age 20-29= 40 per cent Age 30-39= 35 per cent Age 40-49= 16 per cent Age
50-59= 4 per cent Age 60-69= 1 per cent 70 and above= 2 per cent
(Source: THH lettings IT Team)
13
Under-occupiers (social rented sector): Under-occupation, where the main tenant is over
sixty, accounts for 53 per cent of all under-occupying households.
Under-occupation is more prevalent in RSL social rented stock, where traditional RSLs and
stock transfer RSLs operate. (Source: THH lettings IT Team)
Housing/Re-housing waiting list (CHR):
Most Community Groups with the best chance of successful bidding are one to three.
Demand by broad ethnicity and community groups.
Asian
White
CG1 to CG3 (total 19,655)
51 per cent
28 per cent
Black
12 per cent
Chinese
less than 1 per cent
Dual
2 per cent
Ethnic other
less than 1 per cent
Unknown
7 per cent
(Source: THH lettings IT Team)
CG4 (total 3,221)
41 per cent
32 per cent
19 per cent
4 per cent
less than 1 per cent
4 per cent
Special needs households:
Fifteen per cent of Tower Hamlets population have a special need, 63 per cent have a
physical disability, 19 per cent suffer frailness, 14 per cent have mental health issues, 6 per
cent experience learning difficulties, 7 per cent have a severe sensory impairment, 0.4 per
cent vulnerable young people – a third of people are older people. Across tenure types, 79
per cent are housed in the social rented sector, 19.4 per cent owner-occupiers and 1.6 per
cent private renters. Of those with special needs (12,743), a third are BME. (Source: HNS
2004)
The prevalence of disability increases with age. Eight per cent of young Londoners (aged 1624) are disabled relative to one third (33 per cent) of those aged 55 to retirement age.
(Source: AES Draft)
Large families:
28 per cent of all demand is for larger family-sized social rented homes. Of these
households, the broad ethnicity is:
69 per cent Asian larger bed-sized requirement/demand
13 per cent White
10 per cent Black
1 per cent Dual
7 per cent unknown / other ethnic group
Age (young people and elderly):
Tower Hamlets has a large percentage of young people in its population. Almost 30 per cent
of the population are under the age of 19, the average for London is 18 per cent. Forty-seven
per cent of LBTH children live in a household that is in receipt of government benefits.
14
Our working-age population reflects the relative youthfulness of the borough. Tower Hamlets
has the third largest percentage (37 per cent) of 20 to 34 year olds of any Local Authority in
the country. In contrast, 60 per cent of the White British population are over 30 and fewer
than 14 per cent fall in the 0-15 age group. Fifty-nine percent of the population are age15-44
compared with 42 per cent for this age group in the country as a whole.
In contrast, the borough has a much smaller than average number of older people. The 50plus age group comprises of one-sixth of Tower Hamlets’ population. Just 8 per cent of the
population are over 65 compared to 16 per cent in the rest of the country. Tower Hamlets is
7th highest nationally for pensioner poverty. About 70per cent of pensioner households in
Tower Hamlets live in social housing.
Tenant satisfaction (overall satisfaction)
Olde r tenants are signif icantly more satisfied
with THH than younge r ones. Only in the 16 –
24 year old age group did THH score a highe r
numbe r of those satisfied than the RSLs.
THH
Age
16 – 24
THH
25 – 34
THH
35 – 54
THH
55 – 64
THH
65+
RSLs
RSLs
RSLs
RSLs
RSLs
Satisfied
53%
40%
51%
58%
49%
57%
59%
65%
72%
78%
Dissatisfied
37%
21%
27%
26%
29%
24%
21%
20%
12%
15%
Net
16%
19%
24%
32%
19%
33%
38%
45%
60%
63%
White tenants were more satisfied with THH and
the RSLs than BME tenants. The level of
dissatisfaction of BME tenants is half the level of
satisfaction for THH.
THH
RSLs
BME
White
BME
White
Satisfied
54%
64%
56%
67%
Dissatisfied
27%
17%
25%
20%
65+
55-64
35-54
25-34
16-24
%
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
THH
RSLs
BME
Net
28%
47%
31%
47%
White
0
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70
THH
%
RSLs
Sexual Orientation:
Data available on sexual orientation of residents is sparse. Looking at declared sexuality in
the 2009 STATUS survey results I can see that about 4 per cent of respondents that are
council renters are LGB, the figure is 3 per cent for RSL respondents.
Broad ethnicity and tenure: The figures show there is less take-up of owner-occupation by
non-white communities, a high demand for social housing from all ethnicities; and a higher
proportion of white people in the private rented sector (PRS ranges from luxury to basic and
poor homes)
Other minority groups
White (all)
15
Owner Occupied
Social Rented
Private Rented
7944
17,857
3,321
17,396
22,756
11,493
Equalities profile of staff
(Indicate profile by target groups and assess relevance to policy aims and objectives e.g.
Workforce to Reflect the Community. Identify staff responsible for delivering the service
including where they are not directly employed by the council).
Housing Strategy Staff: 47 per cent of people employed by the LBTH are from minority
ethnic communities. (Source: BV17, 2008). This is also reflected in the make-up of the
housing strategy team. The team has an equal gender split, and a mix of age bands.
Tower Hamlets Homes: The governing board is made up of 15 members, mainly male with
three females; about 35 per cent are from minority ethnic communities.
Tower Hamlets Housing Forum: About 80 per cent White and 20 per cent minority ethnic
board representatives.
Housing Strategy Programme Board (responsible for delivery of the Strategy), this group
has yet to be formed, membership to be considered nearer inception.
Evidence of Complaints against the service on grounds of discrimination
(Is there any evidence of complaints either from customers or staff (Grievance) as to the
delivery of the service, or its operation, on the equality target groups?)
Tower Hamlets Homes have not found any complaints in the last year that are directly
related to discrimination.
16
Barriers
(What are the potential or known barriers to participation for the different equality target
groups?)
During the consultation phase of the Overcrowding Reduction Strategy, we received formal
consultation from 14 residents from the Getting Involved Register - we didn’t directly monitor
equalities profiles of responses because the focus was establishing if the priorities in the
Strategy were the right ones. However, representation of the two focus groups we carried
out was more diverse in terms of age (although weak in people under-twenty five), gender
and ethnicity but not disability. Any LGB attendees wouldn’t have been required to declare
their sexuality.
There will be future opportunities for participation broadly covering these areas:
Regeneration/place-shaping/Local Homes Initiative PRS grants/dwellers & hazards tenant involvement activities council house building homelessness worklessness/into-work activities housing waiting list/CBL & lettings/decanting/reducing
overcrowding/letting accessible homes community safety.
Before we undertake future consultation we know the current barriers to participation by
equality strand could be:
Disability
Physical access issues - getting to places and around places where participation occurs –
being provided with transport (or not!).
Affordability – if reliant on taxi’s, does affordability impact or limit them as to their level of
participation.
Coping issues – if the person experiences learning difficulties, the pitch of the participation
activity must be inclusive of their needs.
Personal Safety issues – considerate times for participation activities, For example,
activities held on dark evenings will be unattractive to people with mobility issues.
Dissemination of information/papers – is there flexible measures to cater for people with
sensory disabilities?
Ethnicity
Language issues – is translation available for participation activities
Translated promotional material should be available for key events we know non-English
speaking people can attend.
The facilitators of events should be empowered enough to handle instances of racism should derogatory remarks crop up from other participants.
Gender
Sufficient crèche facilities catering for lone parents wishing to partake in activities
Does the participation activity come to them (for example: consultation at the school
gates) or concentrate on children events.
The facilitators of events should be empowered to handle instances of stigma against
lone-parents - should derogatory remarks crop up from other participants.
Sexual Orientation
The facilitators of events should be empowered to handle instances of homophobia should
derogatory remarks crop up from other participants.
17
Faith / Belief
Careful consideration of the venues used for consultation, ideally they shouldn’t have an
open bar.
Consider avoiding meeting/consultation activities at time of religious observance.
Consider focusing consultation of faith groups by considering venues such as mosques.
Age
Young people are often disengaged due to the method an organisation uses to communicate
with them.
Young people won’t be familiar with housing or tenancy terms
Young adults have limited life-experience as to sustaining their tenancy. Participation for
them is likely to be stressful and confusing - especially for young vulnerable people leaving
care and living independently for the first time.
Personal Safety issues - times participation activities are held. For example, activities held
on dark evenings will be unattractive to elderly or frail people.
Recent consultation exercises carried out
(Detail consultation with relevant interest groups, other public bodies, voluntary
organisations, community groups, trade unions, focus groups and other groups, surveys and
questionnaires undertaken etc. Focus in particular on the findings of views expressed by the
equality target groups)
Overcrowding Reduction Strategy consultation opportunities were:
Provider Consultation:
•
Consultation session with members of Tower Hamlets Housing Forum (THHF)
•
Extensive consultation with other LBTH directorates
•
Consultation session with housing community stakeholders and board members
Resident Consultation:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Formal distribution of the full draft Overcrowding Reduction Strategy to stakeholders,
these included residents from the GIR (Getting Involved Register), resident
associations, elected members and the borough LAPs.
Overcrowding Summit - consultation half day event for professionals (7th July)
Through the Corporate Consultation & Involvement Team: Two resident focus groups
- held during August at locations across the borough
Articles in East End Life highlighting the consultation.
Report published for consultation on the Internet (Tower Hamlets Council Website)
and the partnership website (OneTowerHamlets).
Survey Monkey on LBTH & One Tower Hamlets website carrying out a survey on
overcrowding to gauge a wider spectrum of views from residents across the borough.
We had 85 respondents to the survey and the results have been analysed and utilised
to inform the strategy. Survey Monkey respondent results available on request.
18
•
Written feedback on the consultation, phone calls and emails were all submitted and
Comments left on the One Tower Hamlets website.
The focus groups were the most insightful of the consultation events held. The mixed focus
groups were sampled by gender, ethnicity, by age and tenure type and were well attended.
Focus group conversation is fast-paced - so the following may not express views made only
by minority participants. Instead it highlights issues bought up by attendees that affect the
equality strands. The focus group topic-guide covered overcrowding, under-occupation,
tenure and affordability. Transcripts can be found in Appendix B of the strategy.
Ethnicity
“Understanding the process’”– especially important for social rented families, especially if
English is their second language. Tenants must not lose out on the positive benefits that
choice based lettings brings if they do not fully understand the lettings process.
“Concern about housing layout and cultural considerations” – in recent years there has been
wide-use of open plan (kitchen/diner/living room) in new builds - even in larger family-sized
social rented units. There is scheme viability pressure on developers to comply and include
larger-sized units, but the homes must be designed to be ‘fit for purpose’. Large flats need
closed off communal spaces for many practical and cultural reasons. We must ensure larger
families aren’t deterred in bidding for new social rented flats because of inconsiderate layout
and this should also be addresses in the adopted LDF.
“Resident Associations need to try harder to sustain tenant engagement” – A traditional
method for democratic engagement; TRA’s should be supported by the Council to ensure
they meet the needs of their block/estate resident profile. The issue is wider! – Resident
participation for relevant Overcrowding Strategy objectives needs to ensure equal
opportunities for engagement to happen.
Faith
The concern about open plan design in new homes and the link to faith and ethnicity will be
addressed by the Overarching Housing Strategy (Commitment 45). Guidance will be
developed as to the cultural/faith/practical needs of Black, Asian and other minority ethnic
groups in Tower Hamlets
Age
“Young people should be better engaged and have suitable community facilities provided”
(benefits redevelopment/regeneration brings) – especially important because we have high
numbers of young people and we know a high proportion of those are Bengali. Essentially,
this is about developers (who intend to incorporate community space) consulting with
potential user groups from the early stages and beyond. As children need a safe space to
play and study which is not possible in Overcrowded households.
“Residents may not always benefit from redeveloped areas – less parks and open space” –
young people are more likely to make use of open space than other groups. Again,
redevelopment brings scheme viability pressures on both RSL developers (requiring match
19
funding to build, meaning maximisation of private sale units) and private developers getting
the minimum return on their investment. A need for open space that reflects the site’s child
yield and that won’t create future housing management problems.
“Older people, people with accessibility issues and children should not be placed in high-rise
flats” – older people (not living at street level) may have feelings of isolation - living in highrise lessens opportunities of day-to-day social engagement and sometimes reduced
neighbourliness. Children in high density could prove impractical for other residents if
communal areas are used as play space. Most new-build lifts are well maintained - but when
out of action, accessibility for mothers with babies, wheelchair users and older people with
mobility issues will be most affected. At the planning stage scheme viability issues will
determine if the build type (flats or houses) on a site and the ground floor use (commercial or
residential use). The adopted LDF will provide a clear steer to developers on density issues
and site suitability for residential use.
“Concern over residential car parking - families’ need cars” – the number of cars should be
limited per household – on-site parking spaces offered by private developers is too
expensive – by not having a car park space may affect the way tenants (awaiting re-housing)
bid for homes.” – Most new developments are car-free; lettings officers inform us that lack of
car park spaces impacts on people bidding for new-build properties. Available car park
spaces are essential for people with a disability and their visiting carers (although it’s already
written into our S106 agreements that wheelchair-user home must have an on-site parking
space, even on car-free developments). Car-parking near to the home also applies to the
gender strand – mothers with young children need parking near the home.
Disability
“New developments should consider safety aspects (e.g. good lighting, CCTV) and local
shops should be on new developments” – access to local amenities (although shopping is
more costly) is essential for residents not able to access their nearest town centre. People
with disabilities are more vulnerable, personal safety is more important (especially in urban
areas) prevention measures (like Secure by Design principles) may help ease ‘fear of crime’.
Gender
“Under-Occupiers should be able to stay in the same area - where their friends are, where
their children’s schools are, where their GP is”– this statement came from the Bengali
women’s focus group. Avoiding isolation and maintaining continuity is likely to be more
important for mothers (if they are the main carer) than males.
Sexual Orientation
The focus group discussion didn’t bring up direct links to sexual orientation, the nearest
topics would have been around personal safety and Secure by Design - ruling out
opportunities for crime (including hate crime) to occur.
20
Identify areas where more information may be needed and the action taken to obtain
this data.
(You will need to consider data that is monitored but not reported, data that could be
monitored but is not currently collected and data that is not currently monitored and would be
impossibly/extremely difficult to collect).
Gaps in information:
1) Unknown profile of people living in non-CHR RSL homes.
2) Unknown equality profile of private residents and council leaseholders who may engage in
services to reduce Overcrowding.
3) Waiting for a renewed private sector strategy - to establish the base-line to set a target for
reducing the number of private sector properties with Category 1 hazards (HHSRS) – also to
understand the equalities profile of dwellers.
4) Check for any disproportion in private sector grants applications by key equality strands to
establish if there are any access barriers.
5) Gather further information on the equalities profile of council tenants who benefit from
council cash incentive schemes, again to see if there is disproportion of beneficiaries.
6) Waiting for information on the TSAs new regulatory/inspection framework and see how
this impacts on ALMO tenants.
7) Ascertain if RSL resident board members are representative of Tower Hamlets
communities.
8) Ascertain if RSLs are taking up all opportunities (in their day-to-day contact with residents)
to collect the equality profile of their tenants, leaseholders and shared owners.
9) Establish how in-depth HouseMark performance benchmarking indicators are in collecting
performance by key equalities strands (Commitment 19).
10) Gather further equality profiles of communities in areas where regeneration is proposed
and understand how households will be affected.
11) Establish the equalities profile (and areas of concern) for tenants in areas ‘decanting’ is
proposed.
12) Establish and address any displacement issues dwellers of the Eleanor Travellers Site
may have (Commitment 39).
13) Establish any risks concerning the Strategy commitment that proposes preferred partner
RSLs for managing and developing – risks assessed by the equality strands.
14) Gather current information as to the extent of RTB sub-letting tenants to understand
which are perpetrators of ASB and the equality profile of victims and perpetrators.
15) Work with THHF to establish health/well-being profiles of existing households by key
equality strands.
Action needed:
(Include short-term measures to be taken to provide a baseline where no or little information
is available)
1) Activity picked up in the main strategy action plan
2) Awaiting data from THH
3) Report to be commissioned in 2010.
21
4) and 5) Pick up as part of EqIA action Plan
6) No action until TSA publish guidance
7) Activity picked up in the main strategy action plan
8) Pick up as part of EqIA action Plan
9) Pick up as part of EqIA action Plan
10) Pick up as part of EqIA action Plan
11) Link this activity to be the main Strategy action plan
12) Pick up as part of EqIA action Plan
13) Pick up as part of EqIA action Plan
14) Link this activity to be the main Strategy action plan
15) Link this activity to be the main Strategy action plan
22
Newer initiatives:
~Local Housing
initiative
~RTB council
buyback
~Award status
change of
overcrowded
households in the
choice based
lettings scheme
~reviewing LBTH
contribution of
family units to the
sub-regional pot.
Previous
approaches:
~Knock-throughs
~Cash-Incentive
Scheme
~Young adult
members of
overcrowded
households being
re-housed.
~development of
more large family
accommodation
Page 15+
Disability
General
Ethnicity
Chapter 5, 6 and 7
Gender
Sexual
Faith /
Overcrowding
Reduction Strategy
drawing on previous
successful
approaches and
initiatives.
Assessment with
Reference to the
Strategy
Short-term: quicker,
more targeted approach to
alleviating about 500 overcrowded households
(tenants and non-tenants
combined) within the next
18 months.
Non-tenants sometimes
lack local connection
therefore more
disadvantaged and more
likely to be from BME
groups. So addressing the
needs on overcrowded
non-tenants is positive for
them.
Re-housing to meet bedsize need could bring
improved life chances for
households of which the
majority are from BME
groups.
Likely
Positive
Impacts
Section 3 - Assessment of Impact
Age
Need to ensure the 500
house-holds are reflected
fairly over the equality
strands, for example the
ethnicity profile. But this is
further complicated
because some of the
initiatives relies on
overcrowded households
bidding for a home that
meets their bed-size need.
With choice based lettings
scheme it’s up to resident
to bid, LBTH has little
control which of the ethnic
groups will bid and be
successful.
On the RTB buyback
initiative there’s a risk
Investment RTB landlords
may not want to sell their
stock in the borough,
where stock contains antisocial private tenants,
community cohesion is at
risk and the unit won’t be
bought and then let to
existing overcrowded
households.
Knock-through loss of
smaller social rented units.
Likely
Negative
Impacts
Carried out
through this EqIA.
Mitigation
Activity
Or recommendaction
About 55% of council renter
lack one or more bedrooms
(of which 10% of those are
severely overcrowded). For
the RSL sector, 6% of RSL
households are lacking one or
more bedrooms, of which 1%
was severely overcrowded.
About 66% of overcrowded
transfer tenants are
Asian/Asian British (mainly
of Bangladeshi descent)
19% white, 10% Black/Black
British, 2% dual, 3% refused.
Just under half of
overcrowded households
require family-sized units, in
the past the avail-ability of
larger sized re-lets has not
kept up with the demand,
meaning longer waiting times
for households.
Data available to assist
our judgement
23
Disability
Page 17
Sons & Daughters
Policy
Chapter 5
Review Sons &
Daughters Policy
Page 17
Sub-regional noms
Ethnicity
Chapter 5
Gender
Maximising nomination
rights, meaning more
social rented units kept for
waiting list applicant
households from across the
equality strands.
Where LBTH receives
nomination rights to other
east boroughs social rented
homes, this allows the
opportunity of crossborough mobility to
equality strand waiting list
applicants
Likely
Positive
Impacts
Due to cultural reasons
many BME families would
to condone a sons &
daughters policy
A fairer more transparent
lettings scheme to benefit
bidding households in all
of the equality strands,
especially for overcrowded
households who may fair
better in the CBL scheme,
we know currently 66 per
cent are Bangladeshi.
Sexual
Faith /
Review sub-regional
nomination
arrangements to ensure
that the Tower Hamlets
is gaining an
appropriate share of
homes developed in
the Borough, lobbying
for change if required.
Assessment with
Reference to the
Strategy
Age
Negative impacts to be
looked at as part of it’s own
on the Lettings Policy EqIA
A full EqIA
will be
undertaken on
the imminent
reviewed
Lettings Policy
and on the
choice based
lettings scheme.
(Activity picked
up by the
Housing
Strategy Action
Plan)
To push for a
positive ELHP
CO board
outcome.
Mitigation
Activity
Or recommendaction
If the review recommended
by the ELHP joint lettings &
development board doesn’t
make it to CO board for a
decision or the CO board turn
down the review then of
LBTH schemes completing
will still see a proportion of
larger sized home
nominations being given to
other east boroughs, our
overcrowded households
(mainly Bangladeshi) will
lose out.
Likely
Negative
Impacts
8 Adult Children of
overcrowded households
were re-housed using the
Sons and Daughters Policy in
2008-09.
Even though we are the
largest deliverers of funded
social rented unit of all the
east-boroughs we have a
low HNI (17.59%) due to
having fewer people in
temporary accommodation,
compared with Hackney
(about 29% HNI)
In the 2006/08
programme about 420 of
920 units are family-sized.
In addition to this, Keep
ahead on MAA current
proposals concerning a
further MAA authority
nominations scheme.
Explore the effects on
waiting list tenants if it’s
implemented.
Data available to assist
our judgement
24
Page 18 & 32
Lettings Policy
Review
Chapter 5 & 7
Review Tower
Hamlets Lettings
Policy leading to
firm proposals for
improved policy and
choice-based
lettings scheme
Page 18 & 32
Lettings Policy
Review
Chapter 5
Expect all social
landlords to make
reasonable
financial provision
to fund adaptation
works to meet
residents changing
needs
A fairer more transparent
lettings scheme to benefit
bidding households in all
of the equality strands,
especially for overcrowded
households who may fair
better in the CBL scheme,
we know currently 66 per
cent are Bangladeshi.
Properties are now assessed
and given an accessibility
category, this is held on the
LBTH Northgate property
system, meaning where
permanent-type expensive
adaptations are carried out,
succession tenancies can also
benefit as available properties
can be advertised and targeted
to other people with the same
accessibility need.
It’s plausible that if let’s to
the overcrowded increases,
then ‘mobility’ let’s and let’s
to people with ‘no housing
need’ may be reduced. Even
more acute because the PanLondon (Capital Moves)
scheme was dropped, the
Mayor hasn’t launched a
replacement mobility lettings
scheme (as yet)
Negative impacts to be
looked at as part of it’s EqIA
Risk that adaptations could
be lost if an adapted property
is relet to a general need
applicant due to void
turnaround pressures. If this
occurs, people with mobility
issues (waiting re-housing)
lose out as accessible stock
becomes permanently
‘general needs’ stock.
A risk LBTH can’t
practically track non-common
housing register (CHR)
adapted properties. We trust
these RSLs to declare all relet
nominations (we have rights
to) when they occur and trust
that they don’t relet adapted
homes to people on their own
housing waiting list.
Complying with this
commitment takes finances
away from mainstream funds
that would have been for used
for other works (assuming
DFG doesn’t meet a large
proportion of the work cost)
A full EqIA
will be
undertaken on
the imminent
reviewed
Lettings Policy
and on the
choice based
lettings scheme.
LBTH
(Strategic
housing &
lettings IT) to
ensure all
properties in
receipt of aids/
adaptations
(DFG or selffinanced) are
assessed using
AHR digi-pen
and an AHR
category
applied to
Northgate
property
system.
THHF to
ensure nonCHR RSLs also
comply and
deliver on this
commitment.
THHF
ensures
adaptations
pulled out of
properties are
being recycled.
Since 2004 to March
2008, the Disabled
Facilities Grant helped 444
private sector households
(including 278 RSL
tenants) to remain living
independently in
their own homes.
In 2008/09 the Council
spent over £500k on
adapting properties owned
by RSLs for the benefit of
their disabled tenants.
Gather further
information to check if
there is disproportion in
DFG applications by key
equality strandsestablishing any access
barriers.
Gather further
information on the
equalities profile of council
tenants who benefit from
council funded
aids/adaptations
25
Page 19
RSL Partnership
Working
Chapter 5
Working in
partnership with
Tower Hamlets
Housing Forum
members to
develop a
Performance
Management
Framework that
will track and
drive improvement
in social
landlords’
management
performance.
Page 19
RSL Partnership
Working
Chapter 5
Expect all social
landlords
operating an
efficient, effective
and fair
management
service delivering
an Audit
Commission a
minimum ‘Two
Star’ service (or
TSA new
regulatory
equivalent)
Any positive action as a
result of benchmarking or
performance in relation to
Choice-Based Lettings is
likely to benefit and reach all
residents.
LBTH monitoring of stock
transfer organisations to
ensure promises in offer
documents are met and no
disadvantage caused.
All providers bought up to the
minimum standard giving
better services to residents of
all equality strands of which
we half of tenants are from
minority ethnic groups and
older people living in council
housing.
Benchmarking data among
housing providers in LBTH
may not be detailed enough to
ensure all adverse equality
issues are identified. (For
example, ASB- hate crime,
LGBT victims)
Results may have an
adverse effect on tenant
participation across all
equality strands if their
landlord is seen not to be
performing as well as they
would like
Recognise that where
housing associations operate
in multi-areas, performance
inspection findings (for the
whole org) may not be
specific or relevant to
services/stock the HA may
have in Tower Hamlets (this
may change under the TSA
framework)
Smaller RSLs aren’t
currently audited – there’s no
incentive for them to improve
service delivery. This means
residents of these providers
could be disadvantaged; the
RSLs of this kind are
typically faith based housing
associations.
Tower
Hamlets
council to get
these smaller
RSLs signed up
to this
commitment.
Waiting to see
the full extent
of new TSA
powers which
should force
improved
performance of
all RSLs and
later ALMOs.
Find an
imminent way
to measure
management
standards of
smaller (noninspected) HAs.
Ensure THHF
considers
equalities issues
in its
framework
paper and
protocol.
Pier
organisations
commit to help
where (on the
rare occasions)
where other
providers fail
Gather further
information on the depth of
Housemark indicators by
equality strand and
Establish an informed
baseline to see how RSLs
performed in their last
inspection on housing
management services or
supported housing
services.
Gather further
information on how TSA
inspection procedures and
results are in relation to
multi-area operating RSLs.
26
Page 19
RSL Partnership
Working
Disability
Chapter 5
Ethnicity
Gender
Sexual
Faith /
Require all social
landlords in the
borough to have a
Tenant
Involvement
Statements setting
out how it
involves tenants in
the running of its
organisation and
building on
emerging TSA
principles.
Assessment with
Reference to the
Strategy
Age
It would be expected the
Tenant Involvement
Statements should be
inclusive and accessible to
all resident households
that fall under these
equality strands and for all
housing types, For
example elderly housing,
foyer, hostel and other
forms of supported
housing.
Tenant Involvement
Statements should clearly
state the method and
support to ensure
maximum opportunity of
involvement.
Enables households
across all equality strands
to monitor landlords
around resident
involvement service
delivery
Likely
Positive
Impacts
Smaller organisations
running on tighter resources
may be limited in the level of
support/
training/opportunities to get
involved compared with
larger landlords.
Likely
Negative
Impacts
THHF could
offer suitable
assistance to
smaller HAs
(where needed) to
ensure they can
comply
Communications
should reflect best
practice. For
example, use of
plain English,
translations in
local languages
and appeal to the
different audience
types (For
example,
appealing to young
people like Foyer
dwellers).
Mitigation
Activity
Or recommendaction
Gather further
information to see if there
is currently a reasonable
range of resident board
members that reflect the
communities they serve?
Assess the value of
existing type tenant
participation
statements/compacts, and
if it extends to supported
housing
Further need to ascertain
how effective the housing
provider is at monitoring
/updating tenancy records
re: sexual orientation,
ethnicity and disability
status.
Data available to assist
our judgement
27
Page 22+
Increasing Supply
Chapter 6
Deliver a high
quality urban
planning and
development
process which
supports the
delivery of the 4
Community Plan
themes.
Page 22+
Increasing Supply
Chapter 6,
Disability
Gender
Ethnicity
Faith / Belief
Sexual Orientation
Seek as a strategic
target 50%
affordable housing
on all housing
developed in the
borough, applying
35% on individual
privately owned
sites.
Assessment with
Reference to the
Strategy
Impacts….(tick
strands affected)
Age
Equal distribution of benefits
across the equalities strands
providing they are willing
participants of community
plan targets areas.
Could ensure strong future
delivery of funded affordable
housing, helping to alleviate
homelessness and
overcrowding of which
minority ethnic groups are
predominant.
Extra investment from HCA
will bring forward more
affordable rented units which
will meet demand of equality
strands households waiting
for housing or re-housing.
Likely
Positive
Impacts
Recession has currently
stalled some S106 sites that
would have contributed
affordable housing, means
that in the next 3 years we
may not meet GOL targets,
therefore less units for tenants
if sites aren’t re-provided as
100% affordable sites.
Increased oversubscription
of infrastructure (for
example: school places),
especially an issue if in this
downturn more affordable
rent housing is built than
private, because s/rent will
defiantly introduce new
families, where large size
new build private market isn’t
necessarily taken up by
families (could be small
HMO use)
If for example, more money
is allocated to public realm,
this means less for decent
housing.
Likely
Negative
Impacts
The Strategy
Board will
effectively feed
into the
Community
Plan ‘Great
Place to Live’
delivery group ,
ONE Tower
Hamlets
Partnership
Board and
meets the LDF
Spatial Strategy
(on adoption)
Monitor any
growth in
demand directly
due to reduced
short-term
supply (activity
to sit under the
Housing
Strategy action
plan)
Extra funding
from the HCA
on certain sites.
Ongoing
monitoring of
sites.
Mitigation
Activity
Or
recommendaction
The make-up of
communities in the LAPS
varies. Refer to page 9 of
the Strategy evidence base
for the variation of trends.
Supply for next 3 years
(medium case scenario) is
just over 5893 of which
2174 is affordable and
3719 sale.
Data available to assist
our judgement
28
Page 23
Disability
LHI
Ethnicity
Chapter 6
Gender
Sexual
Faith /
Undertake feasibility
of designating
affordable housing
partners for
development sites in
order to improve
local management
service
delivery and
maximise
contribution to
Community Plan
objectives.
Assessment with
Reference to the
Strategy
Age
More nomination rights (to
meet waiting list demand)
as more preferred landlords
providing homes with 100%
nomination rights.
Likely
Positive
Impacts
Likely
Negative
Impacts
Feasibility
report must
cover diversity
issues - client
issues and
organisational
issues - the
future of
existing BME
HAs who only
manage than
develop.
Mitigation
Activity
Or recommendaction
Gather further
information as to the
equality risks of this
proposal
Data available to assist
our judgement
29
Page 23
LHI & Build
Council Housing
Chapter 6,
Seek 45% of the
social rented
element of new
developments to be
for
large family
purposes (i.e.,3bed+) either
provided onsite, or
where delivery
proves
unsustainable,
provided offsite;
25% of the
intermediate and
market homes
should have three
bedrooms or more.
Page 22+
LHI & Build
Council Housing
Chapter 6
Require all
affordable housing
to comply with the
Housing
Corporation’s
Design and Quality
Standards guidance
& the Borough to
make a decision if
we follow the
Mayors Housing
Design Guide once
it’s published.
As previously mentioned,
a future supply of familysized social rented housing
could continue to alleviate
overcrowded households in
the future and this includes
a supply of family-sized
wheel-chair accessible
housing too.
Providing Threebedroom
private/intermediate could
address the balance of
sustaining families in
Tower Hamlets (providing
families choose to occupy
them)
Better quality housing for
all equality strand
households placed in new
build social rented housing
Increased initial
construction costs for the
developer (there would be no
direct negative impact on its
social rented occupants)
S106 properties there is an
issue of quality as they don’t
meet need of H-Corp D&Q
standards. Applicants looking
for housing/re-housing would
be unknowingly
disadvantaged because when
bidding they wouldn’t be told
of differing design standards
used. All equality strand
households bidding for such
properties could be
disadvantaged for example,
poorer noise insulation
standards used, could
ASB/nuisance issues for
them.
Long-term occupation of
larger units could in the future
create under occupation. (e.g.
if let to person capacity this
year, in five years nondependent children could
have left home, tenants not
legally obliged to down-size).
Land-take of 3-bed+ houses
takes precious land and the
impact could be reduced open
space (for households of all
equality strands living within
the site).
(activity under
this EqIA
action plan)
Ensure a
proportionate
number of
BME
households on
the common
housing register
waiting list are
accessing new
larger familysized homes.
Continuing
monitoring of
delivery: ‘on
site’ schemes
and pipeline
supply to
ensure any offsite promised is
delivered.
If available - gather
good practice points from
other urban LA’s who
successfully delivered ‘offsite’ provision.
28 per cent of all demand
is for larger family-sized
social rented homes, twothirds of these households
are Asian (mainly
Bangladeshi) followed by
White and Black ethnic
households.
Estimated income
required to cover housing
costs for purchasing a 25%
share of a three bedroom
flat = £44,266 (assumes
they are a first-time buyer)
Local people are limited
to afford a family-sized
intermediate home. About
a 33% of households in
LBTH are claiming
housing benefit, therefore
wouldn’t qualify for shared
ownership. The figures are
worse for social housing,
about 9% of working-age
council renters, for RSL
households about 36%
could buy.
30
Page 24
New Build
Chapter 6
Prioritise its
resources to the
identified key
corporate strategic
housing projects.
Page 24
Disability
New Build
Ethnicity
Chapter 6
Gender
Sexual
Faith /
Maximise Lifetime
Homes Standards
delivery in new
housing stock and
seek at least 10% of
all new homes to be
wheelchair
accessible (GLA
London Accessible
Housing Register
Standards) or easily
adaptable for
wheelchair users.
Assessment with
Reference to the
Strategy
Age
Maximises the Council’s
resources. (For example,
disused council land used
for house building) This
would provide extra
housing for our waiting list
households mainly from
BME communities.
Guaranteed adaptable
housing for a growing
elderly population.
A future supply of new
and re-let wheelchair user
units of mixed bed-sizes.
Property accessibility
banding is identified on
Northgate property system.
Where we achieve lets to
meet accessible
requirement then that
tenancy is likely to be
sustained (no need to
move) for some time
(unless rapid household
growth)
Likely
Positive
Impacts
Bringing forward these sites
could mean neglecting smaller
mainstream projects that need
assistance (£grant)
(activity picked
up through the
main Strategy
action plan)
Provide
evidence to
change wording
in the interim
LDF that
ensures it fits
with GLA
standards.
(using evidence
from
Wheelchair
Accessible
Housing Survey
2009)
Mitigation
Activity
Or recommendaction
No prescriptive bed-size
ratio in the interim LDF or the
latest Core Strategy (stage 2)
consultation paper relating to
wheelchair accessible housing.
Where W/C new homes
don’t meet accessible housing
register category A (fully W/C
accessible), there is risk they
won’t be let (and due to void
pressures) they may be lost to
the general needs pool instead.
Internal features (low level
kitchen tops) would then need
to be replaced; ultimately it’s
a loss of a W/C unit.
Likely
Negative
Impacts
Half of the 500
households waiting rehousing to an accessible
home are from Bangladeshi
households.
Those requiring
fully/partially wheelchair
accessible housing are in
lettings community groups
1 or 2, so stand a good
chance of bidding and
succeeding in getting new
build wheelchair user flats.
Many new wheelchair
user homes still coming
through that are assessed
and let as category B when
the acute need is for
accessible housing register
category A (fully W/C
accessible under GLA
standards).
Data available to assist
our judgement
31
Page 24
New Build
Chapter 6
Explore and deliver
innovative
approaches to
facilitate the
delivery of more
family
accommodation for
households on low
to medium incomes,
including
Community Land
Trust models of
affordable housing.
Page 24
New Build
Chapter 6
Develop specific
guidance that
highlights housing
design requirements
for Black, Asian and
minority ethnic
groups with a
particular focus on
the needs of the
Bangladeshi
community.
Existing tenanted BME
households wont benefit (and
are disadvantaged) unless
they transfer to a new home
where these standards have
been built-in,
The disadvantages to
continuing to live in nonBME deigned homes could be
Health and Safety issues, such
as open plan kitchen in a
household where there are
small children.
The ‘choice’ in choicebased lettings means if
housing was built to BME
requirements, any suitable
household from any ethnic
group can bid for such
properties. Any interference
by LBTH could result in legal
challenge. It’s likely the unit
would be taken up by a nonBME household as currently
about 67 per cent of the
demand (CG 1-3) are BME
households.
Its likely few social tenants
could access CLT home
ownership unless
worklessness is addressed
first.
It’s currently not clear if the
CLT scheme be delivered in
the lifetime of this strategy.
This will meet the needs
of all BME communities
(especially Muslim
households) bidding for
new properties completing
in about 3 years from now.
Where public land is
contributed at nil cost, the
model could be an
affordable option for low
income earners. For
example, across the gender
strand this could be right
for working lone parents or
for younger people starting
out on the property ladder.
Any Social renters
taking-up this option
would be freeing-up a
social rented home (that
they move out from)
This would be a new
intermediate housing
product on offer which
would be more accessible
and affordable.
Credible
models would
need to have
assessed risk,
including
access issues
for equality
strand
households.
Risk/equality
assessments to
feed back to the
Housing
Strategy
Delivery Board
(activity under
this action plan)
EqIA action
plan to develop
guidance,
establish risks
around CBL
and investigate
refusals by
ethnicity and
faith
Monitoring of
‘reasons for
refusal’ of new
builds by key
correlations:
Ethnic Group,
household
composition
etc.
Gather further evidence
on credible models
affordability calculations
and purchase income
thresholds required.
A good proportion of
new homes feature
combined
kitchen/diner/living room
area. Whilst saving the
developer expensive floor
space, this disadvantages
larger families re: privacy,
cooking impracticalities,
etc.
Feedback from CBL
lettings officers regarding
‘reason for refusal’:
families don’t like open
plan and the Car-free
development restrictions
on new homes.
32
Page 24
Wider Social
benefits seen
through New Build
Programme.
Chapter 6,
Deliver more skills
and employment
training
opportunities,
drawing on
resources available
from the Working
Neighbourhoods
Fund and other
sources
Page 24
Wider Social
benefits seen
through New Build
Programme.
Chapter 6,
Ensure that healthy
living programmes
and health
infrastructure
requirements are an
integral part of
social housing
providers’
activities.
Employment and enterprise
hubs are accessible to all but
especially young people of
working age, ethnic minority
groups and women, who are
all likely to experience
economic inactivity or
unemployment due to low
education attainment of which
living environment i.e.
overcrowding may have been
a factor.
Improved opportunities for
the individuals well-being
Business growth areas might
not be taken up by existing
local businesses
Under representation of
certain equalities groups in
employment (BME, women,
LGBT, younger people, or
disabled people). Or under
representation of women in
full-time employment, links to
issues of affordable quality
childcare provision.
Over representation of
women (than men) in parttime and low-paid jobs
Newcomers to the borough
(all tenures) could have
access issues to health related
services.
Ensure
worklessness
targets have
supplementary
data available
for us to
monitor by key
E-strands for
Strategy
Delivery
Programme
Board to
monitor
Review and
remove barriers
to work,
education,
training and
enterprise
access.
Intermediaries
between jobs
and people.
Getting
households
across the
equality strands
access to what
they need.
Housing
Providers to
build into their
service plans
targeted health
initiatives to
improve health
outcomes for
their residents
In LBTH the economic
activity rate,
unemployment rate, and
numbers of benefit
claimants are all worse
than the London and
national average. (also see
earlier Section 1 data on
worklessness)
Highest proportion of
jobs is in the finance/IT
industry (Canary Wharf)
and is growing.
High housing benefit
take-up in the social
rented sector in TH(even
where main tenant is of
working age)
Labour force projections
expected to have sharp
(44%) increase between
2006 and 2026
Fairly low overall
educational attainment
LBTH ranks 2nd in
London for school pupils
whose first language isn’t
English
Higher incapacity benefit
take-up (data not available
at equalities level)
LBTH has the 4th highest
alcohol death rates for men
in London
Health indicators (2007)
point towards the
following wards where the
rank for health and
social well being rate
worst: East India and
Lansbury, White-chapel, St
Dunstans
and Stepney Green,
Bethnal Green North and
Weavers.
Currently 20% of children
are obese, a third overweight. LBTH has the
third-highest child and
young person obesity in the
country.
Gather more
information from THHF on
health/well-being profiles
of existing households
33
Page 25
Future Delivery
Chapter 6
Bring forward
regeneration
proposals that help
regenerate
localities, which
may include the
development of
new housing.
Page 24
Wider Social
benefits seen
through New Build
Programme.
Chapter 6,
Ensure developers
take account of
security issues
when designing
new homes and
that they
contribute to the
Community Plan
community safety
objectives
Providing decant status gives
decanted residents the choice
and right to return to new
replacement homes. They
could benefit from higher
accessibility standards, better
energy efficiency standards.
All equality strands feel
safer
Actual crime in the area is
reduced
Effective joined-up action
by housing providers in
addressing crime/nuisance
on/around their properties
Broad issues of disruption
for residents and perceived
poor value for money from
this activity.
Households affected by
regeneration proposals may
not have access to material or
appropriate advice on their
decant rights.
Infill and regeneration
development could tip the
balance, re: increased social
rented tenure or increased
child density.
Decant households are
competing through CBL
lettings scheme with other
high priority households such
as homeless and transfer
under-occupiers.
Poor plotting of wheelchair
user social rented homes in
large schemes could create
personal safety fears Past
examples: placing wheelchair
(W/C) user units beyond the
6th floor (fire/H&S issue) or
placing too many ground
floor W/C users next door to
each other in one street.
Effectively
inform
residents of
decant rights,
and processes.
Monitor child
density on such
sites in the
borough.
Establish
monitoring of
estate based
crime and
nuisance. To
link this with
Housemark
ASB
benchmarking
(Commitment
19)
Form links
with LBTH
Secure by
Design PC
ensuring he’s
informed of
issues in areas
redevelopment
is planned to
better guide his
comments on
planning
applications.
Planners to
take more
effective
responsibility to
explain
wheelchair
units
standard/design
and safety
principles to
developers at
the preplanning stage
Overall,
redevelopment
has no drastic
effect as more
supply will be
built (higher
quality) than
demolished,
any net
additional
homes help to
meet demand.
One focus group attendees
expressed that regeneration
on old established
communities
Gather further
information (if available)
on how households are
affected by future
proposals.
Including the equalities
profile of such households,
this should include
existing/proposed child
density to ensure we attract
quality housing
management
Make better use of data
presented to LBTH Crime
Reduction Partnership.
Young people are
overrepresented as victims
and perpetrators in some
types of crime. As is the
afro-Caribbean population.
Fear of crime felt by
different ethnic groups (all
tenures)
58% of White people with
a fear of crime
this is 53% for Asian
people and 44% for Black
people.
Young people (8% of 1624 year-olds) have less fear
of crime than elderly
people (33%).
One in five LGBT people
have been victims of hate
crime in the last three years
(not specific to LBTH or to
hate crime occurring on
housing land)
34
Page 27
Under-occupation
Plan
Chapter 6
Develop and
implement an
Under-occupation
Plan
Which impacts
largely on older
people who are
under-occupying.
Page 26
Disability
Buying Back exCouncil Homes
Ethnicity
Chapter 6
Gender
Sexual
Faith /
Monitor the Buy-back
Programme
Assessment with
Reference to the
Strategy
Age
Improved services and
provision for sheltered elderly
residents across all E-strands
(including being compliant to
LGBT people)
Ensure tenants sub-letting
are not made homeless.
Ensure this programme
fairly targets all
leaseholders and that some
groups are represented
when buying back
properties.
Likely
Positive
Impacts
A separate Older People’s
Housing Strategy will be
written.
Development of the
Strategy will provide
information on how
Gateway meets sheltered
elderly need in the borough
for those going from under
occupied properties to
sheltered schemes.
This is a new initiative and no
previous information is
available.
Data available to assist
our judgement
A separate
EQIA (and
action plan) is
required. Once
signed off this
should feed
back to the
Strategy
Delivery Board.
Careful
monitoring of
tenanted
properties to
ensure they are
not made
homeless
Start monitoring
equality
information on
offers made and
completion to
ensure hard to
reach
communities are
aware of the
programme.
Mitigation
Activity
Or recommendaction
Some peoples equalities needs
may not be met by their
scheme.
(Elderly people may require
tailored provision/services to
meet Ethnicity, Faith, Gender,
or LGBT need)
The council also will need
to ensure that tenants are
not made homeless by
leaseholders selling their
property.
Some leaseholders who
are trapped in social
housing may not know of
this opportunity, hence not
benefiting from being able
to sell their properties
back to the Council. The
Council needs to ensure
that all equality strands
are targeted in the
marketing campaign for
buy backs.
Likely
Negative
Impacts
35
Page 29
Gypsy & Travellers
Chapter 6
Work with the
Nominated
Undertaker for the
Cross rail Act, other
agencies and stakeholder groups to
ensure the Eleanor
Street Travellers’
Site is relocated in
accordance with best
practice design
standards.
Page 29
Gypsy & Travellers
Disability
Chapter 6
Ethnicity
Gender
Faith /
Produce an overarching strategy that
will set out LBTH
approach to G&T
issues, including: the
development of
suitable proposals
for the provision of
additional site
accommodation
based on information
set out in the pan
London
Accommodation
Assessment, London
Housing Strategy
and Regional Spatial
Strategy.
Assessment with
Reference to the
Strategy
Age
Sexual
Improved site for an
already disadvantaged
community.
Improved
communications (as a result
of understanding needs)
New site amenities and
facilities. Site location
better placed for G&Ts to
safely access essential
services
This will meet the
Council’s obligations. So a
clear plan is set to reduce
equality, health risks for
this disadvantaged group.
Likely
Positive
Impacts
New site will meet existing
needs (prior to 2017)
Needs clarifying if allows if
allows for family growth in
this period, bad effects could
be over-crowding.
Activity for this
action plan to
assess if BP
guidance has
been applied to
the plans for
this site. Feed
back to the
Housing
Strategy
Delivery Board
The G&T
Strategy will
need its own
EQIA and
action plan.
Ensure progress
is fed back to
the Housing
Strategy
delivery Board
Mitigation
Activity
Or recommendaction
Consequences could be local
opposition to site and further
sites; this could mean these
disadvantaged families could
experience acts of
discrimination.
Likely
Negative
Impacts
Gather further info: Did
the 2006 needs assessment
include interviews about
future aspirations or
displacement issues this
minority group may have?
Likely to be a maximum of
33 additional pitches
Data available to assist
our judgement
36
Page 21 & 32
Private Sector &
Empty Properties
Chapter 6 & 7
Reference is made
to the Private
Sector Renewal
Strategy which
will include
reference to
Disabled Facilities
Grants.
To be looked at
through the Housing
Strategy & Core
Development
Strategy
Examine family
high density
housing issues in its
forthcoming High
Density Living
Supplementary
Planning Document.
Hazards removed
Vulnerable people will
benefit from decent and
energy efficient homes
Homeless households
waiting could benefit from
the small number of empty
properties bought back into
use and let through the rent
deposit scheme. This could
help BME groups who are
overly represented in
homeless applications.
Improved quality of
housing for future new
occupants, mitigating
effects of high density.
Possibly more of an issue for
the majority of white people
living in this sector.
Not known at this stage
Its possible ASB/nuisance
could be an issue. People like
elderly or those with coping
issues are likely to feel more
intense effects from this.
Recognise that households
across equality strands can be
victims or perpetrators.
Higher wear and tear costs
(day to day use by many
occupants), could impact on
service charges of occupants
across the equality strands.
A separate
updated EQIA
(and action
plan) will be
needed for this
strategy. This
should be fed
back to the
Strategy
Programme
Delivery Board
Ensure any
workable
recommendatio
ns relating to
the planning
supplement
document
follow through
into later
updates of the
Housing
Strategy and its
action plan.
Planning
document to be
considered in
the future by
the EqIA action
plan delivery
group
LBTH has more disable
people than the London
average.
Ethnicity of private
rented sector in 2001; 84%
white, 16% minority ethnic
groups (luxury to poor
quality PRS)
About 10% of HMO
households contained
occupants with special
needs.
PS SCS 2004 identifies
most HMO’s are older
converted properties.
There were about 13,000
private sector rented homes
(Census 2001).
About 1000 statutory
HMOs and are licensed.
33% of homes in the
private sector are nondecent and a good
proportion of occupiers are
vulnerable.
Explore whose monitoring
density and quality of
future schemes, will they
explore using quality of
life indicators.
37
Page 31+
Homelessness,
Housing Options
and Home Visits
Chapter 7,
Disability
Gender
Ethnicity
Faith / Belief
Sexual Orientation
Ensure the
Council’s
Supporting People
programme is
integrated with the
Homelessness
Strategy and wider
Housing Strategy
objectives,
together with
priorities of the
PCT and
Probation Service.
Assessment with
Reference to the
Strategy
Age
This will achieve outcomes
that will benefit most
vulnerable people across the
spectrum of needs (For e.g.
maintaining a focus on
providing 16-17 year olds
supported housing, so
supporting tenancy
sustainment; ensuring
appropriate provision for
older people, rough sleepers,
women fleeing domestic
violence and people with
mental, physical and learning
disabilities- so reducing their
risk of homelessness or
vulnerability associated with
low quality housing
provision. Ensuring a
strategic and joined up
approach will enable us to
meet a range of government
targets and reduce temporary
.accommodation costs.
A partnership approach will
also enable us to meet key
local and central government
targets related to improving
access to and take up of
employment opportunities for
these vulnerable groups- who
are over represented in terms
of unemployment.
Likely
Positive
Impacts
Likely
Negative
Impacts
Each has their
own EqIA
action plan.
Ensure progress
is fed back to
the Housing
Strategy
delivery Board
Mitigation
Activity
Or
recommendaction
Data available to assist
our judgement
38
Page 31+
Chapter 7
Relates to
Deliver the actions
set out in the
Council’s 2008/13
Homelessness
Strategy.
Page 33
PSL
Chapter 7
Private Sector
Leasing
As the strategy actions
are rolled out, in 3-5 years
there could be significant
reductions of homelessness
and households placed in
temporary accommodation.
BME h-holds feature
highly in homelessness.
The Homelessness
strategy has strong link to
Tower Hamlets Housing
Strategy.
Overcrowded families are
offered a temporary
breathing space.
This is only a temporary
solution and more permanent
housing needs to be found.
Trial the
‘Breathing
Space’ project
and ensure all
equality strands
are monitored
to allow fair
access to this
pilot.
The
Homelessness
Strategy has its
own EQIA and
action plan.
Ensure progress
is fed back to
the Housing
Strategy
delivery Board
Higher instances of
Accepted Homelessness by
minority ethnic group last
year:
48% Indian/
Pakistani/Bangladeshi
24% African Caribbean
23% White, 5% other
About two-thirds of
acceptances were people
with dependent children or
pregnant.
Top reason for loss of
last settled home was
‘parents no longer willing
to accommodate’
Refer to data on
overcrowding in Chapter 3
of the strategy.
39
Health Impact – testing of disproportionate or adverse impact
Identify the effect of the policy on physical or mental health of service users and the
wider community from any information that is available.
(This might include an increased risk to health for some groups in the community, which although not intended, may have still occurred.
The impact on health might include: increased mental stress, greater risk of accident or injury, reduced opportunities to have a quality diet,
reduced opportunity for physical exercise, or greater incidence of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes).
Redevelopment that takes away open space will reduce opportunities for physical
exercise.
Infill development will increase (mono-tenure) person density; the effects may mean
increased mental stress to those sensitive to noise - especially at certain times of the year;
for example in the school summer holidays)
Experiences of worklessness and poverty could lead to worsening diet (only being able to
afford low-quality foods, not being able to purchase more expensive high-protein foods)
The decant process could possibly lead to mental stress if occupants have ‘coping issues’
and don’t effectively understand bidding through Tower Hamlets CBL scheme. This
increases if the Council is waiting to clear blocks and pressure the tenant household. This
group are further pressured by competition as they have the same bidding status as
homeless, under-occupiers and (possibly in the future) overcrowded bidding households.
National research on overcrowded conditions finds the situation causes sleep disruption;
dwellers suffer other negative health outcomes, such as - psychological distress, mental
disorders, increased heart rate and lack of concentration. People affected, will be spending
the most time at home.
Where new developments are ‘car-free’, finding a street parking space produces daily
stress as dwellers are competing with other street parking permit holders. Also, this may
have negative issues for residents who rely on visiting carers (who require parking) - this
could influence the time the carer spends with their client.
High density and high child density in residential blocks could cause distress to people
where noise nuisance is high.
Recycling in flats (with ground floor recycling facilities) could heighten physical injury
occurrences for frail residents or those with mobility issues attempting to recycle without
assistance.
From the evidence above does the policy affect, or have the potential to affect the health of
groups differently? If so, which groups and how does the impact occur?
Examples of this have already been placed above.
40
Additional groups which may experience a disproportionate or adverse
impact
Identify if there are groups, other than those already considered, that may be
adversely affected by the policy?
For example those in poverty may be adversely impacted by the policy and it might be useful to
consider them as a separate group in the light of the Council’s overall policy objectives.
Households experiencing Poverty - Most of our non-working households are likely to
experience a level of poverty and will feature (at single or multiple levels) in the main six
equality strands.
Younger people with no priority housing need and wanting to leave the parental home into
the social rented sector – unlikely young people can achieve this, meaning they are forced to
remain at home, or rent in the expensive private rented sector.
Additional factors which may influence disproportionate or adverse
impact
Management Arrangements
(How is the Service managed, are there any management arrangements which may have a
disproportionate impact on the equality target groups?)
NO
What is the custom and practice in the provision or allocation of this service?
(Could these have a disproportionate impact on the equality target groups?)
N/A
The Process of Service Delivery
(In particular look at the arrangements for the service being provided).
N/A
The Strategy Delivery Board will meet regularly (to be decided) to ensure slippage doesn’t
occur on the commitments where adverse effects have been identified.
41
Operation Times
(When is the service provided; are there seasonal issues; are there barriers to the service based on
the time and delivery of the service which may affect the target groups?)
N/A
Methods of communication to the public and internally
(What methods do you use to communicate this service? Include review and assessment of methods,
media, translations, interpretation etc. bearing in mind the extent to which these media forms are
accessible to all sections of the community)
Externally
Articles in East End Life, Annual report (see below)
Internally
Through Tower Hamlets internal management emailed newsletter.
Key service area staff will sit on the Housing Strategy Delivery Board; we would expect them
to keep their teams updated.
Awareness of Service by Local People
(Assessment of the extent to which local people are aware of the service based on available
data. What measures do you undertake to reach traditionally excluded communities?)
The main Strategy work plan (action plan) incorporating the EqIA action plan will be the main
feature in the Housing Strategy Annual Report. This will highlight achievements and
challenges from the previous year and highlight priorities for the new year.
This report will be distributed to all stakeholders, people from our consultation list and widely
available on LBTH and Tower Hamlets Partnership websites. Printed copies could be
displayed in the Borough’s one-stop-shops.
Evidence of disproportionate or adverse impact
(Is there any evidence or view that suggests that different equality, or other, target groups in
the community have either a disproportionately high or low take up/impact of/from this
service/function?)
Yes no If yes, what and why (State below)
42
High BME homelessness acceptances – less housing opportunities for newer
communities and a high occurrence in LBTH of non-dependent children being forced to
leave the parental home.
High waiting list demand affects majority BME groups – Supply can’t meet demand,
housing is a scarce resource, and previous initiatives like the Right to Buy sold off social
rented homes at lower costs than supply could be rebuilt. Many competitive client types
bidding; all with the same high priority CG status.
Few larger new-let and relet homes that don’t meet demand – large proportion of Bengali
large family housing need, some waiting a long period of time to be housed.
Higher households experiencing worklessness (more likely for young people and some
BME communities – fewer opportunities to these groups for a multiple of reasons.
Slightly lower tenant satisfaction among BME social renting households
SECTION 4
MEASURES TO MITIGATE DISPROPORTIONATE OR
ADVERSE IMPACT
Specify measures that can be taken to remove or minimise the disproportionate
impact or adverse effect identified at the end of Section 3. If none were identified in
Section 3, identify how disproportionate impact or adverse effect could be avoided in
the future.
(Consider measures to mitigate any adverse impact and better achieve the promotion of
equality of opportunity).
Please see each section of the Action Plan in Section 6. It’s easier to compare the impact
against the mitigation activity in the action plan, than to separately list the mitigation activity
here.
43
SECTION 5
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Does the policy comply with equalities legislation, including the duty to promote race
equality?
Take into account your findings from the impact assessment and consultations and explain
how the policy was decided upon its intended effects and its benefits.)
yes no What are the main areas requiring further attention?
Gathering the outstanding data on all information gaps (p.15 list)
Ensuring that the commitments not addressed in the EqIA action plan (that have an
equality need) are picked up in the main Strategy Action Plan are included.
Summary of recommendations for improvement
Set up the Housing Strategy Programme delivery group
Determine if this group can improve or add to the existing Strategy Action Plan
Include equalities considerations to relevant main strategy actions that require equalities
considerations
Implement the Strategy Action Plan (feeding into work plans)
Set up the EqIA sub-group
Determine if the EqIA sub-group can improve or add to the existing EqIA action plan
Implement the EqIA action plan (feeding into work plans)
How will the results of the IA feed into the performance planning process?
Actions will feed into the team plans which have to take account for equality commitments
laid out in the EqIA.
44
Future Monitoring and Consultation
How and when will the policy be monitored?
Possibly quarterly (yet to be decided) through the Housing Strategy Delivery Board and its
sub-group which will address the EqIA work plan (action plan)
Annual evaluation in the published Housing Strategy Annual Review
Suggested consultation for the future
(Identify areas for future consultation and any barriers to participation in consultation with
proposals to overcome these).
During the Annual Review of the Strategy later in 2010 we will explore the value to holding
focus groups by equality strands
45
Develop specific guidance that
highlights housing design
requirements for Black, Asian
and minority ethnic groups with
a particular focus on the needs
Annually monitored
Guidance developed in 2009
Letting IT /
EqIA sub-group
/ LBTH
Strategic
Housing Team /
Alison Thomas
Lettings IT /
LBTH Strategic
Housing Team /
Development
Team / Housing
Partnership
Partners
Monitor Quarterly 2010/11
Quarterly Monitoring 2010/11.
Rafiqul Hoque
Monitor carefully by equality
strands the number of lets beings
made and ensure robust practices are
in place to closely monitor the
process.
Mitigation that would alleviate the
adverse impact identified:
Monitor lets made to overcrowded
households by Equality Strands to
ensure a fair proportion of groups who
suffer Overcrowding more than other
groups receive a fair number of lets to
existing and new build social stock.
Partially to be met through the Lettings
Policy Review.
Mitigation, which would alleviate the
adverse impact:
Two-thirds of family-sized demand
is from BME households. Longer waits
for larger homes than smaller homes due
to the availability of new lets and relets
– Annually check the proportion of
demand is reasonably equal to let’s to
BME households, any data
disproportion identified should seek
to find explanations.
Positive action to redress disadvantage:
Open plan layout isn’t practical
for BME households, especially largersized ones – monitoring of ‘reasons for
refusals’ for these ethnic or faith
Seek 45 per cent of the social
rented element of new
developments to be for large
family purposes (i.e.,3-bed+)
either provided onsite, or where
delivery proves unsustainable
(42)
Lettings
Manager
Information in place prior to
individual Strategy timescales
See gaps 1 through to 15
Officer
Responsible
LBTH Strategic
Housing
THH / RSL
Partners
Gather all ‘gaps in information’
identified in section 2 of this
EqIA
Some BME groups are more
likely to be overcrowded than
others.
Progress milestones
Key activity
Recommendation
SECTION 6 – ACTION PLAN
FAITH /
BELIEF
46
ETHNICITY
ETHNICITY
/ FAITH /
BELIEF
ETHNICITY
/ ALL
Equality
Strand
ALL
Ensure Children have a safe
place to play and study
Through ‘Improved Living Conditions’
initiative – see Chapter 5 in the strategy.
Mitigation that would alleviate the
adverse impact identified.
Work with Leisure services on an open
space, and recreational space plan.
Working with planning to secure more
open space provision through s106.
Work with IDEA store and Children
Services for after school clubs and quite
zones in libraries for children to do their
Mitigation that would alleviate the
adverse impact identified:
Ensure support and care plans are in
place, offer a hand holding service for
elderly tenants and pay for and carry out
removal of items.
Ensure elderly residents
targeted as part of the underoccupation plan are treated
fairly and their wider health and
social care needs are taken into
consideration when moving
them.
Work with the Nominated
Undertaker for the Cross rail
Act, other agencies and stakeholder groups to ensure the
Eleanor Street Travellers’ Site
is relocated in accordance with
best practice design standards
(39)
groups. Monitoring information to be
kept confidential.
- EqIA sub-group to help draft design
guidance and establish CBL
implications (any units built to such
standards could be let to a white bidding
household with a higher priority status)
Mitigation, which would alleviate the
adverse impact:
EqIA delivery sub-group to also
check lead organisation has applied
best practice to the relocation of
G&T’s.
of the Muslim community. (45)
David Farrell
G&T Site
Manager
Crossrail /
LBTH
Liaise with departments and jointly
bring forward plans.
Engagement
Officers
Children’s
Services /
Leisure
Services
Monitor carefully the profile on
THH / RSLs
under-occupiers and ensure adequate
systems are in place to care for their Lettings
future arising needs (such as
Manager
adaptations and care).
Rafiqul Hoque
Monitor Quarterly 2010/11
Ongoing
Jennifer
Richardson
Developers /
Planning
AGE
AGE
FAITH /
BELIEF
47
ETHNICITY
Maximise Lifetime Homes
Standards delivery in new
housing stock and seek at least
10 per cent of all new homes to
be wheelchair accessible (GLA
London Accessible Housing
Register Standards) or easily
adaptable for wheelchair users.
Expect all social landlords to
make reasonable financial
provision to fund adaptation
works to meet residents
changing needs (12)
Reduce the number of
Properties in the Private Rented
Section with Category 1
Hazards for Overcrowding
Monitor Quarterly 2010/11
Mitigation that would alleviate the
2009 and ongoing
adverse impact identified:
Adaptations in the property could
be lost due to void turnaround pressures
meaning unit is lost to the ‘general
needs’ pool of properties – Ensure all
properties are assessed using AHR
digi-pen (or manual input) and
property category inputted onto
Northgate Property System.
non-common housing register
RSLs adaptations not recorded by
LBTH lettings – THHF to ensure nonCHR RSLs comply recording adapted
properties in with their declared
lettings returns.
Mitigation, which would alleviate the
adverse impact:
- Provide evidence to change the
wording in the interim LDF that
ensures the adopted LDF wording fits
with GLA W/C standards, (also using
evidence from Wheelchair Accessible
Housing Survey 2009). This will
ensure a sufficient number of AHR
Category (A) properties come
forward.
homework.
Mitigation that would alleviate the
adverse impact identified:
Through advice, grants and finally
enforcement.
Alison Thomas
/ Jennifer
Richardson.
Development &
Planning Teams
John Kiwunka /
Alison Thomas
David Farrell
THHF / LBTH
Strategic
Housing Team /
Northgate team
(or Lettings IT)
Environmental
Health
LBTH
48
DISABILITY
/ AGE
DISABILITY
49