Agenda and minutes

To issue a welcome to those present, and to confirm if there are any apologies for absence.

The Chair welcomed those present to the meeting.

Cllr Clarke substituted for Cllr Aqbany.

Apologies were received from Cllr Gregg.

Members will be asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed.

Members were asked to declare any interests they may have had in the business to be discussed.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting on 26 August 2025 have been circulated, and Members will be asked to confirm them as a correct record.

AGREED:

1)    That the minutes of the meeting of the Housing Scrutiny Commission held on 26^th August be confirmed as a correct record.

The Chair is invited to make any announcements as they see fit.

-          It was noted that a site visit to the new Council houses on Saffron Lane took place on 6^th November. The Chair commented that it was good to see the developments and would like to have another visit at a later date to see further progress.

-          It was advised to the Commission that the next scheduled site visit to Hospital Close is due to held on Thursday 13^th November and all members welcome.

Any questions, representations and statements of case submitted in accordance with the Council’s procedures will be reported.

The Monitoring Officer reported that none had been received.

Any petitions received in accordance with Council procedures will be reported.

The Monitoring Officer reported that none had been received.

Members of the Tenant Scrutiny Panel will give a verbal update on the work of the Panel.

Members of the Tenant Scrutiny Panel gave a verbal update on the work of the Panel. It was noted that:

• It had been useful to exchange feedback.  Particularly with regard to vulnerable people.
• The panel listened as much as possible to residents and tried to feed in any possible help from the Council.
• The panel could give residents insight into the difficulties faced by the Council and the work done to address them.
• The Director of Housing had attended meetings and given talks.
• It had been useful to engage with Housing Officers and to understand their role.
• There had been frustration amongst some residents about being unable to get through to officers.  Tenants needed somewhere to report issues to and pass information on.
• As part of a response to this there was a reminder of the multiple Pop up  Housing offices across the City including the  Porkpie Library. This was a step forward in terms of being part of the Council structure.

In discussions with Members and Officers it was noted that:

• There were approximately 17 residents on the panel, from all wards of Leicester.  It had been set up following sessions held the previous year with tenants, in which various communities had been engaged with to see how they wanted to engage with the Council.  The Council were keen to ensure that anyone who wished to engage had the opportunity to do so.  The Council were also ensuring that there were other types of opportunity for tenants to take part.
• It was aimed to look at the conditions of tenancy to ensure they were adequately robust.
• The panel were keen to recruit.
• The group would join TPAS, who could provide training and support for tenants getting involved in scrutiny.  This would help people to join and develop so that they could engage in the most effective way.
• A log was kept of the issues addressed by the panel.  This could periodically come to the Commission to look at the impact of what as taken to the panel.
• The panel met every two months and decided on the agendas themselves.  Officers from the council ensured that the panel was representative.  Local engagement work was done to bring in people from all communities.  Engagement officers worked with people from across the city to ensure the panel was representative.
• Officers organised Housing Pop-up offices every week.  These had proven to be popular with residents.
• It was noted that the job of housing officers had changed.  They now had more responsibility around such items as Fire Safety.  Much of their work was not visible to tenants.  As such, one of the reasons for Engagement Officers was to be more visible.  Engagement Officers could be another point of contact for residents.
• One of the Engagement Officers came to a craft group in Saffron ward at which patch walks and community clear up days were discussed.  Another idea discussed had been ‘skip days’ at which the community were informed they could dispose of things in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

The Director of Housing Submits a report providing an overview of the Tenancy Management Service, the support it provides and its performance as a social housing landlord to Leicester City Council tenants.

The Director of Housing submitted a report providing an overview of the Tenancy Management Service, the support it provides and its performance as a social housing landlord to Leicester City Council tenants.

Key points included:

• The Director of Housing introduced the Head of Service for Housing to present the Tenancy Management Service overview. 
• The performance report was brought forward every year, to review the standard of the housing support offered. The city was made up of three districts, which covers 20,000 tenancies, 1,800 Leaseholders and three traveller sites which are covered by the traveller team. There is also the Star Service and Help Beyond Housing Team, who help support and house the most vulnerable Council tenants.
• Particular attention was drawn to 3.6 which covers the priorities for the service. These include fires safety, customer care, better estates, LiveWell and specialist support. It was noted that the priorities reflect the key standards set out by housing regulator. Another area highlighted was 3.7 which details the role of housing officers and the work they are involved in.
• A key performance area is fire safety. There are 1500 communal areas that need to be inspected, which is carried out by Housing Officers as part of their role.  Last year 95% of the fire safety inspections were completed on time.  Personal emergency evacuation plans were carried out, so tenants with special requirements such as disabilities, are identified and evac plans are put in place for them. Currently, 352 plans are in place for tenants which is an increase from last year. Other areas of note include updates to E-bike and scooter fire safety. In particular, the storage and charging of the Lithium batteries.   
• Tenants at the Burns flat raised issues about the conditions of cleanliness in communal areas. This was used as a chance to review all communal areas city wide improvements seen and revised improved services and intensive monitoring is now in place.
• Performance has been linked with the tenant satisfaction survey to highlight areas of improvement and how these targets were being met or worked towards. 
• Customer engagement and care had been developed through the engagement team and a tenant scrutiny panel. Projects such as pop-up housing offices and meetings have been beneficial in collecting feedback from residents. This data has been important in shaping and scrutinising the services provided. The team had been collecting the information on area and communities which the engagement was coming from so that it could be examined to see which areas and communities to focus on in the future. This also allowed for better communication between the Council and tenants about what could be achieved/delivered. 
• Projects were explored, such as the Community Garden to help tackle loneliness amongst the elderly and the star team’s work, helping residents with various issues. 
• Challenges of the sector were featured. It was explained how it could be hard to meet expectations from residents when it came to Anti-Social Behaviour cases. Things could not be done straight away as there are  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.

The Director of Housing submits a report to update the Housing Scrutiny Commission on the Housing Capital Programme delivery for the first half of financial year 25/26.

The Director of Housing submitted a report providing an overview of the Tenancy Management Service, the support it provides and its performance as a social housing landlord to Leicester City Council tenants.

Key points included:

• The Director of Housing introduced the Head of Service for Housing to present the Tenancy Management Service overview. 
• The performance report was brought forward every year, to review the standard of the housing support offered. The city was made up of three districts, which covers 20,000 tenancies, 1,800 Leaseholders and three traveller sites which are covered by the traveller team. There is also the Star Service and Help Beyond Housing Team, who help support and house the most vulnerable Council tenants.
• Particular attention was drawn to 3.6 which covers the priorities for the service. These include fires safety, customer care, better estates, LiveWell and specialist support. It was noted that the priorities reflect the key standards set out by housing regulator. Another area highlighted was 3.7 which details the role of housing officers and the work they are involved in.
• A key performance area is fire safety. There are 1500 communal areas that need to be inspected, which is carried out by Housing Officers as part of their role.  Last year 95% of the fire safety inspections were completed on time.  Personal emergency evacuation plans were carried out, so tenants with special requirements such as disabilities, are identified and evac plans are put in place for them. Currently, 352 plans are in place for tenants which is an increase from last year. Other areas of note include updates to E-bike and scooter fire safety. In particular, the storage and charging of the Lithium batteries.   
• Tenants at the Burns flat raised issues about the conditions of cleanliness in communal areas. This was used as a chance to review all communal areas city wide improvements seen and revised improved services and intensive monitoring is now in place.
• Performance has been linked with the tenant satisfaction survey to highlight areas of improvement and how these targets were being met or worked towards. 
• Customer engagement and care had been developed through the engagement team and a tenant scrutiny panel. Projects such as pop-up housing offices and meetings have been beneficial in collecting feedback from residents. This data has been important in shaping and scrutinising the services provided. The team had been collecting the information on area and communities which the engagement was coming from so that it could be examined to see which areas and communities to focus on in the future. This also allowed for better communication between the Council and tenants about what could be achieved/delivered. 
• Projects were explored, such as the Community Garden to help tackle loneliness amongst the elderly and the star team’s work, helping residents with various issues. 
• Challenges of the sector were featured. It was explained how it could be hard to meet expectations from residents when it came to Anti-Social Behaviour cases. Things could not be done straight away as there are  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.

The Director of housing submits a report providing an update on homeless in the City for 2024/25 and progress in relation to Leicester’s Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy.

The Director of Housing submitted a report providing an update on homeless in the City for 2024/25 and progress in relation to Leicester’s Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy.

Key points included:

• The Director of Housing introduced the Head of the Homelessness Prevention to present the report.
• It was stated that for the financial year 2024/2025 there was an increase of 9% in people contacting the homelessness team compared to the previous year. The number one cause of homelessness was the end of private rented tenancies, due to no fault evictions with the landlords leaving the rental market. The second highest reason was individuals being asked to leave family accommodation. 
• In 2024 there was a verified count of 61 rough sleepers up from 26 in 2023 which was a 135% increase. A further count has been carried out in 2025, and it was advised that the data will be published in due course.
• In July 2025, 600 families were in temporary accommodation, with 12 families in Bed & Breakfast (B&B) accommodation for more than 6 weeks, compared to 188 in B&B in July 2024 which is a 93% reduction. In July 2025, there were 76 households in B&B’s regardless of length of time spent there compared to 262 in July 2024 which is a 71% reduction. There were also 415 single households in temporary accommodation in 2025 compared to 552 in 2024 and 88 were in B&Bs compared to 159 in 2024. The report highlighted that homelessness is an issue nationally and not just an isolated issue in Leicester.
• The average wait time for families in temporary accommodation was over 5 and a half months on average. The average wait time in 2025 for a 1-bed property was 7 months for high priority households, a 2-bed was 18 months wait, and a 3-bed property was 2 years.
• Changes to the area in response to the pressures were highlighted. The number of homelessness prevention officers had increased from 13 to 30 to help with demand. Formal training on homelessness support has also been delivered to staff using external consultants and a new domestic violence support coordinator has been appointed. A single point of contact for planned prison releases had been created and support for members of the public, who were discharged from hospital into a homeless setting has been developed. Self-contained, Council owned, temporary accommodation was now being used so there is less use of B&Bs.
• The partnership with voluntary groups was detailed. The voluntary groups helped to arrange meals, furnishing and white goods for homeless residents as well as helping to achieve more permanent accommodation from other sources. A forum has been developed with one voluntary group who were offering children’s activities in addition to advice and practical support.

In discussions with Members, the following was noted:

• In response to a query about the reduction in B&B usage and the possibility of further reduction, it was stressed that officers looked daily for better accommodation alternatives for families  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54.

Members of the Commission will be asked to consider the work programme and make suggestions for additional items as it considers necessary.

District Heating could be added to future workplans.

Enquiries on District Heating could be signposted to the Deputy City Mayor for Housing, Economy and Neighbourhoods.

The work programme was noted. 

There being no further items of urgent business, the meeting finished at 19:04.