CASP ACTION PLAN 2010 / 2011
Please note the following recommendations were drawn up by the CASP Committee in response to Camden Council's street property report (December 2009). The recommendations also help form the CASP Action Plan 2010 - 2011
Link to Camden Council's report on housing services to LBC street properties:
http://democracy.camden.gov.uk/Data/Housing%20and%20Adult%20Social%20Care%20Scrutiny%20Committee/20091208/Agenda/$Report-Item-10-Street%20properties%20report%20.doc.pdf
CASP ACTION PLAN
2010 – 2011
Please note the following recommendations were drawn up by the CASP Committee in response to Camden Council’s street properties report (December 2009). The recommendations also help form the CASP Action Plan 2010-2011.
List of recommendations:
Housing Management and LBC Street Properties
Recommendations:
CASP supports the report’s recommendation to pilot a project whereby LBC street properties are managed by a dedicated Estate Officer (EO) who specializes in street properties, allowing them to build up experience and expertise in dealing with problems typical to them
The details of any pilot scheme would also need to be carefully considered, with possible input from CASP and other agencies, in order to ensure a more responsive service to our members
CASP also recommends that Camden Council has in place appropriate monitoring arrangements to assess the impact and effectiveness of any pilot.
CASP also recommends that Camden Council investigate the possibility of piloting a further project involving one or more officers from the following departments:
Reactive Repairs
Renewals
Community Safety
Home Ownership Services
Environmental Health
Supporting Vulnerable Adults Team
Any future project would also serve to enhance and support the role of any dedicated street property Estate Officers (s).
CASP also supports the report’s recommendation to publicize Camden’s Supporting People-funded handyperson services for vulnerable tenants – such as handyperson and window cleaning services – which all tenants and leaseholders could opt to pay for.
CASP to also discuss further with Housing other items identified by the report / members as being relevant to LBC street properties (pages 26-29) including a discussion on how any potential pilot project might help to address.
CASP also requests that Camden Council consider equally the needs of LBC street properties when making decisions around funding / allocating special pots of funding.
CASP also recommends that Camden Council take a fresh look at how it communicates with tenants who live in LBC street properties, as getting the right information to our members can be confusing as well as challenging.
For example, many of our members are requesting up-to-date information on Camden’s IRS system? In the past,the Association has recommended the re-introduction of district / ward newsletters. We also recommend the involvement of the Association’s newsletter / publicity sub-group in taking this process forward.
Housing and Home Ownership Services (HOS) & LBC street properties
Recommendations:
CASP recommends that Home Ownership Services (HOS) have in place appropriate monitoring arrangements to assess the impact and effectiveness of any changes being introduced as part of the leaseholders improvement plan.
Home Ownership Services (HOS) to look into presenting information in a more user friendly format, including any information and recommendations coming out of the improvement plan.
CASP also requests that HOS give their support in requesting that a separate, more detailed report on street property repairs be produced in order to work towards Camden Council offering a more responsive and cost-effective repairs service – any report would also need to include an item on the issue and cost of erecting scaffolding to carry out these repairs.
The report also states that some properties are being monitored to assess structural problems such as subsidence. Members (tenants and leaseholders) are already expressing concerns about how some of these works are being progressed, therefore further information on these works are being organized would be useful.
CASP to work with Home Ownership Services (HOS) in order to progress the role of the CASP Leaseholders’ Sub-Group / formalize links with other groups representing leaseholder interests in order to raise the profile of issues affecting LBC street property leaseholders.
Community Safety / ASB issues & LBC Street Properties
Recommendations:
CASP recommends that Camden Council need to have in place a well defined and effective communications strategy and support system for staff to refer to when supporting LBC street properties around community safety / ASB issues
CASP supports the report’s recommendation to work with Camden’s Community Safety Partnership to identify street properties in burglary hotspots and the commonest means of entry used by burglars in any such area. Pending the outcome of this assessment, explore security improvements on communal entrances – subject to fire safety regulations and planning regulations in partnership with the Burglary Working Group.
CASP would also like to meet with Housing and a representative from the Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT’s) to discuss how the specific needs of street properties might feature more prominently in their day-to-day work, as well as in their publicity, organization of local events in order to try and maximize engagement with our members.
CASP also advises that Camden Council need to consider the impact of ‘designing out crime’ work on the wider community, including areas where LBC street properties are located, as members in our properties continue to raise issues associated with displacement, etc.
CASP also requests that Camden Council consider equally the needs of LBC street properties when making decisions around funding / allocating special pots of funding, especially around community safety.
CASP also requests a further discussion with the relevant Executive Member for Housing (Community Safety) and relevant Camden Council officer following Camden’s decision to inspect each LBC property in relation to fire safety regulations, as tenants continue to raise relevant issues.
CASP to also explore further with Housing problems with mailboxes & bins in LBC street properties and any possible solutions.
Decent Homes Works & LBC Street Properties
Recommendations:
CASP recommends that Camden Council demonstrate how the recommendations drawn up during the July 14th Resident Involvement Workshop have been incorporated into the delivery of the Decent Homes Programme.
CASP also recommends that the relevant Executive Member for Housing (Decent Homes) be involved in overseeing Decent Homes Works on three random LBC street properties of different designs (from start to finish) with a view to at the end of the process making recommendations for improvements.
We also recommend that relevant Camden Officers and CASP also be included in the process.
CASP also recommends that Camden Council and Camden Cllrs work with Camden tenants to campaign for alternative, direct funding to finance the Decent Homes Programme, rather than continuing to support the programme of selling-off much needed Camden Council properties.
CASP also requests to receive more detailed information about the actual costings of the Decent Homes works.
Repairs Service & LBC Street Properties
Recommendations:
Repairs / DHO hold a simple log which contains details of repairs to each property, therefore when contractors are involved in carrying out further repairs, they have on file details of the condition and type of property.
CASP has also identified a number of issues around the delivery of the repairs service and effective communication, especially when vulnerable and older tenants have tried to access the repairs service, therefore CASP also recommends that repairs staff be offered training in order to deliver a more responsive service to this particular group of tenants.
CASP also recommends that Camden Council produce a separate, but detailed report on how street property repairs are identified, carried out and costed, as this may help to address some of the many complaints the Association receives about the standard and cost of repairs to street properties. Pending the outcome of the report, Camden may want to investigate how to deliver a more responsive and cost-effective repairs service to LBC street property tenants and leaseholders.
Any report would also need to include an item on scaffolding, as both tenants and leaseholders continue to raise issues around cost and security, as well as the length of time scaffolding can be in place.
Noise Nuisance / Pollution & LBC Street Properties
Recommendations:
Complete review of Camden Council’s noise service especially that delivered to Camden Council tenants.
Camden Council to provide an effective 24/7 noise service when combating / controlling unreasonable neighbourhood noise.
Housing to discuss with Camden’s Housing Allocations Team the introduction of a system, whereby prospective tenants can be informed about empty street properties which historically have been affected by issues around noise nuisance / pollution, especially if the problem relates to a lack of sound-proofing, etc.
Camden Council to investigate awarding re-housing points to tenants most affected by noise nuisance / pollution, especially if the problem relates to lack of sound-proofing, etc.
CASP also recommends that Camden Council try and identify innovative ways to access funding in order to carry out sound-proofing works, and at the very least in exceptional circumstances.
CASP also recommends that tenants be allowed to exercise some degree of choice when discussing Decent Homes works to their properties. Some tenants, especially those who live on main roads, or who are affected by high levels of noise nuisance / pollution may prefer to have double glazing or sound installation installed rather then new kitchens or bathrooms.
CASP also supports the setting up of a Camden based group whose role will be to help raise awareness of, and to lobby for change around noise nuisance / pollution issues.
CASP also recommends that Camden Council commence work on conducting its own noise awareness campaign, by utilizing its own publications, organizing action days, etc, in order to not only highlight issues around noise nuisance / pollution, but to aim to modify noisy behaviour
CASP also requests that Camden Council, following consideration of the above recommendations, submit a further report to District Management Committees (DMC’s).
Services to Vulnerable Adults & LBC Street Properties
Recommendations:
CASP recommends that Housing Officers make attempts to assess each void street property, research existing problems around security, potential for noise nuisance / pollution due to the design of the property in order to get a profile of who might best settle in. It is then crucial that Camden Council comprehensively support more vulnerable tenants who would benefit from living in such a home.
CASP also supports the idea of meeting with Housing, Social Services and representatives from a number of different agencies (Age Concern, DISC, Mind, Victim Support, etc) in order to investigate how services might be improved for vulnerable adults living in LBC street properties.
The work of supporting vulnerable adults to be linked into the appropriate pilot project.
Tenant Participation & LBC Street Properties
Recommendations:
CASP representatives to be placed at the heart of the decision-making process, as many of the problems being identified are historical in nature, as the needs of LBC street properties have been low on Camden’s agenda.
CASP representatives to be included in the DMC agenda setting process, as its exclusion from the process amounts to nothing less than discrimination against tenants and leaseholders who occupy as much as 20% of the Council’s housing stock!
Energy Efficiency and LBC Street Properties
Recommendation:
The Association supports the report’s recommendation that Camden investigate levels of fuel poverty among street property tenants and leaseholders. It also supports the recommendation that any findings from the investigation be used to explore funding options for measures to improve the energy efficiency of street properties given that many properties cannot receive cavity wall insulation.
Camden Association of Street Properties
February 2010
