The Homes and Communities Scrutiny Committee met to discuss the council's response to rough sleeping and to select a scrutiny topic for the 2025/26 municipal year. The committee agreed that homelessness would be the scrutiny topic for the year, allowing for a wider scope including temporary accommodation, rent capping, and lobbying the government. They also noted the membership, terms of reference, and dates of future meetings.

Selection of Scrutiny Topic 2025/26

The committee agreed that homelessness would be the scrutiny topic for the year. Councillor Hannah McHugh, Chair of Homes and Communities Scrutiny Committee and Equalities Champion, suggested the topic, citing the Mayor of London's plan to end rough sleeping by 2030 and the key issues that fall under the category of homelessness, such as the transition from the private rented sector, the impact on migrant and refugee communities, the standards of temporary accommodation, and the vulnerable communities who experience rough sleeping.

Councillor Ben Mackmurdie supported the suggestion, calling for a wider scope that looked at ending temporary accommodation and homelessness, rent capping, and lobbying the government. Councillor Ilkay Cinko-Oner, Deputy Leader of the Independent and Green Group, suggested including private renters and housing associations in the scope. Councillor Michael O'Sullivan suggested linking the scrutiny to legislation going through parliament related to the private rented sector. Councillor Heather Staff, Chair of Licensing Committee and Migrants Champion, seconded the recommendation, noting that it aligned with the work of the Corporate Resources and Economic Scrutiny Committee on poverty prevention and the repeal of the Vagrancy Act due in 2026. Councillor Mick Gilgunn suggested scrutinising housing associations.

Councillor Mackmurdie raised the issue of service charges and fees for council tenants, and Councillor Phil Graham suggested looking at Tenant Management Organisations (TMOs).

The committee then voted to approve homelessness as the scrutiny topic for the year. The chair, vice-chair, and housing officers will draft the scrutiny initiation document, which will be circulated to committee members ahead of the next meeting.

Islington Council's Response to Rough Sleeping

Councillor John Wolfe, Executive Member for Homes and Neighbours, introduced the item, stating the council's commitment to eliminating rough sleeping by 2030. He noted that while London had seen a 38% increase in rough sleeping, Islington had achieved a 20% reduction. Ian Swift, Director of Housing Needs, gave a presentation on Islington's response to rough sleeping, highlighting the council's partnership with community agencies and its focus on prevention.

Swift stated that the council had achieved a 60% reduction in rough sleeping and that only six people were sleeping on the streets at the time of the meeting. He also emphasised the importance of moving away from the bureaucracy that drives rough sleeping, where people think they have to sleep rough to get accommodation.

Councillor Mackmurdie asked about the baseline for the 60% reduction and how the 500 homes being provided across London would equate to the 18,000 and 11,000 people in rough sleeping. He also raised concerns about rough sleepers ending up in King Square Gardens and how the council was dealing with this.

Swift responded that the 500 properties were GLA funding for acquisitions, purchases, new builds, and remodelling. He acknowledged that 500 properties were not enough across London but that the council would be aggressive in trying to obtain the maximum funding for Islington. He also stated that the council was working with the local church and community to address the issues in King Square Gardens and that the local community had reported that things were 100% better since the council had done things differently in partnership with community safety.

Councillor Staff asked how extending the move-on period to 56 days under the pilot had helped with homelessness prevention and how the plan was helping those with no recourse to public funds¹.

Swift explained that the 56-day pilot had been a game changer in Islington, as it gave staff more time to work with individuals to find accommodation and support. He also stated that the council spends about £1.1 million a year to provide accommodation for 40 families with no recourse to public funds.

Councillor Hannah McHugh asked if the council was potentially over-reliant on temporary funding to do this work and what plans were in place to mainstream this work beyond the lifespan of those temporary fundings.

Swift responded that the government had committed funding for the period of the parliament and that he was optimistic that the funding would continue because of the increase in funding for homelessness that the council had obtained through the spending review.

Councillor Mackmurdie asked how the council identifies and helps sofa-surfing people. Swift responded that the council had launched a publicity campaign and an IT system to target individuals by giving them advanced homelessness prevention financial inclusion work.

Councillor Mick Gilgunn shared a personal story about someone doing voluntary work for Woolwich's Service Users Project, which caters to people in housing need, homelessness, people with addictions, and people with mental health problems. He asked how the council liberates people who want to get employment and housing but are stuck in bureaucracy. Swift responded that the council had recently launched a programme in partnership with the local university on Holloway Road, training students to give them a career in housing and prioritising people with lived homelessness experience or lived social housing experience for employment.

Councillor McHugh asked what the council was doing to make sure that it was not just working together with the voluntary community sector but actually funding and resourcing them to do the really good work that the council relies on. Swift responded that the council has a very successful homelessness prevention and rough sleeping forum chaired by Islington Law Centre and that the council empowers its partners and residents to help redesign its service.

Councillor Graham raised concerns about people leaving hotels or prison with complex needs and asked how the council was ensuring that it had the most secure situation for them to go to. Swift responded that leaving prison is not an exact science and that the council will give them accommodation in the private rented sector but will work with them to try to get them accommodation within council accommodation or housing association accommodation.

Councillor Rosaline Ogunro, Deputy Mayor, asked who the council was filling the new homes it was building with if homeless people were still being sent out of the borough. Swift responded that all the people who had gone into the properties the council had bought were homeless people and that they were on the council's estates and in Islington.

Councillor Staff asked what happens if somebody does not want to be helped and refuses accommodation. Swift responded that the council works with that individual at a pace that they are comfortable with and that sometimes it is due to financial reasons that they refuse accommodation.

Councillor Cinko-Oner asked about temporary accommodation and the figure of 11 months, asking if that was new applicants and how many people in Islington currently live in temporary accommodation. Swift responded that there were approaching 1900 homeless households living in temporary accommodation in Islington and that the 11 months was the average from the last 12 months.

Councillor McHugh asked how fit the council's temporary accommodation was for residents who have really complex needs and what the council was doing to make sure there was enough genuinely affordable housing for that transition from temporary accommodation into affordable housing. Swift responded that a high percentage of people coming through the homelessness framework are now vulnerable with multiple complex needs and that accommodation isn't the solution for them and that they do need intensive support. He stated that the council has housing first officers directly employed to provide that housing first support to those individuals so they don't crash and burn their tenancies.

Councillor O'Sullivan asked what the council was doing to disseminate the good practice that it had learned to other councils so that there could be an overall London decrease in homelessness. He also asked about people coming out of prison and whether the council had given up using bail hostels. Swift responded that the council was getting the maximum nomination rights to housing associations accommodation and that the Home Office doesn't really have many bail hostels now in the country.

Councillor Graham asked what happens with residents who turn down getting the collar and whether the council had accommodation for people with dogs. Swift responded that at Stacey Street there is provision to allow pets to go into Stacey Street and that the council would offer to provide them with kennels or suitable accommodation that would allow that dog to remain in with them.

Councillor Mackmurdie asked about temporary housing and what the council was doing to stop going bust like Newham Council. Swift responded that the council had reduced the number of offers it was going to give to homeless households from two to one and that it had reviewed all these other things.

Membership, Terms of Reference and Dates of Meetings

The committee noted the membership, terms of reference, and dates of meetings for the municipal year 2025-26.