The Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission met to discuss the new council homes programme, a refresh of the housing associations compact, and the upcoming work programme. Councillors examined progress towards the council's target of building 1,000 new social rent homes by 2026, and explored ways to improve collaboration with housing associations. They also reviewed letters and responses on previous scrutiny topics, and planned the commission's work for the coming year.

New Council Homes Programme

The commission discussed progress towards Hackney Council's manifesto commitment to deliver 1,000 new homes for social rent between 2022 and 2026.

Councillor Guy Nicholson, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing Management and Regeneration, acknowledged challenges including the pandemic, rising prices, supply chain issues and market crashes.

Rachel Bagenal, Assistant Director Housing Delivery & Regeneration, outlined specific challenges:

• Construction cost inflation, which has increased by a third since 2021, to around £5,000 a square metre.
• Property market volatility and fluctuating interest rates.
• Increasingly complex building regulations, particularly around sustainability and overheating.
• New building safety regulations following the Grenfell tragedy¹, including the need for a second staircase in buildings over 18 metres.
• Delays in gaining approval from the Building Safety Regulator, with average waits of 25-40 weeks.

Despite these challenges, Bagenal highlighted successes:

• The completion of Tower Court in Stamford Hill and Chowdhury Walk and Torianne Walk in Clapton, providing 155 homes.
• Around 600 homes currently under construction across several sites, including Buckland and Wimborne in Hoxton, Colville 2C, Marion Court, Nightingale Estate, and King's Crescent phases three and four.
• Securing £90 million of grant funding from the GLA² and the government.
• Progressing the New Homes Programme, with four planning applications submitted for garage sites and two more planned for the summer.
• Awards for completed schemes, including the RIBA Neave Brown Award for affordable housing for Chowdhury Walk and a Civic Trust Award for Tower Court.

Bagenal confirmed that the Housing Regeneration and Delivery service is due to have 815 social rented homes in delivery, with an additional 51 social rented homes in delivery at Britannia and 90 social rented homes through the leasehold buyback program, bringing the total to 956 social rented homes out of the 1,000 target.

Councillor Soraya Adejare, Chair of the Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission, queried whether the 1,000 target would be met by the end of the administration. Councillor Nicholson clarified that while the homes would not all be fully built by May 2026, the programme was on track to have 956 social rented homes in delivery by that date, meaning they are either being built, tendered, or in the design phase.

Councillor Zoe Garbett asked when the homes were expected to be completed. Councillor Nicholson responded that the completion dates varied by site and would be provided to the commission. Councillor Garbett also asked whether the 815 figure represented a net increase in homes, taking into account any loss of council homes through regeneration. Bagenal confirmed that it was a net increase.

Councillor Faruk Tinaz asked for clarification that the 1,000 new homes target would not be met by 2026. Councillor Nicholson confirmed that the homes would not be built by May 2026, but the council was on track to have 956 social rented homes in delivery.

Councillor Tinaz also requested a breakdown of the 90 social rented homes being bought back, including how many had three or more bedrooms. It was confirmed that around a third would be family-sized units.

Councillor Adejare raised the matter of four and five-bedroom properties, and asked what considerations were being made to ensure that the percentage reflected in Tower Court was reflected further afield. Bagenal confirmed that family housing was being built in all schemes, and that planning policy required a certain number of family homes in each scheme.

Councillor Garbett asked how the mix of new social rented homes met local need, particularly regarding accessible homes for disabled people. Bagenal confirmed that they met London Plan standards as a minimum, with 10% being wheelchair accessible and 90% adaptable.

Steve Webster, co-chair of the Resident Liaison Group, asked about shared ownership, and whether the rent part of shared ownership was based on social rent or affordable rent³. It was agreed that this would be confirmed to him after the meeting.

Councillor Ozden asked about future plans for new homes for social rent, associated timescales, emerging priorities, and evidence gathering. Bagenal responded that they were in the early stages of putting together a new programme, looking at available sites and working with the asset review team.

Councillor Ifraax Samatar asked how the council was ensuring that new social rented housing supply was future-proof, resilient to future needs, and energy efficient. Bagenal responded that the quality of new homes was an absolute priority, and that energy efficiency was a huge priority.

Housing Associations Compact Refresh

The commission then discussed the Hackney Council Housing Associations Compact 2023-26, and what areas should be reviewed or added in a refreshed compact.

Councillor Sem Moema, Deputy Cabinet Member for Private Rented Sector and Housing, noted the impact of external factors such as building and fire safety, Brexit, and the Covid-19 pandemic. She highlighted successes around domestic abuse support and the role of housing associations in addressing temporary accommodation needs.

James Goddard, Assistant Director of Strategy Assurance and Private Rented Sector, provided an overview of housing associations in Hackney. He noted that housing associations managed a significant proportion of homes in Hackney, with nearly all of their 30,000 units being rented. He explained the differences between housing associations, registered social landlords, and other types of social housing providers.

Goddard noted that there were around 50 housing associations operating in Hackney, ranging from large organisations like Clarion to smaller almshouse charities. He explained that housing associations were independent from local authorities and operated under different governance structures.

Goddard explained that housing associations could not issue social tenancies, but instead offered assured and fixed-term tenancies. He also noted the emergence of for-profit housing associations, such as SAGE Housing, which are funded through private equity and operate with the goal of making a profit. Goddard stated that Hackney currently had an approved housing association list, which for-profit organisations were excluded from. However, he suggested that this policy may need to be reviewed due to potential legal challenges.

Goddard explained that the council operated an approved list of housing associations, with 15 criteria that organisations had to meet to be included. He also noted that the council had a housing association forum, but attendance had dropped off in recent years.

Goddard explained that the Hackney RP Compact was approved in Cabinet in 2023 and was intended to be a partnership document, but was not a contract and was not enforceable. He noted that the strongest outcomes had been achieved in areas where the council had power to enforce nominations, such as domestic abuse pathways.

Goddard stated that the council was proposing a review period over the next six months to assess whether the compact had worked and how it could be improved. He noted that the world had changed since the compact was put in place, with housing associations now focused on fire safety and no longer developing new homes.

Councillor Garbett asked about the number of housing associations signed up to the compact and what was being done to encourage those who were not signed up. Councillor Moema responded that there was broad agreement on the principle of working together, but the world had changed.

Councillor Garbett asked about progress on issues such as voids, tenancy sustainment, and waste management. Councillor Moema responded that there should be no massive perception of difference between council and housing association tenants in these areas, but that issues often arose when something bad happened.

Zahra Shuvazi, co-chair of the Resident Liaison Group, asked whether there was a clear written service level agreement between the council and housing associations, and how the council monitored whether housing associations were providing the right service to residents. Goddard responded that contracts and SLAs did not exist between the local authority and housing associations, which was why the compact was in place to try and get some standards into everything.

Councillor Adejare raised the issue of safeguarding, and asked how the council was ensuring that housing associations were meeting their safeguarding responsibilities, given that the council could not direct them to provide related data. Goddard responded that this was an area for improvement, and that the council was working to build on the domestic abuse pathway to improve safeguarding across other groups.

Steve Webster asked whether the council was concerned that housing associations were not developing new homes, and whether there was any data available to illustrate the potential loss of properties. Goddard responded that it was a great concern, and that the council was working with housing associations to try and get them to build more homes.

Councillor Samatar asked whether the Hackney Better Housing Partnership had been relaunched, and whether it had provided any clarity around roles and responsibilities. Goddard responded that it had been relaunched three times since 2023, but had not been entirely successful.

Scrutiny Reports, Letters and Responses

The commission noted the scrutiny reports, letters, and responses included in the agenda. These related to the Hackney Carnival and resident sustainment and vulnerability.

Scrutiny Actions Tracker

The commission noted that the scrutiny actions tracker had not been updated since the last meeting, but would be updated and provided to members as soon as possible.

Living in Hackney Work Programme 2025/26

The commission discussed the work programme shortlist for the 2025/26 municipal year. Councillor Adejare thanked commission members, cabinet members, officers, non-executive members, and local residents for their suggestions.

Councillor Garbett liked the suggestion of having update sessions, and was keen to include the voice of workers and unions in the Ombudsman stuff.

It was agreed that the Ombudsman stuff should be scheduled for later in the year, to allow time for the action plan to be implemented.

Minutes of the Last Meeting

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 9 June 2025 were approved.

Any Other Business

There was no other business.