The Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee is scheduled to meet on 19 November 2025 to discuss housing compliance, medical day care, and the committee's work programme. The meeting will include updates on the Housing Improvement Board, responses to housing regulator findings, and the transfer of medical day care services to Ealing Hospital. The committee will also review its work programme for the year.

Housing Compliance

The committee is scheduled to receive an update on the progress made following a self-referral to the Regulator of Social Housing in April 2025. This followed an incorrect update of the council's compliance software, True Compliance, which indicated that up to 12,500 fire actions had been completed without the required supporting evidence. The council was also unable to reconcile performance data on asbestos management, water safety and detectors for smoke and carbon monoxide.

As a result of these issues, the Regulator of Social Housing graded Brent Council at C3, indicating that serious failings had been identified and significant improvements were needed.

The committee will also receive an update from the Independent Chair of the Housing Improvement Board on the work of the Board.

The report pack indicates that Caldiston Ltd carried out an independent forensic audit across all key compliance workstreams in August 2025, and made key recommendations including:

• Developing a comprehensive compliance framework
• Resolving data integrity issues
• Closing overdue fire risk assessment actions
• Establishing central registers for smoke and CO detectors
• Providing staff training on compliance processes
• Implementing dashboards for real-time KPI monitoring and aligning the Strategic Risk Register with actual risks.

The report pack states that senior housing management managers meet monthly with the Regulator of Social Housing, and have developed a good working relationship with them.

The report pack also contains an update on the Housing Management Service Improvement Plan, including actions relating to:

• Finalising and embedding the re-organisation of the housing management service
• Working with HR colleagues to develop and roll out a comprehensive recruitment campaign for the re-organisation
• Handing over the management of the estate caretaking team to the Public Realm Directorate and embed an effective Service Level Agreement (SLA)
• Developing an induction programme for all new starters which includes vision, values and expectations from senior management
• Refreshing the training staff programme to ensure it aligns with priorities, gaps in knowledge/skills and can respond to emerging training needs
• Centralising all professional memberships held by the service and ensure membership benefits are being effectively utilised
• Finalising the Engagement strategy and work with the Partnerships and Engagement Service to deliver an annual programme of engagement activities
• Reviewing all housing management website pages, ensuring key information and policies are accessible
• Developing a communication plan for the service which includes an approach to regularly sharing performance information (TSM results, complaints analysis etc.)
• Ensuring tenants and leaseholders living in 'high-risk' blocks (7 storeys or more / over 18m high) have access to building safety information unique to their block, have opportunities to provide challenge and know how to report issues
• Establishing a process for more detailed complaints analysis, incorporating tenant and leaseholder reviews of complaint responses and learning from Housing Ombudsman decisions and wider publications
• Reprocuring the repairs and maintenance contract, ensuring tenant and leaseholders have been involved in the process
• Fully embedding True Compliance system, ensuring accurate, reliable and up to date data and reporting is available across all compliance streams
• Developing and embedding an emergency response process for the housing management service
• Developing a clear and robust approach to managing anti-social behaviour (ASB)
• Carrying out a detailed self assessment against the consumer standards, identifying gaps and actions to address them
• Building organisational awareness of social housing regulation and its implications for key stakeholders
• Developing an agreed approach and rolling programme for policy reviews moving forward
• Developing an approach to case auditing across core housing management functions, identifying good and bad practice, training needs, process or system issues etc.
• Implementing a 'grow your own' approach to tackle hard to recruit roles and support career development for existing staff
• Reviewing all SLA's in place across the housing management service and embed a consistent approach to managing them
• Introducing an additional team to Property Services who can deliver quick, responsive service against priority work e.g. damp and mould
• Developing process guidance for core functions of the housing management service
• Using the Tenant Satisfaction Measures¹ (TSM) results to inform targeted improvements to housing management services and engage with tenants on how this can be best achieved
• Ensuring the service meets the new Decent Homes requirements once published by central government
• Embedding a rolling programme of estate walkabouts so issues on estates can be picked up and tenants have an opportunity to engage with the service in their local area
• Embedding a programme of tenancy audits across all patches
• Working with tenants and leaseholders to review the digital offer when it comes to reporting repairs
• Reviewing and improving opportunities for tenants and leaseholders to communicate with and hear from the service regarding ongoing cases
• Developing a 'tone of voice' guidance document which provides advice on consistency in communication and language style expectations across all written interactions
• Developing a vulnerability / reasonable adjustment policy in line with Housing Ombudsman spotlight report recommendations
• Reviewing core IT system in place across the housing management service to ensure it is fit for purpose
• Developing an effective performance management framework across all core functions
• Embedding structured and consistent approach to horizon scanning which includes keeping ahead of Housing Ombudsman publications and ensuring learning is being taken and improvements to services embedded where identified
• Ensuring all relevant directors, heads of service and managers have achieved (or are working towards) the qualifications like to be required under the new Competency and Conduct Standard
• Developing a clear and robust approach to tenancy sustainment across the service
• Expanding and embedding the QA resource and remit across housing management
• Achieving the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) accreditation

Medical Day Care Transfer and Sickle Cell Care

The committee is scheduled to discuss a proposal to transfer the Medical Day Care Unit from Central Middlesex Hospital to Ealing Hospital. The report pack states that this would include transferring all staff and patients.

The report pack indicates that the drivers for this change are:

• To enable expansion of Sickle Cell services at Central Middlesex Hospital.
• To support the urgent care pathway at Ealing Hospital.
• To support the discharge pathway at Ealing Hospital.

The report pack notes that London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) is planning two public involvement events to talk to local people about these proposed changes.

Work Programme

The committee will be asked to agree its work programme for 2025/26. The Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2025/26 Update outlines the items which the committee will consider during the municipal year. The programme is in line with the remit of the committee, which includes:

• Adult social care
• Safeguarding
• Children's services
• Cultural services
• Education
• Health
• Housing
• Public Health and Wellbeing.

The report pack notes that the work programme of a scrutiny committee is intended to be a flexible, living document that can adapt and change according to the needs of a committee.

The report pack also contains the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee Recommendations Tracker Report November 2025, which provides a summary of any scrutiny recommendations made in order to track executive decisions and implementation progress.