The Homes and Communities Scrutiny Committee is scheduled to discuss the draft Asset Management Strategy for 2026/27 to 2030/31, a national plan to end homelessness, and performance monitoring for the Housing Operations service. The committee will also review draft recommendations from its 12-month strategic review into homelessness.

Consultation on Draft HRA Asset Management Strategy

The committee is set to consider the draft HRA Asset Management Strategy for 2026/27 to 2030/31. This strategy outlines the council's approach to investing in its housing stock through investment, repairs, and maintenance services. It aligns with the council's priority of A safe place to call home and aims to maintain council homes well, ensuring they are safe, energy-efficient, and comfortable for current and future residents. The strategy details investment priorities, including building and fire safety, achieving the Decent Homes Standard, tackling damp and mould, and addressing energy efficiency in the worst-performing homes. It also outlines the consultation plan for gathering resident feedback on the strategy.

A National Plan to End Homelessness

A significant portion of the meeting is dedicated to discussing A National Plan to End Homelessness, published by the government in December 2025. The report summarises the key elements of this plan, which aims to end homelessness in all its forms, making it brief, rare, and non-recurring. The plan is structured around five pillars: universal prevention, targeted prevention, preventing crisis, improving emergency responses, and recovery and preventing repeat homelessness. The report highlights how Islington Council's existing services align with this plan and outlines intended actions to further align with its objectives, including seeking new funding streams to develop services for complex needs.

Feedback from the 12-month strategic review into homelessness

The committee will review draft recommendations following its 12-month strategic review into homelessness. The review has identified homelessness as a system-made crisis rather than an individual failing, and the draft recommendations focus on shifting from crisis management to shared, person-centred prevention. Key recommendations include a call for a strengthened statutory duty on all public services to prevent homelessness, reforms to the homelessness framework to abolish the priority need and local connection requirements for rough sleepers, and a national ask for government funding to enable Islington Council to purchase 200 ex Right to Buy homes annually. The draft recommendations also address the urgent need to uprate Local Housing Allowance rates, the importance of rapid rehousing, continued support for the Housing First approach, and a multi-agency approach to tackling cuckooing and exploitation. Specific attention is given to women's homelessness, the needs of migrants and refugees, and the necessity of sustained investment in adult social care and mental health services. The committee also supports strengthening the role of the Regulator of Social Housing to oversee homelessness and supported accommodation services and advocates for reforms related to domestic abuse evictions.

Housing Operations - Performance Monitoring Q3 2025/26

The committee will receive a performance monitoring report for the Housing Operations service for the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. The report provides an overview of performance trends, areas of improvement, and continuing risks across various service areas, including homelessness, income collection, antisocial behaviour, estate services, and services for those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) and migrants. The summary indicates that while homelessness indicators present challenges, particularly the rising number of households in temporary accommodation, antisocial behaviour and estate services show strong performance with improvements compared to the previous year. Income and rent arrears performance remains largely stable, with an increase in arrears levels. Caseloads and pressures for NRPF and Migrant Services are broadly stable, with some signs of improvement. The report also highlights ongoing risks such as demand pressures in homelessness services, continued growth in temporary accommodation use, and rising rent arrears due to the cost of living crisis.

Work Programme 2025/2026

The committee will also review its work programme for the remainder of the 2025/26 period. This includes confirming the final report on the homelessness review for the March meeting and noting the upcoming discussions on the Asset Management Strategy and Housing Performance Report.