Thread by @Andrewwood17

Scrutiny work programme
One of my jobs is to sit on TH Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee. I have suggested below what I think we need to look at over the next year as areas that need more work. What would you add/amend/change?

1. Newly built residential towers containing affordable housing – endemic problems over a range of issues, these are complex buildings and not clear that housing associations nor managing agents can manage effectively especially in early months after occupation.

2. Service charge billing generally and heating / hot water / electricity charging specifically – clear that housing associations not very good at the basics nor managing agents of billing or of explaining service charge cost drivers.

3. Fire safety – 282 buildings in Tower Hamlets applied to the building safety fund, twice as many as the next highest local authority Manchester. Councillors not allowed to know which buildings are affected by their own local authority.

4. Capex budget – is routinely underspent each year – so we are delivering infrastructure/homes too slowly & then lose millions each year through inflation eroding the value of our reserves (except in 2020) – why are we so slow at delivery?

5. Affordable Homes Purchase - Executive Decision came out Friday night, 10th November, 2017, 7.31pm by email to spend £119 million on the Acquisition of Affordable Homes. What happened?, where did we buy? From whom? How old was it? Value for money?

6. Anti-Social Behaviour – Tower Hamlets now has the highest rates of reported ASB incidents in England. Also very high on a per capita basis. Why and what can we do about it?

7. Demand for Adult Social Care – we have the lowest proportion of over 65s in the country (although this is based on 2011 Census data) and traditionally older people drive demand for adult social care so what is driving demand in Tower Hamlets?

8. Liveable Streets –Why do people in TH have cars, who are they, what do they use them for, do they need them for work? What will the impact be of concentrating traffic on fewer streets when air quality has been improving in recent years? Emergency vehicle access?