Tower Hamlets Council is set to spend £404,000 extending concierge services in five housing blocks. The decision comes after delays in the procurement process for a new contract. The extension aims to maintain security and prevent anti-social behaviour in the buildings.

The Mayor's Executive Decision Making meeting on 15 September 2025 addressed the extension of the existing contract with OCS LTD for nine months, running until March 2026, at a cost of £404,764.35. The affected housing blocks are Brewster House, Malting House, Pauline House, Latham House, and Brodrick House.

The council report stated that the procurement process, initiated in October 2023, experienced significant delays due to unforeseen circumstances. A report was presented to Cabinet in September 2024, recommending a contract extension of up to 12 months to ensure service continuity. Cabinet approved a six-month extension until 31 March 2025.

The cost of delivering the service for the 2025/26 financial year is £19.35 per hour (totalling £912,223.20), reflecting a 6% increase from the 2024/25 rate of £18.28 per hour. This hourly rate increase corresponds with the uplift in the London Living Wage paid to concierge staff. The regular concierge hours are funded by the Housing Revenue Account and are rechargeable to residents.

The report also highlighted the importance of these services in preventing anti-social behaviour and ensuring residents' security. The concierge services play an important role in screening visitors, monitoring CCTV, patrolling communal areas (with a focus on fire safety), spot cleaning, reporting repairs, and providing assistance to residents and emergency services.

It noted that officers had considered expanding the provision to other blocks, including Bentworth Court, but multiple access points, a lack of welfare facilities and a lack of suitable space meant there would be significant costs associated with widening the offer. In some blocks there could also be a need for more than one operative which would also significantly impact on the rechargeable costs to residents.

A consultation with residents in December 2024 and January 2025 showed strong support for maintaining the concierge service. According to the Public reports pack 15th-Sep-2025 Mayors Executive Decision Making, 46% of households participated in the survey, with 88% supporting the continuation of the service, even with proposed annual fee increases linked to changes in the London Living Wage. Alternative options were preferred by a minority of residents:

9% voted to discontinue the service, 2% suggested reducing hours, and 1% proposed exploring other security measures like enhanced CCTV, improved intercoms, fob-based access control systems for doors and lifts, or airlock door systems.

The report warned that not approving the extension could negatively impact the council's reputation and increase anti-social behaviour. A decision not to continue the service which is directly rechargeable to residents could be a breach of the Regulator for Social Housing's Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard which requires registered providers to take tenants' views into account in their decision making about how landlord services are delivered and communicate how tenants' views have been considered.