Redbridge Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee reviewed the authority's housing engagement strategy on Monday, September 14, 2026. The committee noted the adoption of four key council housing landlord policies: Anti-Social Behaviour, Domestic Abuse, Engagement Strategy, and Asset Management Strategy.

Councillor Saima Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, introduced the policies, stating they aim to formalise and strengthen the council's approach to housing management, tenant engagement, and compliance with the Regulator of Social Housing's Consumer Standards. These policies codify current good practice and align with corporate and regulatory obligations without introducing additional financial or staffing burdens.

During the discussion on the Anti-Social Behaviour Policy, Councillor Martin Sachs posed a hypothetical scenario regarding the eviction of a perpetrator of racial harassment who is also a vulnerable person. Councillor Ahmed clarified that the team would deal with nuisance and ASB neutrally, offering advice and intervention. Andrew Billini, Director of Housing, elaborated that eviction for harassment would generally be grounds for finding someone intentionally homeless, and that a balanced approach was being taken. He further clarified that while eviction for harassment would generally be grounds for finding someone intentionally homeless, this is a balanced approach and not a simple eviction process.

Ben Tomlinson, Head of Housing Strategy, Quality Assurance, and author of the report, addressed concerns about the use of the word hope in relation to measuring the impact of the ASB policy on children. He explained that hope was used to convey the aspirational nature of the policies, and that while specific housing measures were not detailed, the impact would be corporately measured through children's services performance metrics, such as educational outcomes and social care outcomes. He clarified that this is not something specifically measured in housing, but the paragraph was to reassure councillors that the wider corporate impacts for all children in the borough had been considered. He also stated that they recognized the point about having smart objectives and that 'hope' needs to be followed up with tangible results and metrics for measuring that. Councillor Clack inquired about the timelines for responding to ASB cases, with Tomlinson explaining a nominal target of 32 days, but complex cases averaging around 300 days due to welfare considerations.

Councillor Adams questioned the funding and staffing for the asset management strategy, given identified incomplete systems and data. Councillor Ahmed confirmed these were factored into the existing budget, and the exercise was about aligning policies with current practices. The Asset Management Strategy document states that 'Currently, there is not a complete or consistent picture of how policies, procedures, performance measures, and data work together across asset management.' It also mentions the need to 'improve the quality and accuracy of asset management data to support transparent, evidence-led investment decisions.' The plan to address these deficiencies includes reviewing and updating policies, introducing standardized operating procedures, improving IT systems, simplifying performance and assurance arrangements, and quality assurance through internal and independent review.

Regarding the engagement strategy, Councillor Clack questioned the prioritization of four estate days per year given the 173 estates. Councillor Ahmed explained an area-based approach and a combination of engagement methods, including door-knocking and resident surveys. She stated that an area-based approach is taken, with neighbourhood teams. Andrew Billini, Director of Housing, added that they aim to stay nimble around ways of engaging with residents, acknowledging that forums and resident associations don't meet everyone's expectations. Ben Tomlinson, Head of Housing Strategy, Quality Assurance, mentioned that they would consider parceling up estate days in different ways, and potentially doing them in smaller chunks. They also consider where more professionals are, exploring evening options, and for families with children, considering different times of day. The strategy also mentions using data-driven, evidence-based models to identify pressure points for more engagement. Apologies were given for draft documents with placeholders, with assurances of correction before final publication.

The committee agreed to note all three reports. The full reports can be found in the Public reports pack for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on September 14, 2026. Public reports pack 14th-Sep-2026 19.00 Overview and Scrutiny Committee