Agenda, decisions and minutes

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meetings held on 3 October 2023 and 6 December 2023 be agreed as accurate records of proceedings.

1.1       RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meetings held on 3 October 2023 and 6 December 2023 be agreed as accurate records of proceedings.

RESOLVED: That the minutes arising from the final meetings of the Community Food Growing Task and Finish Group and the Workspaces Task and Finish Group be agreed as accurate records of proceedings.

2.1       RESOLVED: That the minutes arising from the final meetings of the Community Food Growing Task and Finish Group and the Workspaces Task and Finish Group be agreed as accurate records of proceedings.

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RESOLVED: That Thames Water be asked to return to the Committee in a year’s time to address the implementation of three of the Committee’s previous recommendations with Lewisham-specific data; and that answers be provided to the two questions asked by the Vice Chair.

4.1      Natacha Israel and Matthew Hackshaw from Thames Water were welcomed to the meeting. The following points were noted in response to questions from Members:

·         In North London, Thames Water had piloted a process to improve reinstatements. There were more challenges in South London - and a different provider - but the introduction of new salesforce software was expected to improve performance.

·         Salesforce software was due to go live in the summer and would issue automated direct communications to local residents and businesses. It would also mean that support agents could access photographs and information from the field.

·         WhatsApp was not currently used – salesforce would utilise text messaging. Social media channels and the website were also used to provide updates.

·         First attendance rates were being improved via better sequencing – new working patterns with a new night service, were helping. Teams were more aligned with a morning operational call setting the priorities for the day.

·         Thames Water would look to bring their new asset plan to the next member surgery – and their communications strategy.

·         Proper use of the permit management system needed to be more firmly embedded across the organisation, which required training.

·         The calculation of property hours (reported to Ofwat) was explained, and Thames Water agreed to provide equivalent data for service interruptions.

4.2      The Vice Chair reported that in letters received by Lewisham residents, Thames Water was claiming that 8p from each bill was going to servicing its debt, but it had recently been revealed in a national newspaper that almost 28% of Thames Water’s revenue (nearly all of which is generated from customers) went to servicing its debt. Matthew agreed to speak to the billing department and respond to this point. The Vice Chair also noted that Thames Water was £190m in debt and currently unable to repay it by the deadline (end of April 2024) and was concerned about the impact on Lewisham tax-payers and residents. It was agreed that Thames Water would respond to this point after the meeting.

4.3      Matthew also agreed to pass on concerns about inaccuracies in the communications to residents around capital projects – as accurate estimations of when projects would conclude were not always provided (e.g. those projects relating to the Millennium main).

4.4      RESOLVED: That Thames Water return to the Committee in a year’s time to address the implementation of three of the Committee’s previous recommendations with Lewisham-specific data; and that answers be provided to the two questions asked by the Vice Chair.

RESOLVED: That a referral be made to Mayor and Cabinet formally requesting that members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee are notified of any property disposals at the same time that the members representing the ward in which the property is situated, are informed.

5.1      The Chair welcomed Patrick DuBeck, Kplom Lotsu and Petra Marshall to the meeting. An update was provided on the development of the asset management strategy and the committee’s previous recommendations.  In the discussion that followed, a number of points were noted:

·         It was hoped the strategy would be ready to be considered by Mayor and Cabinet in June.

·         The local plan applied to all land irrespective of ownership.

·         The council interacted with the local plan in two ways – as the planning authority and as a landowner.

·         When considering the acquisition strategy (and the benefits of buying from the private property market to increase the supply of social housing and defray temporary accommodation costs) the council’s threshold for risk was key. It was noted that Mayor and Cabinet had agreed an acquisitions programme (up to 300 properties) but changes to the grant funding landscape had slowed progress. The general fund was being used for this on the basis that it was resulting in cost avoidance.

·         It was noted that Patrick DuBeck was on the Besson Street Board, but speaking as a Council Officer, cost inflation with regards to building materials and changes in the debt market meant that the scheme was not currently viable as, currently, it wasn’t meeting both partners’ viability metrics. The joint venture vehicle was not the issue.

·         Ward members would continue to be actively engaged on disposals – as early as possible.

·         Pre-decision scrutiny on the review of community assets would be welcome. It was noted that the intention was to ensure that the council was not subsidising commercial activities and it was a level playing field for all, with commercial uses regularised. Not all users would pay the same rent – and there would be support in place for community organisations. It was noted that, in addition to differential rent, support with issues such as health and safety could be provided. The rent strategy would be referenced in the overall asset management strategy going to Mayor and Cabinet in June, but it was a separate policy.

·         The business support team was well placed to support small businesses and help improve their viability.

5.2      It was agreed that an informal briefing would be held with (a) case studies, as context was everything in determining the approach to land; and (b) information on the proposed rent strategy with respect to community assets.

5.3      The committee discussed whether the overview and scrutiny committee should be notified of property disposals at the same time that the members representing the ward in which the property was situated, were informed. They could then consider whether the matter should be formally scrutinised. It was also suggested that acquisitions should be highlighted to ward members and scrutiny.

5.4      Following a vote (six in favour, two against) it was:

RESOLVED: That a referral be made to Mayor and Cabinet formally requesting that members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee are notified of any property disposals at the same time that the members  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

RESOLVED: That a referral be made to Mayor and Cabinet recommending the following:

Strategy - That the Council should establish a high-level, corporate level, trauma-informed approach to delivering its services, linked to the developing People and Organisational Development Strategy and translated locally into operational policies and procedures, which builds on existing practice. This should give specific consideration to:

-       Experience of residents
-       Experience of resident facing staff
-       Overall workforce
-       Partners and contractors.

Training – That (a) appropriate training be rolled out to all staff and its effectiveness evaluated after 6 months and (b) the council’s partners (via the Local Strategic Partnership) and contractors be encouraged to offer trauma informed training to their staff.

Language and behaviours – That frontline services review the language they use in interactions with residents so that it is relatable, humane, inclusive, clear and transparent, and avoids unintentional re-traumatisation and takes a person-centred approach, including listening to service users.

Support - That the wellbeing of staff and elected members who regularly interact with distressed and traumatised residents is prioritised and supported, with the support that is available communicated clearly.

6.1       The Chair introduced the item and welcomed Keith Cohen, Head of the Youth Justice Service, to the meeting. It was also noted that Trishana Osbourne, a trauma informed coach who the Chair had met prior to the meeting, was in attendance virtually. It was further noted that the Chair had additionally met Hannah Alghali from Partisan,a provider of mental health and wellbeing support for marginalised and racialised communities; and Michael Preston-Shoot, the outgoing Chair of Lewisham’s Safeguarding Adults Board, in the run up to the meeting. The Chair spoke of the importance of, and theory behind, taking a trauma informed approach to delivering services and supporting staff. The roll out of trauma-informed practice training to staff, provided by Thrive London, was welcomed and the Chair added his personal recommendation, reporting that he had completed the bronze level training.

6.2       Keith Cohen gave a short overview of the approach being taken by the Youth Justice Service and the following key points were noted:

·           The approach was developed around eight years ago in response to high levels of youth violence - the number of entrants and re-offending rates were both high, as was workforce trauma.

·           From 2016 onwards there was a focus on reducing levels of toxic stress and on developing what is now known as the TIAARA (Trauma-informed, Anti-Racist and Restorative approaches) model.

·           Following the adoption of this approach, the number of children and young people entering the youth justice system and re-offending reduced; serious violence rates dropped; custody levels reduced; staff retention increased; staff commitment to the workplace increased, clients developed stronger feelings of trust and safety in the service; and there was a new focus on healing and development aided by dedicated therapists.

·           The new approach had come at no additional cost due to service efficiencies.

·           The service had won a Municipal Journal (MJ) Award for innovation in inclusion and diversity.

·           Adverse childhood experiences were specifically taken into account together with previous negative interaction with local services including schools, housing services, the police and the NHS.

·           A reflective and restorative approach was key.

·           A workforce development programme was key to embedding a trauma-informed approach, supported by experts.

·           There needed to be consideration of what was needed to allow staff to recover from workforce trauma.

6.3         The following key points were noted in the discussion that followed:

·           A two-pronged approach was required – helping staff support residents who had experienced trauma; and helping staff experiencing vicarious trauma from supporting residents.

·           Training was essential and many cohorts of staff received specific support to help them deal with trauma. The renewed values and behaviour framework reinforced this; the armed forces covenant awareness training available to staff included a section on understanding the impact of trauma and how it could manifest in different ways; and Thrive LDN trauma informed training was being rolled out across the Council.

·           There were further support systems and training available covering developing resilience, managing stress, and management practices such as appraisals, one-to-ones and supervisions. A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.