Estates and Communities Panel - 20 May 2026

Location: North Tyneside Council offices, Quadrant, Cobalt Business Park

 

Attendees

Tenant members – Marie Christine (Chair), Christine,  Margaret, Linda, Gaynor, Mary, Evelyn, Clare, Hilary 

Gary Wilson, Interim Housing Neighbourhood Manager; Julie Brown, Operations Manager, Community Protection; Ian Rice, Service Manager Financial Support; Rachael Sanderson, Housing Policy and Development Officer; Angela Melvin, Housing Engagement Manager

 

Apologies 

Clare

 

1. Notes of the last meeting and action log 

Notes of the last meeting were agreed.  

Action log: 

  • A tenant member fed back that the Stop Social Housing Stigma campaign has recently published a survey, with 70% of social housing tenants reporting that they felt stigmatised.  The report is available online and AM will share the link with the group. https://stopsocialhousingstigma.org/
  • GW fed back that the Estate Walkabout programme for 2026-27 is almost ready, the delay has been due to needing to wait until after the recent elections so the ward councillors for each one could be confirmed. 


2. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) update

The panel had received a briefing note and the six-monthly EDI report with their meeting papers. 

IR last attended the panel in September 2025 to introduce work being done to improve the information we hold about tenants and how we are using this to better tailor our services.  Understanding our tenants allows us to make reasonable adjustments to take account of their needs; and we can’t do that if we don’t have current information.

IR outlined progress made against the objectives set for 2025-26:

  • We had set a target of having up to date information on 90% of our tenants by the end of March, this target has been exceeded and 94.91% was achieved.  
  • A cleanse of data held in our IT systems has helped with this progress, as part of work towards the introduction of the new Unified IT system.  Fields recording religion/faith and sexual orientation had often been left blank and feedback from staff was that people did not want to give us this information.   People can always opt out of doing so, but there is a ‘prefer not to say option’, which lets us know that the information has not been recorded due to personal choice, rather than simply that we have not asked the question.
  • Training is currently being rolled out to staff on how they need to respond and deal with the information that we have.  For example, if a communication preference or language issue has been flagged, they need to know how to access an interpretation service.  There are a range of reasonable adjustments we can make and staff need to clarify the information we have for a tenant whenever they are having a conversation – is the information we currently hold correct, or is there anything different they want to inform us about?  

IR highlighted the revised objectives set for 2026-27:

  • Continue to update our information, achieving 96% by March 2027
  • Complete the data cleanse of our IT systems.  We are keen to also record information on other household members, not just the registered tenant.
  • Roll out procedures so that every contact is an opportunity to review and update information 

GW added that making a small adjustment to the service we provide a tenant can make a huge difference; and can also help prevent situations which may lead to complaints.

There was discussion around some of the practicalities of gathering the data, and providing services such as interpreting.  The panel were very interested in this work and commented that although it was clearly not straightforward, there are some very positive things resulting from it. 

 

3. Tenancy Agreement revision and upcoming consultation

RS summarised that the Tenancy Agreement outlines the rights and responsibilities of both tenants and the Authority.  It details the types of tenancy, the duration and the conditions under which the tenancy can be terminated.

We are reviewing the Agreement to bring it up to date.  The panel will remember being asked to give some initial feedback last year, an early draft also went to the North Tyneside Living panel.   Feedback from those has been taken into account in a revised draft that will now go out for wider consultation shortly.

  • Basic tenancy rights have mostly stayed the same and day to day responsibilities are clearer
  • It includes more links to external documents and web pages to ensure information remains up to date
  • Adds data protection, more information on keeping pets responsibly, electrical safety, invasive plants and electric vehicle charging

As part of this, we are legally required to write to every tenant, this is called a ‘preliminary notice’.  The letter will have a QR code linking to an online survey, with paper copies available in main libraries. 

In addition, linking into the EDI work outlined in the previous agenda item, we are also going to use this letter going to all tenants to request that they update their demographic data as part of a separate survey.

The panel had received a draft of this letter with their meeting papers and RS asked the panel for their comments on its tone and ease of understanding. 

The panel asked about non-digital options for tenants to complete the surveys and whether it could be sent by email rather than post to reduce costs.   RS replied that there will be paper options for people to complete if they prefer, unfortunately our data is not up to date with regard to email addresses and the Legal team therefore directed that letters must be posted out.

RS thanked the panel for their feedback.  The consultation will be hosted on the Our North Tyneside Voice website shortly and the results will be shared with the panel once available.  

 

4. Clean-Up Days 

Our regular clean-up days have been brought under the ‘Your Neighbourhood’ brand and bring together several different services as part of the Elected Mayor’s priority for neighbourhoods that are clean, green and safe.

The Neighbourhood Housing team lead the clean-ups and identify hot-spot areas and properties requiring attention in advance.  This could be litter, items in gardens to remove, bushes and grass verges needing cutting.  Recent complaints are also considered.  These are focused on a small area of four to five streets.  Twelve clean-ups are scheduled per quarter, bringing together teams from Neighbourhoods, Community Protection and Environment.  

Residents in the area get a hand-delivered letter saying when the team will be in the area and inviting them to report any issues or items for collection.  After the clean-up, the Neighbourhood team follows up by knocking on doors, raising awareness of what has been done and gathering feedback.  Cards are left with residents so they can provide feedback online if they wish.  

So far, 154 responses have been received and 92% have been positive.  It has been good to see the level of engagement and positive comments.  A total of 72 tonnes of rubbish has been removed since February.  

The panel discussed options for reporting issues, waste bins and how derelict buildings attracting anti-social behaviour can be tackled.  JB encouraged tenants to report issues when they are happening, this helps schedule local patrols.  

A question was asked about contacting Neighbourhood Officers, GW replied that the team phone number and email address can be used; and a new phone system being introduced shortly will also help.

The panel welcomed the multi-service approach and will be kept up to date on progress.

 

5. Public Space Protection Orders – upcoming consultation

Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) deal with a particular nuisance or problem in a specific area that is detrimental to the community’s quality of life.   The whole borough of North Tyneside is covered by a PSPO.  PSPOs can ban behaviours such as drinking alcohol or keeping dogs on leads in specific areas. They typically last three years, with an option to renew after review.  

The council is about to start public consultation as part of a review of the current PSPOs, ahead of a decision on whether to extend them, vary them, incorporate new ones, or cancel any.  Any restrictions on public spaces must be justified and proportionate.  Consultation is beginning from 21 May and will run for four weeks.  Consultation also takes place with the police and community representatives.

The panel discussed the use of PSPOs, with questions about education around littering and action that can be taken against repeat offenders.  JB replied that we do need evidence of issues such as littering to be able to act, giving an example of using footage from video doorbells.  Fines can escalate for repeat offences and JB highlighted that we are considering the amount for fines as a deterrent to be in line with others in the region.

JB encouraged the panel to share their views as part of the consultation. 

 

6. Performance update 

The panel had received the regular complaints report and performance scorecard with their meeting papers.

GW reviewed some key points from the scorecard:

  • The target for tenancy home visits had changed in September 2025, mid-way through the year.  There has been a strong improvement in performance, with 1,428 visits completed against a cumulative target of 1,976, achieving 72.27% of the required volume
  • New tenant contact completion stands at 49.43%, improving from 41.73% last year. While this remains below target, broader analysis shows that 59% of new tenant contacts have been completed when including those outside the six-week target timeframe.  We also know that other teams could have had contact with a new tenant within the first six weeks
  • 8-month visit completion has improved from 27.78% to 37.61%, a tenant in the group highlighted the importance of these visits in terms of supporting the tenant and addressing issues.  GW agreed and added that supporting a tenant to maintain their tenancy is a priority – these visits are an opportunity to check the tenant is managing ok during the probation period
  • The anti-social behaviour target is likely to be revised. The average time to close cases has improved slightly to 16 working days, well within the current 42-day target

Complaints report: A tenant asked about the decant process, which had been highlighted as being currently under review following a review of complaints data.  GW replied that ‘decant’ is when a tenant needs to temporarily move out of their home so we can complete some essential works that cannot be done while someone is living in the property.  The panel were interested in understanding more about this and we will arrange a more detailed overview. 

A tenant asked if complaints/enquiries submitted via the Mayor’s or MPs office can also be included in future complaints reports.   AM will pick this up. 


7. Any Other Business

Hilary volunteered to chair the September meeting.

Topics suggested for future discussion:  

  • Allocations process
  • Decant process