Estates and Communities Panel - 21 May 2025

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

Attendees

Tenant members: Clare (Chair), Linda, Eleanor, Sav, Christine, Marie Christine, Ronnie, Gaynor, Mary, Evelyn, Clare, Hilary 

Toby Brown - Head of Housing Management

Gary Wilson – Neighbourhood Manager (Central)

Leeanne Rooney – Neighbourhood Manager (West)

Nicola Whinham – Community and Public Space Protection

Angela Melvin – Housing Engagement Manager

Apologies:  Tenant member: Margaret

1. Minutes of the last meeting and action log

Notes of the last meeting were agreed.  

Action log: Toby informed the panel that the first draft of the Neighbourhood and Community Strategy will be shared with them ahead of the next panel.

Eleanor is stepping down from the panel after this meeting and the group thanked her for all her contributions. 

2. Community and Public Space Protection Team update

Nicola shared an update with the panel.  Officers in the team have their own caseload and can take on up to 25 cases during a busy period, however average caseloads are around 12-15 per officer. 

January-April saw 468 reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) from tenants:

• 157 for noise (music, shouting, doors)
• 72 for verbal harassment
• 49 for drugs and substance misuse (drug cases must be referred to the police for action)
• 43 for pet and animal nuisance (barking, fouling)
• 17 for criminal behaviour

Project Shield is funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office.   It looks at violent crime at hot spots, including Wallsend and North Shields town centres.  Work is done in partnership with the police, demonstrating a high visibility presence and reassurance to the public.  

The team’s role is to spot problems and report them, they do not have the same powers as the police.  Information is shared between the council and the police, eg with issues of shoplifting as often the perpetrators are known.  

Operation Coastwatch focuses on behaviour at the coast as the summer season approaches.  Public Spaces Protection Orders are in place, and there is a highly visible presence from officers, supported by mobile CCTV vans.  Fixed Penalty Notices are issued for dog issues and littering.   

Nicola reported that a new ASB and environmental policy is in development which can be shared with the panel once available.  

A panel member asked if incidents can be reported anonymously.  Nicola replied they can, but that means the person reporting it can’t be asked to provide extra details that may be needed to progress a case, and they can’t be updated with action taken. 

A panel member mentioned the Victim Support volunteer roles, where volunteers provide support via phone calls or meeting up to talk.  Nicola said they are keen to have more volunteers coming forward and that tenants have taken part previously. 

On a question about why tenancy rules are not enforced which can lead to the victim being moved rather than the perpetrator, Toby explained that there are exceptional circumstances and we do look at risk factors – for example where a victim may be moved, but action is still taken against the perpetrator.  We will always look at managing a case with the minimal amount of disruption for the victim as possible. 

3. Tenancy Agreement review update

This was last updated in 2018 due to legislation changes at the time.  The Agreement was brought to a panel meeting last year for review.  It is currently with the council’s Legal team and the final draft will be shared at September’s panel.  TB added that we are looking to have an easy read format of the new version too.

4. Tenancy Home Visit process (previously known as ‘Tenancy Reviews’):

Leeanne and Gary gave an overview of these visits, which are carried out by the Neighbourhoods Team.  Since the last panel, the name has been changed and letters have been updated following specific feedback from this panel.

Their main purpose is to build relationships with tenants and see if there are any services we can provide to support tenants.  They can also identify safeguarding, health, safety or financial issues which the team can arrange help for.   

A panel member asked how properties are chosen.  When the programme first started last year, it was to visit those with vulnerabilities, or tenants over a certain age, or those living in bungalows.  However, we need to decide which groups to target now as we can’t visit all in one year.   A panel member suggested targeting properties with the longest tenancies, as with newer ones the service will have more up to date details.  

Around 10% of our properties have been visited during 2024-25, which is below the target but has proved to be more realistic.  The visits have demonstrated that some tenants require more support and these can be complex cases requiring support from different council services and external organisations too.  The officers carrying out the visits are identifying a lot of things to process and deal with, so they are not just doing a home review.  They are spending time with each tenant so the visit is of good quality and helps us tailor services for tenants. 

The team is trained in dealing with conflict and also trained to notice signs of domestic abuse or coercive behaviour.

Gary outlined the process where there are issues of sub-letting, fraud, adult or child protection, or vulnerabilities identified.  A home visit can be used as an opportunity to have conversations with the tenant and get to know their situations.  The gas service team also identify properties they are struggling to gain access to, which the neighbourhood team may be able to get into more easily.  

In some cases, neighbours or other officers may raise a concern about tenancy fraud.  Right to Buy requests can get refused due to fraud, retaining the property as an asset for the council.  

Leeanne emphasised that the team always works closely with colleagues in community protection, social care and repairs, as well as external organisations such as the police and fire service for complex cases with multiple needs. 

Panel members thought there had been confusion around the visits before and hopefully the new letters will reassure tenants about the process.   They did suggest one further amendment to the letters, to say that the visits would benefit ‘all tenants’ rather than ‘other tenants’ (Additional note: this change has since been made to the letters).

The panel was asked if any of them would like to be involved in a video for social media about the visits, to help dispel some of the uncertainty and myths.  Linda volunteered and the team will arrange this direct with her. 

The panel was thanked for all their feedback, this has led to improvements being made. 

5. Performance update

Ahead of the meeting, panel members had received: 

• Tenant Satisfaction Measures 2024 survey report
• Complaints report 2024-25
• Performance scorecard 

Performance scorecard

Toby went through the scorecard.

Home visits: We originally planned to visit all properties within three years.   We had never had a target before and nothing to benchmark against. During 2024-25, the team carried out 1,448 visits out of 4,500; which is 10% of housing stock.  The original target has been shown to be unrealistic.  (The Landlord Panel reviewed this result at their last meeting and also felt it had been unrealistic.)

Comparison with other local authorities has found lower targets, eg Gateshead has a target of 10% per year – which is line with what we were able to achieve.

This indicator is therefore going to be changed to continue targeting 10% of properties per year, and targeting specific properties where we believe things may have changed.  Panel members agreed with this approach.  

They went on to ask about other targets which are shown on the scorecard as having been missed.  Toby outlined that on new tenant visits and 8-month visits we missed the target because expectations on staff were not realistic as they cover other roles too.   

Toby would like panel members to have more context behind the headline figures and this will be sent out to panel members in June.  

A panel member asked if the scorecard could include results from previous years, to show progress.  Toby replied that some of the indicators are new, so we haven’t had the data for comparison.   He will ensure that future scorecards are accompanied by a briefing note to explain the reasons behind results.  

With regard to the block inspection target of 100%, Toby explained that this was missed in one quarter out of the four, so missed the target for the year.  The target will remain at 100% though, given the nature of these buildings. 

Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) survey 

Toby highlighted that we are pleased with the overall results from the 2024 survey, figures have improved or remain largely unchanged.  

Satisfaction with our approach to handling complaints (up from 33% to 42%) and handling of anti-social behaviour (up from 44% to 52%) has significantly improved, which is very encouraging.  It was also good to see higher satisfaction with homes feeling safe (up from 70% to 74%). 

The service is pleased with the results and we are moving in the right direction, but we are keen to improve further.  How we communicate and how we hear from our tenants is essential.  We also need to be realistic with tenants around expectations.  

A question was asked on whether other local councils’ complaints performance could be included for comparison.  Toby doesn’t believe this is possible at the moment, but will check.

The survey was sent out as paper copies, with a QR code to complete online if preferred.  We are looking at whether other options could be offered for the 2025 survey.  Toby asked whether the panel felt a phone option should be considered, however tenants felt that people may be concerned it’s not a genuine call and it would need to be done at a convenient time for people.  A text message option was suggested.  

The next TSM survey will be carried out in autumn and the panel will be kept up to date. 

6. Good Neighbour Guide

This is a leaflet which was published several years ago to promote considerate behaviour, tolerance and understanding of others.  It is going to be refreshed, which is an opportunity to review the wording.   Tenants had been sent a copy ahead of the meeting and asked for feedback.

Comments were: 

• Add in noise from gaming consoles/live gaming
• Include the fact that parents are responsible for their children’s behaviour
• Add that young people are entitled to meet up and gather too
• Add in what to do if neighbours are causing noise and they are not council tenants
• Include the offer of help to maintain gardens not just being limited to those with a physical disability
• Include something about barbecues 
• Include something about fireworks

Leeanne explained that the leaflet will be used as a reminder for tenants and supplements the Tenancy Agreement. 

Gary added that since the original version was done, there are now concerns around CCTV from video doorbells.

The panel were thanked for their comments, which will be taken into account for the new design and a copy will be shared with the panel once available. 

7. Any Other Business

Toby asked if the panel would be interested in learning more about the tenancy support team, the panel agreed and this will be included on the next agenda. 

A tenant raised the issue of bulky waste collections and not being able to get furniture out of the house for collection.  This is a serious issue for some tenants and help is needed.  Toby will pick up with environmental services and report back.  

Another panel member spoke about a national campaign against social housing stigma and would like the panel to discuss this in more detail.  Angela to arrange.