Time: 6.00pm prompt Refreshments from 5.30pm

CIH LONDON MINUTES of REGIONAL BOARD MEETING Date: Tuesday 2 nd July 2013 Time: 6.00pm prompt Refreshments from 5.30pm Venue; Office 7 th Floor, 236, Gray s Inn Road London WC1X 8HB We are an elected voluntary Regional Board, representing CIH London, raising awareness of the Capital s housing issues and policies by providing events and networking opportunities to our members PRESENT: Lynda Hance (LH) (Chair) Jan Taranczuk (JT) Ken Morgan (KM) Vernon Simpson (VS) Alison Hayward (AH) Vernon Simpson (VS) Judy Waugh (JW) CIH/Director of Membership & Education Chris Christie (CC) - Observer Suzannah Taylor (ST) Nazima Sehir (NS) Lizzy Hameed (LiH) Michael Baldwin (MB) Sarah Davis (SD) CIH/Senior Policy & Practice Officer Elliot Juliano-Ruse (EJR) - Observer Robin Ward (RW) CIH / Minutes Before commencing the meeting the Chair there being a number of newcomers undertook a round of introductions. She also proposed a minor amendment to the running order. To enable JW to obtain a better understanding of the London scene she suggested that 6 should be taken last. This was agreed by JW and the Board Agenda Report Action 1-Apologies for Martyn Kingsford / Nikeel Hussain / Richard Ashaye / Absence Ronald Albert Tuesday 2 nd July 2013 Influence with us: Page 1

2-Approval of Minutes from Meeting held on Tuesday 4 th June 2013 3- Matters arising from the meeting on Tuesday 4 th June 2013 4- Announcements The Minutes were agreed as a true record of the meeting held on Tuesday 4 th June 2013 Noted / Updated see below Ref: 4 7 7 9 1 8 10 Meeting Topic Date 12/03/13 Additional microphones 09/04/13 Drink, Think Tank: Request to NS for additional funding 09/04/13 Chief Officers Lunches: Quotation from ROSL for sponsors 07/05/13 Invitation to Jill Allcoat to update LRB on Regional membership targets 04/06/13 Chair to meet with Michelle Chivunga 04/06/13 Response to Regional Resources Review letter from Chief Executive 04/06/13 Various actions for Scheduled events Action By Maheet Taylor KM LH RW LH ALL LH As indicated Outcome no further news To be discussed/agreed as part of activity plan discussion at CIHLR Board meeting Awaiting response from sponsors No change JA has responded to note in Minutes RW to check current position Preliminary talks MC proposed as Co-opted member for Policy Not yet No responses received LH will draft from meeting Minutes Covered later in this meeting Red = Outstanding Green = Completed Chair stated that RW would be on leave and away from the office from the end of this meeting until Tuesday 23 rd July. Anticipating 9 Chair reminded Board Tuesday 2 nd July 2013 Influence with us: Page 2

5- Chair s Report 7- Policy Discussion Housing Policy for London members of the Guided Team Walk organised by NH which will be on Saturday 13 th July. The event is for all Board members + families / friends etc. A flyer had been tabled. The walk is 5km and is anticipated to take approx. 90 minutes, concluding with refreshments at the Red Lion PH near Parliament Square. LH advised that she had attended the CIH Conference in Manchester and had managed to line up 2 additional sponsors for future events. She had also had a preliminary discussion with a company specialising in graduate internships, who may be interested in doing a Chief Officers event. She also identified a probable sponsor for a Lite Lunch for the 2014 Conference. She signed up one new member and as mentioned in 3 above held a preliminary discussion with Michelle Chivunga who has agreed to join the London Board as a co-opted member (subject to Board approval) as Policy Lead. Finally LH formally proposed that Catherine Attenborough be co-opted onto the Board. The proposal was seconded by JT and agreed unanimously SD had prepared a paper based on the Government s recent announcements and the Comprehensive Spending Review. She will provide copies which will be circulated with these Minutes. SD stated that in general the report can be viewed as very helpful she outlined a number of highlights including: Spending round key measures: CIH had put in a big list which had received a mixed response there is concern that some Government decisions seem to be pulling in different directions Clarity over Rent Settlement: This is good news as HA s can now plan ahead (CPI+ 1% for 10 years) this should help business plans but overall, workload would be reduced. Specific allocations: 3.2 billion for affordable housing and 2.0 billion single growth fund. There was a concerning announcement regarding an overall cap on Welfare spending (not just for individuals) to start in 2015 the hope is that Housing Benefit will not be included. The 3 day window: prior to claiming for ALL Tuesday 2 nd July 2013 Influence with us: Page 3

benefits extended to 7 days + must have CV available. DCLG 10% cut to resources budget LA s 10% cut as well overall this might equate to a 3% cut with various add-ins Capital Investment for New build: London HA s estimate 32000 per year is needed (noted that the Mayor of London states a different figure) Overall: 70 billion for transport / 20 billion for schools / 20 billion for various / 3.3billion for affordable housing to be combined with using existing assets / sales etc / conversions to maximise results. Affordable Rent to Buy scheme: Rent for 10 years then sold with tenant having first refusal. (noted that it is not known which price is referred to also that this is not a new concept!) It is reported that 4000+ applications for Rent to Buy have already been received! In answer to a query as to where did the 10 year period for CPI + 1% came from SD stated that it was not really clear there were various possibilities. Again as stated previously it was noted that Government policies seem to be pulling in different directions. SD moved onto another topic, noting that the biggest omission is the lack of flexibility for LA borrowing in London. She queried whether LA s in London are using their resources to assist HA s. They are certainly being quite creative. It was noted that there is an Affordable Homes Conference scheduled for March 2014. VS agreed to circulate notes on an earlier programme run by himself and Joyce Batten. SD moved on to report on the Housing with Care fund. 3.8 billion has been earmarked from NHS for Health & Care Commissioning although it is not entirely clear that it is aimed specifically at older people. Overall SD explained that there are a number of rough edges in respect of the various proposals and details are still needed on a great number. SD then briefly referred to a small number of other specific comments on anticipated problems: 300 households in one Borough alone may have problems meeting their rent obligations VS Tuesday 2 nd July 2013 Influence with us: Page 4

8- Feedback from CIH Conference / Exhibition 9- Review of Branch Activity Plan Very large regional differences in the effect of the proposals. It was noted that SD & London Region did some research into these problems about 3 years ago, pointing out what the result would be unfortunately this has proved to be true! As a final comment, SD stated that 160 million extra funding is available for Decent Homes (unfortunately none of this will be coming to London Boroughs who did not apply) There are also some issues between HA s and ALMO s over the distribution of funding. The Chair thanked SD for attending and leading the discussion. In a brief addition to LH s earlier comment, JT stated that he too had been drumming up some future sponsorship possibilities The updated Activity Plan was tabled together with some current information about the progress of the CIH Member get Member campaign with particular reference to the London Region. Noted that the recent Drink Think-Tank event had been aimed at attracting / retaining members 2 new members were signed up during the evening. The list will become a regular event and will need to be checked LH stated that any suggestions / amendment would be welcome she also mooted a possible competition for recruiting new members over the course of the year. RW will provide personalised versions of the MGM form for each Board member. LH explained that the average conversion rate to continued membership across CIH is 36% - London currently has a 52% conversion rate! It was agreed that membership recruitment must be included in any future forms etc. In answer to a query as to what support package was in place to retain the new members and keep them interested, JW explained that one month after the new member has joined, a member of the membership staff telephones them to check that everything is OK ; explains how to log on to CIH members section etc a further telephone call is also made near the end of the 3 month introductory period. Some concern was expressed about current data protection policy particularly concerning use of RW Tuesday 2 nd July 2013 Influence with us: Page 5

members emails for purposes beyond the original request it was suggested that forms etc could be amended to ask the member whether they had any objection to the email address they submit, being used for future follow up purposes eg circulating presentations or feedback from events, without the need to use blind copying. JW agreed to follow this up. As noted above, networking events are a good way to keep new (and old) members involved. It was suggested that that it would be helpful if bulk emails from could be distinguished from general CIH central mailings. RW to check whether the London.branch@cih.org email address can be used for this purpose. Progress/changes on the Activity Plan were then reviewed: The visits to Welwyn Garden City / Green Man estate in Ealing / Fire Safety Seminar / Drink Think-Tank No. 1 have all been successfully completed. NH had tabled a paper giving the details and programme for the next event on Saturday 13 th July a Housing Walk for Board members + families and friends. The second Drink Think-Tank has been confirmed for 24 th September at the same venue (The Jugged Hare). The flyer is scheduled to be sent out by the end of July MK had reported that he is working on the draft programme / speakers for the Welfare Reform Conference on 1 st October AH is progressing details for the Reception for New Students. The date is to be arranged to maximise attendance following the new academic year. She confirmed that the venue will now be GIR. Jill Allcoat (CIH / Membership Development manager) has suggested Internships as a possible subject for inclusion. VS advised that the joint event with NHF & HCA was progressing for 12 th March 2014. A revised Activity Plan will be tabled for the August Board meeting. LH reminded Board members that the total Social Capital costs are to be provided to RW by the event organisers so that these can be included on the JW RW ALL KM RW MK AH VS LH Tuesday 2 nd July 2013 Influence with us: Page 6

Schedule to show the overall costs of the events.(noted that 511/2 hours had been expended on the Welwyn Trip). Event organisers must also notify the Treasurer (NS) of the budget outcome for their event. It was agreed that Feedback Forms are a useful tool to evaluate the events and to note any possible amendments for the future. AH / LH will discuss the provision of an additional column for the form. Noted that AH & JT had prepared individual Feedback Forms for the Welwyn Garden City visit & the Fire Safety seminar. EJR offered to sponsor some future Drink Think- Tank events as he considered these to be an excellent networking environment. Chair expressed thanks on behalf of the Board. 6- Judy Waugh The Chair then formally introduced JW who gave a brief talk covering the following aspects before offering a Q & A session for the Board to raise any concerns or suggestions. JW s talk included the following points: She congratulated the Board on their detailed event programme and for the focus on membership growth. She explained that she has been given the task of developing more fully the membership growth strategy. She has previously worked with 3 professional organisations all of which have regional setups therefore regions are the base of all professional bodies. On the question of more resources, she commented that this does not necessarily mean more money on staff improved email and communications + the possible use of local companies for badges etc. might be considered. Networking is the most important aspect CIH does not currently have an efficient CPD policy The strategy for membership growth should be rolling out shortly concentrating on students (the views of Rising Stars winners have been sought on this subject) Any policies / proposals will build up over time there is no instant response. AH/LH EJR Tuesday 2 nd July 2013 Influence with us: Page 7

10- AOB There was none 11- Date & Venue of next meeting The Q & A session included the following: Q: AH stated that Roger Keller (CIH/Head of Education) had outlined Professional Mapping which sounds promising she would like some more detail in due course: A: There was a session at the Manchester Conference looking at a couple of modules; there was some confusion over meanings it is an on-going project. She is hoping to have 1 or 2 similar sessions and agreed that one could be held in London Q: Local event support: London have occasionally hired local people to help at events but this has proved difficult to get past Coventry. Also on CPD: it is difficult for members to work out how the CPD hours are calculated. A: A lot of professions are moving away from hourly points the CIH approach is not very modern this is a longer term project. Q: Pleased to hear that the Regions are important in the CIH organisation London has been pushing for this for years what is JW s road map for this? A: The Board need to ensure that they connect with the Region s members both in age and work profiles. The possible use of Discussion Groups around the region might be considered. Q: Are there any plans to improve communications with employers? A: Yes. Finally a couple of views were expressed: Young people are important but a blend of ages and experience is essential London is fine for this Jill Allcoat is our lead contact also Chartered members should have something extra therefore London run a special event for them each year. Chair then thanked JW for attending the meeting. Tuesday 6 th August 2013 Starting at 6.00pm prompt (Refreshments from 5.30pm) Floor 7 236 Gray s Inn Road London WC1X 8HB Tuesday 2 nd July 2013 Influence with us: Page 8

Meeting closed at 8.00pm Tuesday 2 nd July 2013 Influence with us: Page 9