Westminster strengthens bonds with housing service providers

The meeting between council and housing providers will help deliver better results for Westminster residents.

Westminster City Council is pleased to announce a collaboration between the council and housing services providers to create a plan for change in the borough.

During a meeting on Wednesday 31 July, Councillor Liza Begum, Cabinet Member for Housing Services and Councillor Adam Hug, Leader of the Council were joined by representatives from 12 social housing providers, including SNG, Soho Housing and Peabody at a workshop that marks the start of a greater level of collaboration with organisations within the housing sector.

The catalyst for this event was the Future of Westminster Housing Review that recommended creating stronger links between service providers to ensure the best service possible for residents and communities. At the event partners agreed to work together to improve the quality of homes across the borough, increase support for vulnerable residents, improve communication with residents, and take a more joined up approach to tackling issues like ASB and homelessness.

By bringing together leaders from the organisations the Council aims to establish a clear line of communication. This started through the open forum in which partners were able to share their challenges and ambitions.

It comes as part of the Council’s Fairer Westminster plan and at a time when the council is revising its Allocations Policy, launching a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy and committing funds to purchasing property for use as temporary accommodation.

There is an unprecedented demand for housing in the borough that reflects the national situation. The council aims to tackle homelessness through early intervention initiatives and it is hoped that more joined-up working will help us to provide more homes to those that need them.

Councillor Liza Begum said: “This begins a process of us strengthening relationships and working with service providers to ensure the best possible service for our residents.”