Information on gang association in social housing

The request was partially successful.

Dear Haringey Borough Council,

Multiple public sources indicate that borough-level gang strategies involve information-sharing processes between the police, multi-agency Gangs Units and the council or agencies managing social housing in a borough.

Could you please provide me with information regarding the following:

1. Which agencies have management and oversight of social housing in this borough?
2. How do borough social housing agencies flag or otherwise mark the addresses of gang-associated individuals in social housing in the borough?
3. How many addresses are currently flagged or otherwise marked in the borough as housing gang-associated individuals?
4. Please list any sources of information that are used when flagging/marking an address as housing an individual who is gang-associated (e.g. The MPS Gangs Matrix, information provided by local Integrated Gangs Unit, etc.)
5. Is the family or individuals concerned provided with any form of notification that their address has been flagged or otherwise marked as gang-associated?
6. Is this information shared with other boroughs?
7. In what way is an individual's 'gang association' factored into decisions about social housing allocation, relocation or eviction?
8. Please share any guidance or documents that assist Housing Officers in making determinations about when to relocate or evict a family based on concerns about public safety.

Yours faithfully,

A Bacciarelli

Haringey Borough Council

Dear Mr Bacciarelli,

 

We have considered your request and our view is that your request is
invalid. Your request contains a series of questions rather than specific
requests for information.

 

The Freedom of Information Act gives people the right to access recorded
information. The Act does not give people a right to be given answers to
questions that they would like to put to a local authority if this would
mean creating new information or would involve giving opinion or judgement
that is not already recorded.

 

Although you have indicated that you wish to make a request for
information, further to your 'right to know' contained in section 1 of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), your email contains an enquiry
rather than a specific request for recorded information held by Haringey
Council.

 

Guidance given by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) states that
requests which are not for recorded information, but instead ask
questions, such as "please explain your policy on x" or "please explain
your decision to do y" are not requests for recorded information and
therefore should be treated as routine correspondence."

 

The ICO has produced guidance for people who wish to make a request for
information under the Freedom of Information Act; you can access it by
following this link:
[1]https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/offici...

 

Our web site contains detailed information about Haringey Council’s
structure and services. You may want to look at the information that is
available on the site and consider submitting a specific request for
copies of information held by the council. Alternatively, we can direct
your query to the appropriate council team to be dealt with as a normal
‘course of business' enquiry. Please advise how you would like to proceed.

 

Please note that we will take no further action on this request until we
receive clarification from you.

 

Kind regards,

 

Feedback & Information Governance

Shared Service Centre | Central Team

 

Haringey Council 

10th Floor, Alexandra House, 10 Station Road, Wood Green, London N22 7TR

 

[2][email address]

 

[3]www.haringey.gov.uk

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facebook.com/haringeycouncil

 

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Dear Haringey Borough Council,

Thank you for your response.

I’d be grateful if you can provide me with the information requested below. Where you are only able to answer this request in part, I would be grateful if you could do so rather than rejecting the entire request.

Please provide statistics on the following:

1. The total number of addresses in the borough currently flagged, or otherwise marked by any agency or contractor of the council, as housing gang-associated individuals.
2. The total number of individuals in the borough who have been relocated or evicted from social housing in the past 5 years where "gang activity", "gang association" or "gang risk" was cited in the decision.
3. The total number of households in the borough that have been relocated or evicted from social housing in the past 5 years where "gang activity", "gang association" or "gang risk" was cited in the decision.

Additionally, please provide copies of all policies, guidance or strategy documents that explain how the council deals with social housing allocation decisions in relation to gang-associated individuals since 2012.

If you require any further information to help you answer this request or wish me to clarify any of the above questions, please do not hesitate to contact me through this service.

Yours faithfully,

A Bacciarelli

ComplaintsHFH,

2 Attachments

[1]haringeyShared Service Centre

Feedback and Information Governance

Mark Rudd, Assistant Director | Shared Services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Mr Bacciarelli

 

Freedom of Information Request: Reference LBH/6626517

 

I acknowledge your request for information received on 19 September 2017.

This information request will be dealt with in accordance with the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 and we will send the response by 17 October 2017.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Marion Achayo

Feedback Admin Officer

 

 

From: Clay Lesley On Behalf Of FOI
Sent: 19 September 2017 09:22
To: FeedbackHFH <[email address]>
Cc: ComplaintsHFH <[email address]>
Subject: Lbh/6626517 FW: Your Information Request

 

 

Dear Team

Please see FOI request below which I believe is for your service.  The
initial enquiry is under ref  Lbh/6601217.

 

Regards

 

Lesley Clay

Feedback Review Officer

 

Shared Service Centre | Central Team

 

Haringey Council

10th Floor, Alexandra House, 10 Station Road, Wood Green, London N22 7TR

 

 

T. 020 8489 3398

 

[2][email address]

 

[3]www.haringey.gov.uk

twitter@haringeycouncil

facebook.com/haringeycouncil

 

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Please consider the environment before pressing the print button.   

 

 

ComplaintsHFH,

4 Attachments

Dear A Bacciarelli

 

LBH/6626517

Freedom of Information Act Request

 

Thank you for your email dated 19 September, from which we logged FOI
Request LBH/6643617

 

The information requested is below.

 

1 – Homes for Haringey do not have any system of flagging addresses as
housing gang-related individuals, so there is no information to provide.

 

2 and 3 – Our Head of Tenancy Services has advised the following:  

This information is not recorded centrally and can only be gathered by
carrying out a manual trawl of the minutes of the Housing Decisions Panel
meetings and its predecessor panel, to identify individual cases in which
management transfers have been awarded due to gang related activity or
gang risk is identified. The panel meets fortnightly so this would require
an officer to collate and read through the minutes of approximately 140
meetings. The information about each management transfer request would
need to be evaluated to determine if it fits the criteria, and recorded
onto a separate document if so. It is estimated that this would take 10
minutes per meeting held, which would amount to around 23-24 hours work.
In addition we would allow for one hour to brief the officer, collate the
minutes and ensure a complete record and one hour for final checking. The
work would be carried out by a Housing Liaison Officer on pay scale sc6 at
an approximate cost including salary and on costs of £17.82 per hour. It
would require one hour of management time to validate the work undertaken,
checked by a Tenancy Team Manager on PO5 at an approximate cost of £31.37.
Total cost would therefore be in the region of £477.00. As such we are
able to refuse to provide this information at this point.

 

There is no specific procedure around gang exit.  I have attached the
Housing Demand Decisions Panel procedure, where cases can be presented for
consideration.

 

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the Homes for
Haringey Feedback Team on 0208 489 5611 and select option 8 then quote
your reference number, or email us at [1][email address]

 

If you are unhappy with how we have dealt with your request and wish to
make a complaint, please contact the Feedback and Information Governance
Team as below. (Please note you should do this within two months of
receiving this response.)   

 

Feedback and Information Governance Team

10^th floor, Alex House,

10 Station Road,

N22 7TR

Email: [2][email address]

Tel: 0208 489 1988

 

You may also complain to the Information Commissioner's office, which may
be able to help you.  However they would normally expect the local
authority to have undertaken a complaint investigation or Internal Review
of the request before they will accept the referral. 

 

You can contact the Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Phone help line:    0845 6306060, or 01625 545745

Fax:  01625 545510

Website:     [3]www.ico.gov.uk

 

 

Yours Truly

 

Jarrod Markcoons I Feedback Team Leader

 

Homes for Haringey

Broadwater Farm Community Centre I London I N17 6HE

Tel: 0208 489 5611 (option 8)

E: [4][email address]

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[6][IMG]

 

 

ComplaintsHFH,

ComplaintsHFH would like to recall the message, "LBH/6626517 FOI Request - Response".
HOMES FOR HARINGEY LIMITED Registered in England No. 05749092. Registered Office: 48 STATION ROAD, WOOD GREEN, LONDON. N22 7TY

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error, please notify the system administrator at Haringey Council. Although this e-mail and any attachments are believed to be free of any virus, or other defect which might affect any computer or system into which they are received and opened, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus free and no responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage from receipt or use thereof.

ComplaintsHFH,

4 Attachments

Dear A Bacciarelli

 

LBH/6626517

Freedom of Information Act Request

 

Thank you for your email dated 19 September.

 

The information requested is below.

 

1 – Homes for Haringey do not have any system of flagging addresses as
housing gang-related individuals, so there is no information to provide.

 

2 and 3 – Our Head of Tenancy Services has advised the following:  

This information is not recorded centrally and can only be gathered by
carrying out a manual trawl of the minutes of the Housing Decisions Panel
meetings and its predecessor panel, to identify individual cases in which
management transfers have been awarded due to gang related activity or
gang risk is identified. The panel meets fortnightly so this would require
an officer to collate and read through the minutes of approximately 140
meetings. The information about each management transfer request would
need to be evaluated to determine if it fits the criteria, and recorded
onto a separate document if so. It is estimated that this would take 10
minutes per meeting held, which would amount to around 23-24 hours work.
In addition we would allow for one hour to brief the officer, collate the
minutes and ensure a complete record and one hour for final checking. The
work would be carried out by a Housing Liaison Officer on pay scale sc6 at
an approximate cost including salary and on costs of £17.82 per hour. It
would require one hour of management time to validate the work undertaken,
checked by a Tenancy Team Manager on PO5 at an approximate cost of £31.37.
Total cost would therefore be in the region of £477.00. As such we are
able to refuse to provide this information at this point.

 

There is no specific procedure around gang exit.  I have attached the
Housing Demand Decisions Panel procedure, where cases can be presented for
consideration.

 

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the Homes for
Haringey Feedback Team on 0208 489 5611 and select option 8 then quote
your reference number, or email us at [1][email address]

 

If you are unhappy with how we have dealt with your request and wish to
make a complaint, please contact the Feedback and Information Governance
Team as below. (Please note you should do this within two months of
receiving this response.)   

 

Feedback and Information Governance Team

10^th floor, Alex House,

10 Station Road,

N22 7TR

Email: [2][email address]

Tel: 0208 489 1988

 

You may also complain to the Information Commissioner's office, which may
be able to help you.  However they would normally expect the local
authority to have undertaken a complaint investigation or Internal Review
of the request before they will accept the referral. 

 

You can contact the Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Phone help line:    0845 6306060, or 01625 545745

Fax:  01625 545510

Website:     [3]www.ico.gov.uk

 

 

Yours Truly

 

Jarrod Markcoons I Feedback Team Leader

 

Homes for Haringey

Broadwater Farm Community Centre I London I N17 6HE

Tel: 0208 489 5611 (option 8)

E: [4][email address]

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[6]cid:image002.jpg@01D34774.4FCFC030