Minutes:
The Strategic Housing Manager provided a verbal update on progress that had been made since August 2015 in respect of Burcot Lodge Emergency Homeless Unit. He explained that Officers had considered various options for the replacement of Burcot Lodge:
· The potential for Redditch Borough Council to provide temporary accommodation to Bromsgrove residents. This option had been discussed with Redditch Officers. However, concerns had been raised about a potential conflict with homelessness pressures within the Borough and the conclusion had therefore been reached that this option would not be feasible.
· Discussions had been held with representatives of Birmingham City Council about the potential for Bromsgrove residents to access their facilities. However, no guarantee could be provided that spaces would be available when needed and therefore this option was not considered to be viable.
· Officers had met with representatives of Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (BDHT) to discuss alternative options. Further investigation of relevant finances, particularly following government changes to funding for social housing, was needed. Officers anticipated that this option would provide the best opportunity to ensure that temporary accommodation could continue to be provided to residents at risk of homelessness.
A number of key issues were subsequently raised by Members on this subject:
· The amount of progress that had been achieved in identifying a suitable solution to this problem since the subject was last discussed by the Board.
· The Council’s statutory duty to ensure that accommodation was made available to people at risk of homelessness.
· The timelines for the Council’s move to Parkside and the sale of the Council House site, which included Burcot Lodge.
· The information that had been requested by the Board in August, including financial details for each option and the timeline for resolving the issue.
· The limited use of Bed and Breakfast accommodation traditionally within the district and the work of BDHT to ensure that this option was not regularly used to provide temporary accommodation to families in light of legal requirements.
· The time that would be required to convert existing properties for use as temporary accommodation and the need to take this into account when formulating a timeline.
· The pressures on the availability of affordable housing to residents across the country.
· The potential value of further investigation of this subject by the Board.
· The need for Overview and Scrutiny to avoid duplicating the work of Officers in relation to this subject.
The Chairman expressed disappointment that a written report had not been provided for the Board’s consideration. There was general consensus that further written updates should be provided for Members’ consideration on this subject at subsequent meetings to ensure that progress continued to be monitored.
RESOLVED that
(1) A written update report, containing the timeline for the replacement of Burcot Lodge Emergency Homeless Unit, be presented for Members’ consideration at the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting on 23rd November 2015; and
(2) A written update, containing financial implications and any confidential information relating to the replacement of Burcot Lodge Emergency Homeless Unit, be presented for Members’ consideration at the Overview and Scrutiny Board’s meeting to be held on 14th December 2015.