Agenda item - Burcot Lodge Emergency Homeless Unit - Financial Implications Report

Agenda item

Burcot Lodge Emergency Homeless Unit - Financial Implications Report

Minutes:

The Strategic Housing Manager presented an update on the financial implications of introducing a replacement for Burcot Lodge Emergency Homeless Unit.  During the presentation of this report he highlighted the following issues for Members’ consideration:

 

·                Burcot Lodge would need to be closed once the sale of the Council House site was completed.

·                The level of homelessness in Bromsgrove district was relatively stable, though nationally levels could fluctuate depending on circumstances.

·                More homeless applications were received than the number of people placed in temporary accommodation.  This could be for a variety of reasons including housing solutions being identified in the meantime.

·                Burcot Lodge was only one form of temporary housing provided to residents at risk of homelessness who lived in the district.

·                The Council had liaised closely with Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (BDHT) to identify various options which could replace Burcot Lodge.

·                Officers were proposing two options for the replacement of Burcot Lodge from which Members could select. 

·                The Council and BDHT would continue to monitor demand for temporary accommodation and further action could take place in future if required.

 

Following the presentation the Board discussed a number of issues in further detail:

 

·                The time taken to review options for the replacement of Burcot Lodge since the subject was initially raised for the Board’s consideration in August 2015.

·                The Council’s responsibility to ensure that Bromsgrove district residents at risk of homelessness were provided with temporary accommodation.

·                The length of time that the average resident or family spent living in temporary accommodation in Bromsgrove district before a long-term housing solution could be identified.

·                The need for BDHT to convert a void property and the impact that this might have on housing provision within the district.

·                The work BDHT had already undertaken to identify properties suitable for conversion and the need for some existing tenants to be transferred to alternative accommodation before any conversion works could be undertaken.

·                The length of time that would be required to convert a void property for use as temporary accommodation and the need to ensure there was appropriate timing for these works.  The Board was advised that BDHT were estimating the conversion works would take 3 months to complete.

·                The options in terms of the sale of the former Council House site, including the choice of whether to demolish the site prior to sale and the impact this might have on the sale value.

·                The potential for Burcot Lodge to be retained as temporary accommodation despite the sale of the Council House site.  Officers confirmed that this option had been considered but for a variety of financial and legal reasons was not considered viable.

·                The availability of temporary housing from alternative social housing providers alongside that supplied by BDHT.  Officers confirmed that there was an emergency plan for housing and that the Council worked with a variety of housing providers.

·                The original proposal for the Board to launch a scrutiny review of the replacement for Burcot Lodge and the potential for a Task Group to be dedicated to addressing the subject of homelessness in more detail.

 

During the course of these discussions a number of questions relating to the potential future impact of new housing legislation and welfare reforms on homelessness levels in the district and demand for temporary accommodation.  Due to the number of questions and data required to provide answers the Board agreed that this list of questions should be sent to the Strategic Housing Manager for consideration.  Given the level of detail and the potential that additional questions might arise upon consideration of the answers Members concurred that further debate of this subject would be useful.  The Board considered whether to receive an update on this subject,   or whether a Short, Sharp Review would provide Members with an opportunity to focus on the subject in detail.

 

Members agreed that any further scrutiny of the subject should not delay Cabinet making a decision about the options to replace Burcot Lodge.  However, there was general consensus that the review should be completed in relatively short timescales to ensure that the Council could respond to changing legislative requirements and demand from customers.  For this reason the Board agreed membership of the scrutiny group during the meeting in order to reduce the potential for any delays to occur in the review process. 

 

RECOMMENDED that Proposal 1 to replace Burcot Lodge, as detailed within the Cabinet report, be approved, though the Council should remain open to reconsidering Proposal 2 at a later date if demand for temporary accommodation from residents at risk of homelessness increases.

 

RESOLVED that

 

(a)       A Short, Sharp Review of homelessness in Bromsgrove District, taking into account the impact of recent Housing legislation and welfare changes, should be launched;

(b)       Councillor C. J. Bloore be appointed as Chairman of the Short, Sharp Review;

(c)       Councillors S. J. Baxter, B. T. Cooper, S. Shannon and R. D. Smith also be appointed to the Short, Sharp Review; and

(d)       Councillor Bloore meet with the Democratic Services Officers to identify suitable terms of reference for the review.

 

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