Agenda item

Preventing Homelessness Task Group - Final Report

Minutes:

The Chairman of the Preventing Homelessness Task Group, Councillor C. J. Bloore, presented the findings of the group and its recommendations and a number of key points were highlighted:

· The review had been launched following the Board’s consideration of proposals in respect of the future of Burcot Lodge.

· At the start of the review £15,000 had been set aside in case any issues were identified during the Task Group which might benefit from that funding.

· As part of the review changes to welfare had been explored as well as the implications for residents, Council services and partner organisations.

· Housing was increasingly challenging at both the national, regional and local level and innovative local solutions would help people who were struggling to secure accommodation.

· It was in the Council’s interests to secure a range of housing solutions, particularly as temporary accommodation could be expensive.

· Evidence had been obtained from a range of sources, including interviews with Council Officers, representatives of VCS organisations and the relevant Portfolio Holders for Housing and finance respectively.

· The first recommendation, in respect of a local authority lettings agency, had been made following investigation of arrangements in place at other local authorities.

· There were various models of local authority lettings agency that could be introduced, including the potential to work in partnership with Redditch Borough Council.

· Officers were suggesting that time should be provided to enable them to investigate this matter in further detail to ensure that the most appropriate model of local authority lettings agency was introduced in the district.

· The second recommendation, in respect of the homelessness grant, had been proposed as Members were aware that in the past the grant had not always been allocated to addressing homelessness when the full budget had not been spent in a given year.

· In light of further forthcoming welfare changes, and as the grant was not ring-fenced, the group had considered it to be expedient to suggest that the Council restrict future spending of the grant to address homelessness only.

· The group’s third recommendation detailed suggestions about which types of organisations and projects should be prioritised when the grant was distributed in future.

· Consideration had been given to proposing that that grant be allocated to specific organisations but following consultation with Officers it had been suggested that the group should advocate funding in line with specific themes.

· This recognised volatility within the VCS and the potential for partnership working arrangements to emerge over time.

· The final recommendation proposed that the £15,00 which had been set aside at the start of the review, should be allocated to the Essential Living Fund (ELF) to assist people in need.

· Councillor Bloore thanked the other Members of the group, Councillors S. J. Baxter, S. Shannon and R. Smith for their hard work and the Democratic Services Officers for their support.

Officers clarified the following key points which had been raised when the report was considered at a recent meeting of Leaders’ Group:

· Councillor R. Smith had participated in the review but had stepped down when he had been appointed to the Cabinet and had not taken part in the meeting when the group’s recommendations were agreed. This needed to be reflected in the group’s final report.

· A request had been made for the group’s fourth recommendation to remove the words “…which has been reserved for use at the discretion of the Group…”

There was general consensus among Board Members that the proposed amendments should be made to the report. In addition, a number of points were raised by Members during consideration of this item:

· The level of detail contained within the report and the importance of the investigation.

· The potential for further information to be added as an appendix to the report in respect of the numbers of homeless people in the district.

· The extent to which an appendix detailing the number of homeless people would contain accurate information, given the number of ‘sofa surfers’, particularly amongst young people, living in the district.

· The potential for the Board to receive updates in future concerning the number of homeless people in the district to enable Members to monitor progress.

· The valuable work of St Basil’s and the Basement Project to support young people at risk of homelessness.

· The important work of Fry Housing Trust in supporting people who had been through the criminal justice system or who were at risk of offending.

· The proportion of affordable housing that needed to be provided in large developments in accordance with the Council’s Planning policy.

The Chairman advised that Councillor Bloore would be standing down from the Board after this meeting. However, given his role in chairing the review Members agreed that Councillor Bloore should attend Cabinet on behalf of the Board to present the group’s final report and recommendations.

RECOMMENDED that subject to the amendments detailed in the preamble above the four recommendations detailed in the group’s final report should be submitted for the consideration of the Cabinet; and

RESOLVED that the board should receive updates on a biannual basis in relation to homelessness numbers within the district.

(At the start of this item there was a brief 5 minute adjournment whilst the IT equipment was activated to enable Councillor Bloore to deliver his presentation).

Supporting documents: