Agenda item

Purpose: To consider and agree draft recommendations arising from the scrutiny review into homelessness in West Berkshire.

(Councillor Rendel declared a personal interest in Agenda item 11 by virtue of the fact that his wife was a GP in West Berkshire. As his interest was personal and not prejudicial he determined to take part in the debate and vote on the matter).

The Chairman introduced three reports related to the special meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Commission held on 26 November 2012. Since the meeting, a sub group of the Commission had met on 3 December 2012 in order to formulate draft recommendations for consideration by the Commission. The Chairman advised the Commission that Councillor Vickers had amended the proposed recommendations, and that these had been circulated and would be the version under consideration for agreement.

(7:18pm - Councillor Jeff Brooks joined the meeting)

The Commission discussed the proposed recommendations from the review into homelessness and agreed the following:

1.      “The Executive Member for Housing should work with other local agencies to agree an accepted methodology for the counting of rough sleepers. A report outlining the production process and count should be presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Commission within 6 months of agreement.”

2.      “The Executive Member for Housing should advise the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions of the genuine concerns held locally that the impending changes to the benefits regime will have an adverse effect on homelessness in West Berkshire.”

3.      “The Executive Member for Housing should establish how the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) plans to deliver Universal Benefits (which include Housing Benefit) locally and report by 31 March 2013 on plans for transferring Housing Benefit payment to DWP.”

4.      “The Executive Member for Housing should consider the production, either as part of the Homelessness Strategy or separately, of a ‘reconnection’ policy, to ensure that homeless people who have no local connection to West Berkshire are able to sustainably relocate to those places outside of the district with which they do have a link.”

5.      “The Executive Member for Strategic Support should ensure that time is made available at a District Parish Conference for Housing officers to explain to Councillors the content of, and rationale for, the Homelessness Strategy when agreed.”

6.      “At the next revision of the Council’s Service Level Agreement with the Citizens Advice Bureau, the Executive Member for Strategic Support should consider the offer by SHELTER to assist with housing advice, so as to ensure that the document contains the requirement for the Bureau to provide a dedicated housing advisor.”

7.      “Performance monitoring reports received from the Citizens Advice Bureau relating to homelessness (including all financial advice), which are sent to the Executive Member for Strategic Support should be routinely made available to the Executive Member for Housing and his Shadow.”

8.      “The Executive Member for Housing should work, through the Local Government Association, the Government  and especially the Valuation Office Agency, to achieve transparency of the factors and values taken into consideration by VOA when setting the Local Housing Allowance and, if possible, an appeal mechanism.”

9.      “The Executive Member for Housing should develop and implement a plan to heighten awareness of the causes and impacts of homelessness, particularly how it might be prevented and what help is (and is not) available. Consideration might be given to the following aspects

• Raising the awareness of all those whose work may bring them in contact with homelessness on the role of other organisations
• The location of leaflets, including with partner organisations (for example Newbury Town Council, Thames Valley Police, libraries and detached youth workers)
• The engagement of young people from before they enter the workforce, including through secondary schools, in financial and housing-related education
• The content and language of leaflets. Assistance is available through Two Saints from people who have previously been homeless.”

10. “The Executive Member for Housing should ask Newbury Town Council to consider the provision of lockers to allow rough sleepers to store their possessions (for example sleeping bags) securely during the day.“

11. “The Executive Member for Housing should ask the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire to establish closer links with Loose Ends to ensure that any shortages of volunteers and other resources to enable them to provide a better service to their clients are met urgently and effectively.”

12. “Further investigation should be undertaken into the reasons why West Berkshire seems to have a very large proportion of young families facing homelessness whose friends and extended family are unwilling or unable to provide them with temporary housing/accommodation.”

The following proposed recommendations were not agreed:

·        “The Executive Members for Housing and Planning should work together, with commercial property agents and Two Saints (as possible prospective short-term tenants), to endeavour to urgently secure temporary emergency cold weather accommodation for street homeless people in one or more empty office buildings in and around Newbury Town Centre (such as Avonbank House) where permission has been granted for redevelopment for housing. The possibility of exemption from empty property rates for owners of these properties should be investigated, along with other incentives to make use of suitably located empty properties, including long-term empty homes, for those waiting for accommodation at Newtown Road.”

The Chairman suggested that the evidence had shown sufficient accommodation was available to cope immediately with those presenting as homeless. June Graves confirmed that there were currently 10-12 wayfaring spaces available of which two or three were typically occupied. June Graves reminded the Commission that a severe weather plan existed, for both cold and hot nights, when Two Saints would accept anyone through their doors for the night. There was therefore no indication that current provision was inadequate. The Chairman further considered the assertion made at the special meeting that increasing the provision of accommodation would be likely to attract more homeless people to the area.  Councillor Vickers believed that sufficient evidence had been presented to show that there were people sleeping on the streets who were in need of additional emergency accommodation.

·        “The emerging Housing Allocations policy should include measures to ensure that applicants who have friends and family able and willing to provide temporary housing for families on the CHR are not disadvantaged by being removed from the register when they are provided with such accommodation as a short-term solution to threatened homelessness, for example by having their application suspended and their points preserved.”

Mel Brain responded that currently those who were able to stay with friends or family would receive additional points. However Mel Brain advised that it would not be possible to operate effectively if a housing applicant could not be suspended or amended or their points adjusted when necessary. Councillor Vickers agreed that the current review of the Housing Allocations Policy could consider this point.

The Chairman advised the Commission that the recommendations would be fed directly into the consultation being undertaken by the Housing Service.

Councillor Brooks thanked the Chairman for the way in which the review had been held, but reminded the Commission that there was further information to be considered that might enable a successful outcome for homeless people, such as empty homes, health visitor information and the mystery shopper report conducted by Shelter.

Councillor Roger Croft asked that the Commission acknowledge the good work being undertaken within the Council in dealing with homelessness.

Resolved that the recommendations be submitted to the Housing Service for inclusion in their consultation activity.