Agenda item

Briefing note of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

Councillors E Ruane and B Kaur, Cabinet Member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities and Councillors J O’Boyle and D Welsh, Cabinet Member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item.

The following representatives have also been invited to attend:

Kate Still, West Midlands Housing Group

Neelam Sunder, West Midlands Combined Authority 

The Committee considered a briefing note and presentation of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) concerning the public consultation currently being carried out to develop the Housing and Homeless Strategy 2019-2024. Further views or inputs into the Strategy and the supporting Action Plan were sought from Members. Councillor Ruane, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, attended the meeting for the consideration of this item along with Kate Still, West Midlands Housing Group (WMHG), and Neelam Sunder, West Midlands Combined Authority. Louise Morley also attended as the representative of the Experts by Experience Panel. The response to the Strategy from the Experts by Experience had been circulated with the briefing note. These representatives addressed the Committee setting out their views on the draft Strategy.

The briefing note indicated that under Section 1 of the Homelessness Act 2002, the Council was required to develop and publish a Strategy to prevent homelessness every five years. An up to date Homelessness Strategy was required from 2019 and the Council had decided to combine this with the Housing Strategy so the Strategy was not seen in isolation. At their meeting on 3rd October, 2018 Cabinet had approved a public consultation on the draft Strategy.

The draft Strategy focussed on the following four main themes:

i) Preventing homelessness and supporting homeless households

ii) New housing development

iii) Improving the use of existing homes

iv) Support for people and communities.

A draft action plan had been published alongside the draft Strategy. Once approved, the action plan would be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that the actions were being progressed and responding to any changes. Reference was made to the transfer of Council’s housing stock to Whitefriars Housing in 2000 and the need for the Council to work proactively with developers and registered providers. Attention was drawn to the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and to the changes to the Council’s homelessness duties required by the Act. The duty to refer process had only recently commenced and was to be reviewed in due course.        

The briefing note informed that key stakeholders, partners, advice agencies and other Council departments had been engaged throughout the development of the strategy. The consultation would run from 6^th November to 18^th December, 2018. The purpose was to ensure that the correct priorities had been identified for housing and homelessness issues faced by the city, along with the correct actions. The results would be reviewed and any necessary changes made to the strategy and action plan prior to final consideration by Cabinet and Council in February 2019.

The Committee were informed that to date, 99 responses had been received to the consultation. At 30^th November, the majority of the responses had been received from individuals, 79%, with the remainder from interested groups and organisations. The majority of these responses showed support for the principles and actions included in the draft Strategy. The briefing note set out a summary of the key points raised in response to the four strategy themes. A summary of all the responses would be included in an appendix to the final report.

Members questioned the officers and representatives on a number of issues and responses were provided, matters raised included:

·  What support was currently being provided by WMHG for tenants with multiple complex needs and how would this be improved

·  Concerns about the impact on the wider community and taking into account the needs of existing residents when placing tenants with multiple complex needs in the community   

·  Concerns about Housing First, in particular the level of support for tenants with multiple complex needs and whether the financial resource was sufficient to meet the required level of support be considered as part of the consultation process

·  Particular concerns about the high levels of support required by tenants with mental health issues

·  Details about attendees at the Homeless Forum which held on 9^th November

·  That the comments from the Experts by Experience should be considered seriously as part of the consultation feedback and if there were any operational quick wins in their suggestions, these should not have to wait until the political sign off of the Strategy to be implemented

·  There should be immediate action on a safe place for women who were rough sleepers

·  Generally, residents with multiple complex needs should have a sufficient support package to prevent them from becoming homeless, particularly at pinch points such as discharge from hospital and release from prison

·  Further information about how the consultation has been publicised

·  The consultation should be promoted as much and as widely as possible so that as many stakeholders could comment on the draft Strategy, including members of the community

·  When the Council considered land for sale, that the social value of the land be considered rather than maximising capital receipts, in order to promote the building of social housing

·  The Council should enforce the policy on proportions of affordable homes within development and not agree to variation orders to maximise the number of social houses

·  Concerns that there were a lot of people in unsuitable accommodation

·  Where Neighbourhood Plans were considered to be developed, consultation should involve all parts of the community affected, not just the vocal minority

·  The Choice Based Lettings system, Homefinder, should be reviewed – this had already been included on the work programme for the Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board

·  The Committee supported the proposals by the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities to strengthen the housing department in the Council, with recruitment to senior posts and a Head of Housing.

·  The implications of the introduction of universal credit for tenants in WMHG accommodation.   

RESOLVED that:

(1) The consultation measures being carried out as part of the development of the Housing and Homeless Strategy 2019-2024 be noted.

(2) The representation made to the Committee from the Experts by Experience be noted.

(3) The concerns about Housing First, in particular the level of support for tenants with multiple complex needs and whether the financial resource was sufficient to meet the required level of support be considered as part of the consultation process, with a further briefing being provided as appropriate and at a later date.

(4) The Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities be requested to consider all the issues raised during the course of the discussion as part of the consultation feedback.

(5) An update report be submitted to a future Scrutiny meeting detailing progress with actions following adoption of the strategy and after a period of six months.