Agenda item

Further to Minute No. 74 of the meeting of the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Safe and Attractive Neighbourhoods held on 22nd April, 2013, consideration was given to a report presented by Sandra Tolley, Housing Options Manager, and Jill Jones, Homelessness Manager, which set out in detail how Rotherham’s first Homelessness Strategy (2003-2008) had been produced as part of the implementation of the Homelessness Act, 2002. Members noted that this Strategy was refreshed in 2008 and had a stronger emphasis on homelessness prevention and partnership working and that the Homelessness Strategy was due to end in 2013.

The report confirmed that, during 2012, this Council’s Homeless Service had begun a consultation process to complete a thorough review of the Homelessness Strategy. The review also considered how effective the Strategy had been and whether further changes might be needed to ensure homelessness prevention was prioritised.

As part of the Homelessness Strategy review process, it had been recommended that the Improving Places Select Committee carry out a Scrutiny Review on the Homelessness Strategy. The report included the suggested outline scope of this proposed scrutiny review and was supplemented by the following presentation:-

·                Housing Act 1996 Part VII – Homelessness Legislation.

·                Homelessness Act, 2002.

·                Homelessness Strategy.

·                Track Record – Homelessness Acceptances.

·                Track Record – Prevention of Homeless.

·                Current Prevention Strategies.

·                Reviewing the Strategy – The Work Done So Far.

·                Sample of Questions asked at the Workshop.

·                The Future of the Homelessness Strategy from 2014 onwards.

·                The Homelessness Strategy Scrutiny Review.

·                Implementation Timetable.

A discussion and a question and answer session ensued and the following issues were raised and subsequently clarified:-

·                Trends in homelessness and the economy and whether it would be best to keep under review any three or five year strategy.

·                Use of sheltered housing provision as crashpads.

·                Review of community facilities.

·                Promotion of the private rented sector and whether landlords would be directed to take greater responsibility.

·                Housing for local people and the self registration for landlords.

·                Allocation of crashpads and the process of liaising with the local Housing Champion.

·                Allocations in line with the Local Lettings Policy and the checking of information.

·                No proposal to redesignate residential bedrooms not currently in use.

·                Under recovered rent arrears and their assessment on future allocations, which was subject to review.

·                Homelessness acceptances and prevention of homeless figures which on paper looks as though Rotherham does not have a great problem.

·                The duty on the Council to rehouse and whether early intervention or flagging up accounts that suddenly become a problem would ease the problem, especially for private sector housing.

·                Mechanisms in place to flag up concerns.

·                Management of difficult tenants and the impact of their housing allocation on other tenants.

·                Number of temporary accommodation units throughout the Borough and their current locations for use by the homeless and also those in crisis.

·                Review of the Allocations Policy – to be presented to the July meeting.

In taking forward the suggestion of the Scrutiny Review nominations were sought.

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2)  That a Scrutiny Review of the Homelessness Strategy take place and include Councillors Falvey, Gosling, N. Hamilton, Read and Swift and Ms. P.Copnell.

(3)  That once the Select Commission has completed the scrutiny review, a report be submitted to the Cabinet Member for Safe and Attractive Neighbourhoods detailing a proposed revised Homelessness Strategy for the period 2013 to 2018.