Issue - meetings

Matter for Decision

The Officer’s report covered the draft Housing Portfolio Plan 2013-14, which sets out the strategic objectives for the portfolio for the year ahead, describes the context in which the portfolio is being delivered and details the activities required to deliver the outcomes and the vision. Performance measures and risks are also shown for each strategic objective.

 

Decision of Executive Councillor for Housing

Approved the draft Housing Portfolio Plan 2013-14.

 

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

 

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a report from the Executive Councillor for Housing and Director of Customer & Community Services regarding the Housing Portfolio Plan 2013/14.

 

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

 

(i)             Expressed concern that the least well off were most likely to be affected by changes to the benefits system.

(ii)            Councillor Bird had been contacted by tenants with care needs who were concerned about the impact of the ‘bedroom tax’ as a room allocated to a carer was perceived to be spare and so incurred a loss of benefit under the new system. Councillor Bird sought clarification on how the Council would address this.

(iii)          The Council needed to provide sufficient numbers and types (eg 1, 2 and 3 bedroom properties) of housing for tenants. This also had to be maintained to decent homes standards.

(iv)         Tenant Representatives suggested there was insufficient funding available for a discretionary payment to help tenants move if they wished to downsize in response to benefit changes.

 

In response to Members’ questions the Executive Councillor for Housing and Director of Customer & Community Services confirmed the following:

 

(i)             Officers were monitoring the impact of changes to the benefits system on Strategic Objective HSO1 (delivery of sustainable housing). Some tenants would be affected ie those whose sole income was benefits; whereas others would not be eg pensioners.

 

It was normal practice for the Council to allocate larger houses to couples with young children or those who were just starting a family in order to enable them to stay on an estate.

 

Officers were trying to estimate the impact of legislation changes.

(ii)            The Council had some flexibility on the type of accommodation it could offer to tenants (eg 1, 2 and 3 bedroom properties), so it was hoped the impact of benefit system changes could be mitigated. For example, 24% of council housing was 1 bedroom properties; 11% of benefit claimants required 1 bedroom properties.

(iii)          A 3 year rolling program to better adapt existing properties to tenants’ needs would be reported to Community Services in future.

(iv)         There were a number of cases where people had more bedrooms in their properties than they needed. The Council would give them the opportunity to move so that others in overcrowded accommodation could better use the larger properties.

(v)           If tenants wished to downsize properties to reduce their rent, the Council could pay a discretionary payment to tide people over whilst they actively searched for an alternative property.

(vi)         In response to suggestions there was insufficient funding available for a discretionary payment to help tenants move, the Head of City Homes said Area Housing Manager (North) was working on a fund to move scheme. A report would come to HMB in future setting out options on how to assist people. This could include using the discretionary payment to subsidise rents so that tenants could stay in their properties instead of being assisted to move.

(vii)        The Council had limited housing stock to invest in. The benefits of adapting old properties or building new homes would have to be considered.

(viii)      The Council was undertaking negotiations to increase its supply of temporary housing. It was desirable to house more people in the city and council managed properties than in hostels and out of town venues.

 

Some general needs properties had been converted into temporary housing, but this was a trade off as increasing one decreased the other. Purpose built temporary housing was preferable.

(ix)         The Council had considered various options for increasing its temporary housing stock, but these were subject to legal considerations amongst others. It was not council policy to move people into houses allocated for demolition in future on a temporary basis eg Lichfield Road and Water Lane.

(x)           The Executive Councillor for Housing had liaised with Julian Huppert MP regarding the ‘bedroom tax’. She would write to him prior to lobbying the Minister to seek flexibility for disabled people in the legislation.

 

The Executive Councillor for Housing undertook to liaise with Councillor Bird concerning joint lobbying to seek flexibility for disabled people in the benefit legislation.

 

The Executive Councillor for Housing asked if tenants wished to volunteer themselves as case studies to be given as examples in the lobbying process.

(xi)         The Housing Portfolio did not cover debt advice, but the Council worked in partnership with Citizens Advice Bureau amongst others to provide this.

(xii)        The Director of Customer & Community Services undertook to liaise post HMB with Councillor Brierley concerning the text of HSO1 regarding the appropriateness of wording and performance measures in the Operational Plan (specifically regarding maintenance).

(xiii)      The Director of Customer & Community Services undertook to provide Mr Sweeney with details concerning physical counts of rough sleepers in the City.

 

Councillors requested a change to the wording of Strategic Objectives.

 

Councillor Brierley formally proposed the following amendment (shown in bold text):

 

HS03.1 Focused our housing advice and support to keep homelessness to a minimum and help prevent homelessness by offering early advice on alternative housing options.

 

The Committee approved this amendment unanimously.

 

Councillor Blencowe formally proposed the following amendment (shown in bold text):

 

HS03.2 Increased the range of temporary housing available in or close to the city to minimise the impact on households who become homeless or who are threatened with homelessness and reinforced our work with partner organisations to support people with a history of homelessness to find a settled home.

 

The Committee approved this amendment unanimously.

 

The Committee resolved unanimously to endorse the recommendation.

 

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendation.

 

Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any Dispensations Granted)

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor.