Agenda item

To consider the report of the head of development and housing (attached).

The Cabinet portfolio holder, Councillor Elaine Ware, introduced the report.

The Council had a statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation to certain homeless households. It fulfilled this duty by using either hotels or its own housing stock.

The Temporary Accommodation Provision report addressed how Vale Council could effectively meet demand for temporary accommodation over the next five years. The report recommended that the council’s two hostels be converted into self-contained units. This would enable the council to meet future demand in suitable temporary accommodation. A capital budget had been identified to fund the conversion of the hostels.

Phil Ealey, the Housing Needs Manager also spoke to the report. A more proactive approach was required to manage future demand for temporary accommodation and to make it more responsive to customer need, based on forecast projected future demand.

Option E, to reconfigure both the Wantage and Faringdon hostels into self-contained units, would be the most cost effective. The current accommodation could be used more effectively. South Oxfordshire District Council, which currently made use of Vale council’s temporary accommodation, would invest in its own stock and free up places for Vale residents. Many of the residents in the hostel accommodation were vulnerable residents, and shared facilities could cause problems when there are no wardens on site. Option E provided the best option for the residents. There was sufficient money in the capital provision for new properties which could be diverted to the refurbishment of the hostels.

The Scrutiny Committee debated this item. Concern was raised as to whether there was a contingency included for the project going over budget. The officer confirmed that there was a ten percent contingency built into this budget. The committee required more details on the transitional plan during the refurbishment, including the cost implications. This could not be fully completed until the project was agreed by Cabinet, however, the plan was in place to work with Registered Social Landlords to use “decant” properties as part of the transitional plan.

The committee considered that the decision on the best option should be made based on the focus on duty of care to vulnerable residents and not just on the financial issues.

In response to councillor questions it was confirmed that:

·      The average stay in temporary accommodation was three to six months;

·      The majority of homeless applicants came from the Abingdon area.

Concern was raised about moving vulnerable people away from their communities for a period of three to six months. However, the housing needs team concentrated on preventing homelessness and were successful in locating over 90 per cent of potentially homeless households in their local areas. Temporary accommodation was the last resort for homeless families. Homelessness prevention rates were very high in Vale and South Council areas, compared to other areas of the country.

The Committee requested the homelessness prevention figures from the officer who reported as follows:

SUCCESSFUL HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION CASES

An increase of 57 per cent over three years.

HOUSEHOLDS IN TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION

A reduction of 50 per cent over three years. Nationally, there has been a 50 per cent rise in temporary accommodation numbers since 2010.

GROSS VALE TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION EXPENDITURE:

A reduction of 71 per cent over three years. Nationally, expenditure on temporary accommodation had risen by 30 per cent since 2013. 

RESOLVED to:

a)     request that the transitional plan come back to Scrutiny if Cabinet approve the report and recommendations.

b)     request that the officer add actions to the Corporate delivery plan for Vale.