Issue - meetings

Report No: CAB/FH/17/022

Portfolio Holders: Sara Mildmay-White (West Suffolk Lead for Housing) and

Robin Millar

Lead Officer: Davina Howes

RESOLVED:

That:-

1.           The additional statutory duties which will be in place as a result of the Homelessness Reduction Act, be noted.

2.           The service be restructured and that an additional 6.8 FTE staff be required to meet the new statutory duties.

3.           The funding of the additional posts be secured from the Flexible Homelessness Reduction Grant.

(Report No: CAB/FH/17/022)

Councillor Robin Millar, Portfolio Holder for Families and Communities, presented this report which outlined the proposed restructure of the Housing Options and Homelessness Team, including the requirement for additional posts to meet new statutory requirements.

Councillor Millar explained that this restructure had been prompted by a number of factors, including:

1.       A number of staff changes and the urgent requirement to fill vacant posts.

2.       The need to have a robust service which could respond to forthcoming significant legislative changes, particularly the Homelessness Reduction Act.

3.       Recognition that changes to Universal Credit (UC) would have a real impact on tenants and landlords across West Suffolk.

4.       Reduction in the number of Housing Related Support funded beds, anticipated changes to housing support funding from 2018 and continual changes to the welfare system.

5.       A review of the Councils’ landlord liaison activities.

6.       Feedback from the Housing Peer Review.

Paragraph 3 of Report No: CAB/FH/17/022 outlined the funding of the proposed new structure and explained that in March 2017, the DCLG had announced a new Flexible Homelessness Support Grant (which replaced the DWP Temporary Accommodation Management Fee from 1 April 2017).  This Grant was paid directly to councils and was ring-fenced for an initial two year period and during that time may only be used to prevent or deal with homelessness.  Funding allocations had been announced for the next two years, with funding for 2019/2020 being announced later this year.

Paragraph 3.3 of the report set out the funding allocations which had been awarded to both Forest Heath District and St Edmundsbury Borough Councils for 2017/2018 and for 2018/2019.  Paragraph 3.4 also set out the detail for the proposed use of this Grant to fund the restructure.

With the vote being unanimous, it was

RESOLVED:

That:-

1.           The additional statutory duties which will be in place as a result of the Homelessness Reduction Act, be noted.

2.           The service be restructured and that an additional 6.8 FTE staff be required to meet the new statutory duties.

3.           The funding of the additional posts be secured from the Flexible Homelessness Reduction Grant.