Agenda Reports Pack (Public) 15/10/2012, 19.00 - Meetings ...
Agenda Reports Pack (Public) 15/10/2012, 19.00 - Meetings ... Agenda Reports Pack (Public) 15/10/2012, 19.00 - Meetings ...
services personnel; working households; and other groups providingthey meet the reasonable preference criteria.5.5 The Housing Strategy, Tenancy Strategy and Homelessness Strategy‘go live’ from adoption. The Council’s stated intention to use privaterented sector accommodation to discharge its homelessness duty canbe adopted, once the Homelessness Order comes into force, expectedin late 2012.5.6. As set out in 4.1 it is intended that Officers further develop the strategichousing and health approach to effectively meet the local needs of thevulnerable, disabled (including people with learning disabilities) andelderly residents. In addition it is recognised in the Equality ImpactAssessment that further scoping work needs to be undertaken tounderstand the housing needs and aspirations of some of groups whoshare a relevant protected characteristic (in particular age anddisability). It is intended that Officers will carry out this work, updatethe Equality Impact Assessment and report to the Cabinet Member forHousing in March 2013.5.7 It is also anticipated that there will be further developments in centralGovernment policy which will impact on the Allocation scheme andHomeless strategy. In particular the expected regulations concerningadditional preference for the allocation of housing to members of theArmed forces and the suitability of accommodation regulationsmentioned in 3.13. These developments may necessitate changes tothe policy.5.8 It is proposed that delegated Authority be given to the Cabinet Memberfor Housing in conjunction with the Executive Director of Housing andRegeneration to make such changes to the documents annexed to thisreport as they consider necessary as result of the further work onEquality Impact Assessment or because of changes in governmentpolicy. If they consider it necessary a further report will be made tocabinet.6. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS6.1 Financial issues relating to the proposals are in four areas:Homelessness and Temporary AccommodationThe Council has had considerable success in meeting and containingthe costs of homelessness through its Housing Options and preventionoperations and through matching the cost of temporary accommodationto rents payable and changing Housing Benefit and Local HousingAllowance arrangements. The HB Assist team has succeeded innegotiating rent reductions with private Landlords of homelesshouseholds in temporary accommodation.Page 351
The Housing Options service faces considerable challenges inaddressing homelessness particularly in the light of recent andprospective changes to Housing and Welfare Benefit entitlement.These arise both from increasing difficulty for some households insustaining a private sector tenancy and for the council itself inprocuring access to private sector accommodation within the resourcesavailable to it. The proposals in this report may have some indirectimpact on homeless households. In particular, the prospects of ahomeless household receiving an offer of a social housing tenancy willbe more dependent in the future on their being in work or making acommunity contribution within the terms of the Housing AllocationScheme. To the extent that this results in fewer allocations being madeto households applying down the homelessness route, this will increasethe need to secure access to private sector accommodation.Against this, the new system set out in this report may be perceived asaffording less advantage to the making of a homelessness applicationand may start to exert downward pressure on the number ofhomelessness applications.6.2 Income to the Housing Revenue Account and the Cost of VoidPropertiesA key proposal in this report is the introduction of flexible tenancies inCouncil property and the potential increase in the number ofhouseholds in work living in the Council’s social housing stock. Thequestion therefore arises as to whether this may lead to more voidsand bad debts as flexible tenancies come to an end, and henceadditional financial pressure on the HRA due to:• additional void rent loss• increased maintenance void costs• increased staff costs due to the volume of relets required• a risk of additional bad debts due to the increased tenancy turnoverand due to an increase in the number of tenants not on full housingbenefitOn the other hand, there are a number of potentially countervailingfactors:• While there is no presumption that a tenancy will be renewed,equally there is no presumption that it will not. This will dependupon a case by case assessment. It is likely that a significantnumber of tenancies will be renewed and the issue of the majorityof the additional void costs will not arise. There may still be aresidual impact on staff costs.• The proposals have a built-in incentive for tenants to look after theirproperty;Page 352
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- Page 334 and 335: appropriate for residents’ needs.
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services personnel; working households; and other groups providingthey meet the reasonable preference criteria.5.5 The Housing Strategy, Tenancy Strategy and Homelessness Strategy‘go live’ from adoption. The Council’s stated intention to use privaterented sector accommodation to discharge its homelessness duty canbe adopted, once the Homelessness Order comes into force, expectedin late <strong>2012</strong>.5.6. As set out in 4.1 it is intended that Officers further develop the strategichousing and health approach to effectively meet the local needs of thevulnerable, disabled (including people with learning disabilities) andelderly residents. In addition it is recognised in the Equality ImpactAssessment that further scoping work needs to be undertaken tounderstand the housing needs and aspirations of some of groups whoshare a relevant protected characteristic (in particular age anddisability). It is intended that Officers will carry out this work, updatethe Equality Impact Assessment and report to the Cabinet Member forHousing in March 2013.5.7 It is also anticipated that there will be further developments in centralGovernment policy which will impact on the Allocation scheme andHomeless strategy. In particular the expected regulations concerningadditional preference for the allocation of housing to members of theArmed forces and the suitability of accommodation regulationsmentioned in 3.13. These developments may necessitate changes tothe policy.5.8 It is proposed that delegated Authority be given to the Cabinet Memberfor Housing in conjunction with the Executive Director of Housing andRegeneration to make such changes to the documents annexed to thisreport as they consider necessary as result of the further work onEquality Impact Assessment or because of changes in governmentpolicy. If they consider it necessary a further report will be made tocabinet.6. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS6.1 Financial issues relating to the proposals are in four areas:Homelessness and Temporary AccommodationThe Council has had considerable success in meeting and containingthe costs of homelessness through its Housing Options and preventionoperations and through matching the cost of temporary accommodationto rents payable and changing Housing Benefit and Local HousingAllowance arrangements. The HB Assist team has succeeded innegotiating rent reductions with private Landlords of homelesshouseholds in temporary accommodation.Page 351
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