Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member Housing

RESOLVED THAT

1.    the transfer to Cheltenham Borough Homes’ Housing Options Service the sum of £196,577 be approved; this being part of the MHCLG’s New Burdens Funding and Flexible Homelessness Support Grant funding allocation to the council for 2019/20. 

2.    It be noted that the indicative expenditures detailed within Appendix 2 of the report may need to be flexible, depending upon demands of the service. The authority to make any changes to these spending plans is delegated to the Lead Commissioner – Housing Services, in consultation with Cabinet Member – Housing.

The Cabinet Member Housing introduced the report which set out the spending proposals for Cheltenham Borough Homes’ Housing Options Service, using additional funding provided by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (MHCLG). This funding comprised New Burdens Funding (to take account of the additional responsibilities placed on councils as a result of the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act in 2018) and a Flexible Homelessness Support Grant.

The Cabinet Member explained that a lot of work on benefit and debt support had been undertaken over the last 4-5 years. Appendix 2 provided details of the proposed spending plans which were in summary to continue funding the current additional Housing Options Officer post, along with the Housing Solutions Officer post, (both of which were being funded from the existing allocation of New Burdens and Flexible Homelessness Support grant funding).

The Leader welcomed the work being undertaken to date and believed the proposal was a sensible way to use the available funding in the best possible way.

RESOLVED THAT

1.    the transfer to Cheltenham Borough Homes’ Housing Options Service the sum of £196,577 be approved; this being part of the MHCLG’s New Burdens Funding and Flexible Homelessness Support Grant funding allocation to the council for 2019/20. 

2.    It be noted that the indicative expenditures detailed within Appendix 2 of the report may need to be flexible, depending upon demands of the service. The authority to make any changes to these spending plans is delegated to the Lead Commissioner – Housing Services, in consultation with Cabinet Member – Housing.