Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member Housing

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    The Advice and Inclusion Contract be retendered for a term of 3 years from April 1^st 2022, with the option of extending the term for a further 2 years, subject to satisfactory performance and available finance;

2.    The Lead Commissioner – Housing Services be authorised, in consultation with Cabinet Member Housing, to award the contract to the successful tenderer, following evaluation of bids;

3.    The Lead Commissioner – Housing Services be authorised, in consultation with Cabinet Member Housing, to extend the contract for a further 2 years following the end of the first 3 years of the service contract, subject to satisfactory performance and available finance.

The Cabinet Member Housing presented the report, which related to the retendering of an existing service provided by the council, which played a key role in supporting the Housing, Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy 2018-23. The contract would deliver a number of services providing independent advice and assistance helping to ensure that residents of Cheltenham received relevant support regarding debt, financial inclusion, benefits and housing rights advice, which would particularly be of use to vulnerable residents.

He noted that this was not a statutory requirement, but was an additional service that any well-run local authority should provide. The cost of the service was fully accounted for within the council’s budget and currently stood at £108,200 a year. This included a contribution of £26,300 a year from the Housing Revenue Account. Should the financial requirements for the delivery of this contract exceed the current available budget, then the relevant approvals would be sought in order to make up the difference. Once the successful tenderer was selected, the contract would run for three years, with the option of extending this for a further two years subject to satisfactory performance and the necessary funding being made available.

The new provider would deliver the service from the 1^st April 2022, taking over when the previous agreement and contract expired on the 31st March. He stressed that if the council decided to not provide this service in the future, there was a real risk of vulnerable residents being exploited, falling into debt and even being made homeless, and asked members to support the recommendations in the report.

The Leader moved to the vote, where it was unanimously:

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    The Advice and Inclusion Contract be retendered for a term of 3 years from April 1^st 2022, with the option of extending the term for a further 2 years, subject to satisfactory performance and available finance;

2.    The Lead Commissioner – Housing Services be authorised, in consultation with Cabinet Member Housing, to award the contract to the successful tenderer, following evaluation of bids;

3.    The Lead Commissioner – Housing Services be authorised, in consultation with Cabinet Member Housing, to extend the contract for a further 2 years following the end of the first 3 years of the service contract, subject to satisfactory performance and available finance.