Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member Housing and Safety

RESOLVED THAT

1. When undertaking service re-design, and commissioning the service, the Council requires the future service provider to identify and implement innovative services/schemes in an effort to combat the affects of welfare reform on the most vulnerable households.  (Para 4.1.6)

2. Housing Options Management continue to pursue enhancements to the Homeseeker system and that the necessary training and changes to processes identified through systems thinking are progressed. (Para 4.2.5)

3. the conclusion that there are 2 potential commissioning options for Housing Options be endorsed, i.e. in-house and transfer the service to CBH and that a further report be brought back to Cabinet in May 2013 recommending the proposed commissioning option. (Para 4.3.9)

The Cabinet Member Housing and Safety introduced the report and explained that the commissioning review had reached the conclusion that there were two potential commissioning options available-in-house provision or transfer to the Council’s Arms Length Management Organisation, i.e. Cheltenham Borough Homes.

He wished to highlight that the value demand for the Housing Options Service was 70 % and the value demand attributed to Homeseeker work was less than 30 %; the waste identified fell into 2 main categories, customer contact and the Homeseeker computer system.

Due to the welfare reform changes the in-house Housing Options team would be considering how the service needs to adapt to achieve the Council’s stated outcomes for homelessness prevention. A further report would be brought back to Cabinet in May 2013 recommending the proposed commissioning option.

RESOLVED THAT

1. When undertaking service re-design, and commissioning the service, the Council requires the future service provider to identify and implement innovative services/schemes in an effort to combat the affects of welfare reform on the most vulnerable households.  (Para 4.1.6)

2. Housing Options Management continue to pursue enhancements to the Homeseeker system and that the necessary training and changes to processes identified through systems thinking are progressed. (Para 4.2.5)

3. the conclusion that there are 2 potential commissioning options for Housing Options be endorsed, i.e. in-house and transfer the service to CBH and that a further report be brought back to Cabinet in May 2013 recommending the proposed commissioning option. (Para 4.3.9)