Agenda item

Report of the Cabinet Member Housing and Safety

The Cabinet Member Housing and Safety introduced the report and thanked members of the working group and officers for their work. She explained that the cross party working group had been set up in response to the wide scale changes being set out in the Localism and Welfare Reform Bills. The working group gave members and officers the opportunity to look into the various challenges which the legislative changes pose, to identify risk to the council and for residents, and to identify ways for the council to consider moving forward.

The Cabinet Member highlighted Appendix 3 which outlined the various challenges and opportunities coming from the Localism Bill, the Affordable Homes Programme, Welfare Reform, Supporting People and the self financing HRA. A number of housing related risks were on the corporate risk register. Of particular concern to task group members was the impact of the welfare reform bill and its associated risks, the affordability of the private sector and the fact that the changes to Local Housing Allowance would make this sector less accessible and less affordable, the impact of reductions in the Supporting People budget and the associated revised supporting people strategy. CBC would be working closely with CBH to ensure the needs of tenants in sheltered housing would continue to be supported. The Supporting People risk had been added to the corporate risk register.

Key opportunities for the Council were provided by the Housing Revenue Account Reforms and members valued the member seminar held on the subject to develop its understanding of the subject as part of the overall package of changes affecting housing.

Cabinet was being asked to support the principle of development of a housing and homelessness strategy which would deal with complex and cross cutting issues. The issue of Social Housing Tenure reform would be dealt with in the emerging tenancy strategy which would be part of the housing and homelessness strategy. The theme of this was to make best use of existing stock, whilst at the same time supporting balanced communities.

Moving forward, the Cabinet Member proposed that the working group meet again to consider the housing and homelessness strategy before it is submitted to Cabinet for approval early next year and once the HRA business plan had been through the consultation with tenants and stakeholders.

The Leader of the Council wished to put on record his thanks to the working group which had undertaken some very useful work.

RESOLVED that :

1.      the recommendations of the review group as set out in appendix 2 be endorsed and built into workplans.

2.      the principle of the development of a housing and homelessness strategy which incorporates the review groups findings for consideration by Cabinet in March 2012 be endorsed.

3.      the outcomes framework as set out at appendix 4 be endorsed as a basis for consultation with stakeholders and be used to inform the development of the housing and homelessness strategy.
 

4.      the Housing Review Member Working Group continues to meet to support the development of the strategy and to provide a sounding board on the development of the HRA business plan preparation ready for Council in February 2012.