Decisions

To accept Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures Funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) of £42,388 for 2024/25, and to allocate this funding for the purposes set out below.

On 21^st February 2025, MHCLG notified Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) that it had allocated £42,388 funding to CBC with the objective of providing support for people in housing crisis and prevent homelessness and rough sleeping. MHCLG highlighted that funding was targeting areas with pressures resulting from rent arrears.

This funding will also increase our impact over the winter months in supporting vulnerable households facing homelessness and those seeking solutions to their homelessness. It will include a focus on increasing prevention activities that result in less households being placed into temporary accommodation and fewer people sleeping rough for the first time.

As part of the funding criteria, we are looking to implement the following interventions to achieve the outcomes:

•      Payment of arrears in private, social or supported housing where threat of eviction is resolved

•     Payment of historical arrears to enable access to social housing or supported housing where arrears are a barrier to access

The estimated costs of these initiatives are between £9,000 and £12,000, and this is based on current research on applicants currently known to CBC’s Housing Options Team. Actual costs will be dependent upon households approaching CBC for assistance and cases will be carefully considered to ensure the use of this funding is spent wisely.

•     Resources to provide ongoing support to people when they are accommodated to help them sustain their tenancy. This could include the provision of home starter packs to enable rapid rehousing

•     Payment or provision of goods to enable people to stay living with family or friends for a longer period until alternative accommodation can be sourced

The estimated costs of these initiatives would be between £3,000 and £6,000. However, whilst we have tried to be as accurate as possible with potential provision of help in this area this is a new initiative and costs may fluctuate.

•     Landlord incentives, and payment of rent in advance or deposits

We would exhaust all other avenues, and work in conjunction with potential discretionary housing allowance payments but estimate costs could be in the region of £4,000 to £7,000 if we are able to obtain landlords willing to work with us.

• Start-up costs to bring existing surplus accommodation owned by a Registered Provider (P3) for use as emergency accommodation in Cheltenham, so as to reduce CBC’s reliance on making emergency Bed & Breakfast placements outside of our local authority area.

The estimated startup costs of this initiative would be between £10,000 and £15,000; however actual costs will be dependent on agreed costs to prepare an identified property ready for occupation e.g. new furniture, installation of CCTV linked to another P3 building for monitoring.

·         Other activities to support and reduce homelessness pressures around prevention, reduction in use of temporary accommodation, and upstream initiatives to prevent future rough sleeping. This would, in effect, be a contribution towards existing staffing costs within our Housing Interventions Team. This team sits within CBC’s Housing Options Service.

The estimated contribution could be as little as £2,500, depending on the success or otherwise of our other spend initiatives as set out above. Essentially, CBC will ensure that all of MHCLG’s grant allocation of £42,388 is committed for spend by the end of March 2025. This means that if less of the grant funding is spent elsewhere, then more of the grant will be used to contribute towards these staffing costs.

It is therefore anticipated that 100% of this funding allocation will be committed for spend by end of March 2025 and any underspend on our forecasted estimates will go towards the costs of staffing our Housing Interventions Team to continue providing support for people in housing crisis and prevent homelessness and rough sleeping. However, in the even that there is an underspend, this may need to be returned to MHCLG.

To finalise the Council’s Playing Pitch Strategy as attached as appendix A.

To approve the formalisation of the revised Social Value Strategy for the Golden Valley Development.  The updated strategy offers greater clarity and focus om how social value will be delivered throughout the project’s journey.  The request is for the revised strategy to be officially included as part of the Development Agreement with development partner HBD, and will replace Version One.

RESOLVED THAT:

-       the amendment of the current Development Agreement (DA) to incorporate the revised Social Value Strategy version 2 is endorsed.

To update Members on the performance and outcomes of Cheltenham Ice Rink for the Christmas 2024-25 season.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    the information about the outputs of the 2024/25 ice rink is noted;

2.    the decision by Councillor Martin Horwood, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Culture and Wellbeing, for Cheltenham Borough Council to apply for planning permission to run a Christmas Ice Rink for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 Christmas periods is noted;

3.    the decision by Councillor Martin Horwood, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Culture and Wellbeing, to approve an extension to the contract with S3K Limited for 12 months (to 02 July 2026), if planning permission is awarded, to enable delivery and management of the 2025-26 Christmas Ice Rink, is noted;

4.    a total potential financial commitment for 2025/26 as set out in section 4 of this report is approved;

5.    officers are progressing new procurement activities and, subject to planning permission, authority is delegated for appointments of contractors to the Director of Communities and Economic Development, as per section 5 of this report. 

Decision required to accept the funding.

Decisions required on delivery of the programme.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    the award to the council of £385,390 UKSPF funding for 2025-26 is noted;

2.    acceptance of the UKSPF funding is approved, noting the reporting requirements and delivery arrangements imposed by the Funder;

3.    the decision by Councillor Rowena Hay, Leader of Cheltenham Borough Council, to allocate £102,848 of the funding to enter into two contracts to continue the delivery of Cheltenham Growth Hub is noted;

4.    authority is delegated to Councillor Rowena Hay, Leader of Cheltenham Borough Council, in consultation with the UKSPF assessment panel and Cabinet members, to allocate funding for delivery of projects in line with UKSPF criteria and corporate plan priorities.

To agree a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in relation to the staffing of the Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury Strategic and Local Plan (SLP).

To award a contract to Litter Aware Limited for the supply of Litterlotto and At Home ‘app’ package with virtual bin audit included for a 12 month period from 1 February 2025 to 31 January 2026 for the sum of £16,000 plus VAT.

On 6th January 2025, Cheltenham Borough Council received a nomination form to list the Bell Inn, 70 Bath Road, Cheltenham, GL53 7JT an asset of community value. The nomination was submitted by an interested group of local residents.

In line with our agreed process, on 22^nd January 2025 the nomination form was considered by an assessment panel made up of the Head of Communities, Wellbeing and Partnerships, a representative from One Legal and myself who as Director of Communities & Economic Development, has the authority to make the decision under the Councils Constitution, part 3E.3 and Appendix A.

The assessment panel requested some additional evidence, and the nominator resubmitted the nomination form.  This was considered by the assessment panel on 17^th February 2025.

Following consideration of the nomination form, the supplementary information and the assessment form with the assessment panel, my decision is that the Bell Inn, at 70 Bath Road Cheltenham, GL53 7JT be added to Cheltenham Borough Council’s list of Assets of Community Value.

Registered proprietors have been kept informed of proceedings and these proprietors alongside the nominator will be directly informed of this decision.