Cabinet Member for Housing
Minutes:
107.1 The Chair invited Councillor Jessie Carter, Cabinet Member for Housing, to introduce Paper BC/23/44.
107.2 Councillor Carter introduced Paper BC/23/44 to Members outlining its purpose and PROPOSED the recommendations as detailed in the report.
107.3 Councillor Derek Davis SECONDED the proposal.
107.4 Councillor Maybury asked if the five-year review period could be added in to the report’s recommendations for clarity. The Monitoring Officer advised that this could be amended and added to the report’s recommendations.
107.5 Councillor McLaren queried why the challenges and goals for Babergh and Mid Suffolk were different. The Cabinet Member for Housing responded that there was a significant difference in the housing need and community resources available in both districts meaning that different approaches had to be designed.
107.6 Councillor Riley questioned if Babergh looked after homeless individuals from other District and Borough areas in the County. The Cabinet Member for Housing responded that Babergh residents were prioritised and that individuals who had moved to Babergh and claimed homelessness would be assessed as to whether care could be provided for them by the local authority in which they originally came from.
107.7 Councillor Owen questioned if homeless individuals were provided support within Babergh or if any were sent to Ipswich or neighbouring authorities for support. The Cabinet Member for Housing responded that it was a priority to keep individuals in their hometowns and in areas they are familiar with but that individuals would be assessed on their needs and assigned to somewhere that was able to best meet these.
107.8 Councillor Riley queried how much the strategy and its implementation would cost the Council. The Head of Housing Solutions responded that resources already allocated to the service would pay to deliver the strategy and that the exact figure would be provided outside of the meeting.
107.9 Councillor Ward queried in instances of individuals needing to be housed outside of the district for safety reasons whether there was a responsibility of Babergh to rehouse these individuals when problems had been rectified. The Cabinet Member for Housing responded that it depended upon the type of accommodation the individual had been placed into when first dealing with the case.
107.10 Councillor McLaren requested that Ward Members be included in discussions about ensuring customer support was accessible to all residents, particularly those in rural areas.
107.11 Councillor Saw questioned if any interim measures had been put in place should the Council no longer receive the household support fund. The Cabinet Member for Housing responded that work was currently underway to formulate mitigation measures and that discussions had taken place with neighbouring authorities regarding a collaborative approach to tackling homelessness.
107.12 Councillor Potter queried what support was in place to help reduce the number of young people in temporary accommodation. The Cabinet Member for Housing responded that reducing the amount of time young people spend in temporary accommodation was a high priority and that external services could be relied upon to assist them with mental health or social issues.
By a vote of 28 For
It was RESOLVED:
1.1 To adopt the contents of the report and the Draft Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024 – 2029, attached as Appendix A and associated Delivery Plan, attached as Appendix B, provide security and, where appropriate provide comment.
1.2 To adopt the vision and priorities of the draft Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy, ensuring the Delivery Plan is reflective of the current challenges facing the districts.
Supporting documents: