Agenda item

To consider the progress made in respect of the outcomes identified in the Housing Strategy Action Plan.

54.1          The report of the Head of Community Services, circulated at Pages No. 75-10, provided a summary of the key activities identified within the Housing Strategy 2017-21 which had been achieved between April and September 2019.  Members were asked to consider the progress made to date in respect of the outcomes identified in the Action Plan. 

54.2          The Head of Community Services explained that it had been a year of change for the Housing team mainly due to the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act which was very much focused on prevention; fortunately, this was the approach that had generally been taken by Tewkesbury Borough Council.  In terms of service improvement, he drew particular attention to Page No. 76, Paragraph 2.3.2 of the report which set out that Personal Housing Plans in the new database were currently being updated and a home visit service was being developed in order to increase understanding of a customer’s situation in a less intimidating environment.  Page No. 81, Paragraph 2.4.1 of the report stated that the Local Housing Needs Assessment was close to completion.  This was carried out on a countywide basis, with the last full assessment in 2009, and would form the basis of the new Housing Strategy when the current strategy came to an end in 2021.  The action plan was attached at Appendix 1 to the report and he apologised that a number of the target dates had already passed and undertook to ensure these were corrected for the next update.

54.3           With regard to the rough sleeper count set out at Page No. 78 of the report, a Member questioned whether the one rough sleeper recorded in February 2019 was the same person that had been recorded in January 2019 and the Head of Community Services confirmed that was likely to be the case.  He pointed out that it could take a long time to find solutions for rough sleepers, particularly if they lived chaotic lifestyles, and it was worth remembering that, although there were genuine cases, some chose to live on the street, or preferred to be seen as a rough sleeper, even when they had access to accommodation.  The Interim Housing Manager confirmed that there were many reasons why people with accommodation could be found on the street, for instance, some were so entrenched in rough sleeping that they had adapted to that lifestyle and had their social networks on the streets.  Officers worked with individuals to establish their reasons and were supported by organisations such as the P3 charity to ensure they received the right help.  A Member expressed the view that the homelessness figures for Tewkesbury Borough were very positive and a credit to the Housing team.  The Interim Housing Manager indicated that he had been with the authority since June, having worked in a number of local authority departments previously, and the Tewkesbury Borough Council Housing Team was the best he had worked with.  The staff all pulled together and were extremely committed to helping people which resulted in some quality work.  It was acknowledged that the type of people the team worked with were often very challenging and the job was often carried out under very difficult circumstances.  The Chair echoed these sentiments and, on behalf of the Committee, thanked the Housing team for their hard work. 

54.4           It was

RESOLVED          That the progress made to date in respect of the outcomes identified in the Housing Strategy Action Plan be NOTED.