Agenda item

Alison Timmins, Acting Assistant Director, Housing Management:

a)    provided statistical data relating to the allocation of Council accommodation at the end of Quarter 3, April-December 2023 for member’s information

b)    highlighted that:

·         With respect to lettings by band, the Council was required to ensure that any household who was homeless or threatened with homelessness was prioritised for accommodation.

·         In addition, the Council held a quota for transfer applicants to move into more suitable accommodation that met their changing needs. The target for transfers was 25% of all lettings, we were looking to increase the number of properties advertised with preference to transfers in quarter 4, to remain on target to ensure that we met local needs and Government priorities.

c)    advised that during April-December 2023, the Council allocated 410 properties, listed within her breakdown of figures by type of applicant and branding to which successful bids were made

d)    also listed further analysis of allocations by property type

e)    noted that the majority of properties allocated were flats and that the supply of houses, particularly large houses, continued to be in short supply 

f)     invited members comments on the content of the report

Members discussed the content of the report in further detail.

The following comments/questions from members were responded to as follows:

Question: Of the 2,020 people currently on the housing register list, what percentage was added to by homeless people?

Response: The officer would investigate further and respond to members via e mail.

Question: Did homeless people include ‘rough sleepers’ and ‘sofa surfers?

Response: Yes, anyone with unsatisfactory housing including sofa surfers were included if they made a homeless application. Additional support was offered to rough sleepers with government funding, however, they were not offered any different housing proposal and treated the same as others on the housing register.

Question: Why didn’t the Council build more bungalows to release larger houses for families?

Response: This was an option, however, bungalows tended to need a larger footprint and were more expensive to build.

Question: Were those people in temporary accommodation included in the number of people on the housing register?

Response: Yes. There were 60-70 households in temporary accommodation. Approximately 20 families were staying in hotels/bed and breakfast accommodation. Even if a homeless application had been submitted, an application to go on the housing register must also be made.

Question: People were able to register as homeless 56 days before they officially became homeless. Of these 60-70 households in temporary accommodation, how many struggled to find a property and were living in hotels/bed and breakfast accommodation?

Response: There was a constant turnover in available accommodation which included private sector housing, people moving away or going to live with relatives.

Question: Was it possible to use units similar to those being utilised at RAF Scampton?

Response: The Housing Department were looking at a range of options for temporary accommodation, however, this would have to be a last resort, being in a worst case scenario than the present situation.

Question: Was there an option to use existing buildings such as the former West Parade Police Station and Unity Square to convert into accommodation?

Response: The Housing Authority was tied by planning restrictions and some vendors potentially not always wishing to sell properties for this type of accommodation. Some buildings were not appropriate for change of use having too many shared areas for conversion to suitable accommodation. The government issued a consultation paper earlier today on changes to local allocation policy. We would wait to see what this consultation brought to the table.

RESOLVED that the content of the report be noted.