Agenda item

Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2020-2025

To receive the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, and the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy which outlines proposals for the Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for 2020-2025.

 

Minutes:

8.1       Councillor Watkins presented the report and outlined key elements. She stated that this report was the result of cross-party work. Moreover, since the last meeting, there had been a consultation with stakeholders and members of the public. The result of this was a 100% agreement rate amongst those who had participated in the consultation. She explained to the Committee that the report before them was not final, and that changes could still be made. For example, as a result of the discussion at the present meeting. Lastly, she then thanked Officers who had been involved in putting the strategy together for their hard work.

 

8.2      Councillor Gravells then addressed the Committee. He thanked the Chair, and then Councillor Watkins for the joint report. He added that housing was a key issue. Furthermore, that there would be an action plan once the strategy had been updated. Lastly, he stated that if Members wanted to bring the strategy before the Overview & Scrutiny Committee for consideration every year, this could be done. The Chair stated that he had spoken to the Head of Communities about doing this.

 

8.3      Councillor Coole questioned whether the Council ‘s Severe Weather Protocol (SWEP)  also included severe hot weather. Councillor Watkins stated that SWEP largely focused on cold weather, however there was a yellow warning for other types of weather conditions. Moreover, SWEP was under review every year with the Council working with the County Wide Homelessness Coordinator and other partners. Similarly, changes were recently made to the Protocol in 2019.

 

8.4    Councillor Haigh stated that whilst she welcomed the report, it would benefit from having a breakdown of private sector housing issues. She added that there was a lot of discussion about affordable homes, however there was little information on social rent, which was a pertinent issue. She suggested that Gloucester had lower targets for social rent compared to other areas in the South West. Secondly, she questioned whether there was a policy on controlling what she believed to be an increase of Households in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and student housing in the City. She explained that other local authorities had these policies in place.

 

8.5       In response, Councillor Watkins stated that there was not any up to date data on the existing housing stock in the City. However, a new stock condition survey was now underway as part of the strategy. Councillor Gravells agreed with Councillor Haigh that affordable rent was a key consideration, and stated that he was asking Officers to look at the Local Housing Allowance (LHA), and would also consider this as part of the Joint Core Strategy. In relation to Councillor Haigh ‘s second query, Councillor Gravells stated that reference is made to both HMOs and student housing in the 2011-2031 City Plan. Councillor Haigh asked that clarification is made between student housing and HMOs.

 

8.6     Councillor Wilson stated that the report was excellent. However, he expressed his concern with high rent prices in the City, which he believed was a particular challenge for young people in the City.  He then asked when the stock conditions survey results would be published. Councillor Watkins responded to say that private sector housing needed to be looked at, which would likely involve working with landlords in the City. She added that it was important that there was a range of different housing stock in order to cater for everyone. However, she also highlighted that any work carried out by Cabinet and/or Officers would not necessarily bring down rent prices per se. Thus, the focus would be on LHA rates, and perhaps introducing lower rates for those in receipt of benefits. In relation to the stock conditions survey, the Head of Communities advised that this would be a huge piece of work, and was only likely to be ready between years 2 and 3 of the strategy.

 

8.7       Councillor Hilton expressed his concern with HMOs and student housing, an issue which he said he had raised before. He believed that the increase in HMOs and student housing was pricing out families in the City. In particular, he believed that house shares were problematic, as landlords, charging ‘per room’, had the potential to make a lot more money than they typically would if the same house was rented out as a family home.  Similarly, he noted the increase in empty homes as outlined in the report, and questioned whether this was due to students going away during the summer holidays, or whether there was another problem. Finally, he stated that the Council should have an empty homes policy.

 

8.8      Councillor Watkins advised that whilst she understood why an increase in HMOs and student housing would be an issue in a ward such as Kingsholm due to its close proximity to the University of Gloucestershire campus, the stock conditions survey would give a greater indication of the different types of housing in the City. She added that it was important to better understand the issue before making any policy changes. Additionally, the state of empty homes in the City would become clearer following the survey.

 

8.9      Councillor Hyman welcomed the report which he thought was excellent. He queried which agencies in the City worked with homeless individuals, and, the process followed once an individual was referred to Homeless Link. Councillor Watkins explained that there was a wide range of partners who worked with homeless individuals, from across almost every facet of life which could affect an individual. This ranged from the voluntary and community sector, the health sector and faith groups amongst others. She added that the County-Wide Homelessness Coordinator would be a good person to speak to about the issue.

 

 

8.10    In relation to Councillor Hyman ‘s second query, Councillor Watkins advised that there was an infographic which outlines the pathway followed, and this would be circulated to Members. Moreover, the City Council had been awarded approximately £1,000,000 from central government in the last few weeks to help the City Council ‘s initiatives in tackling homelessness. Some of this funding was being used towards the Somewhere Safe to Stay hub. There had been a number of positive stories emerging as a result of this. Moreover, she added that Gloucester was one of the only areas that takes people with no recourse to public funds.

 

8.10  Councillor Hansdot suggested that the intervention and prevention process did not target homeless individuals early enough in the process. Councillor Watkins responded to say that the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 had made a positive impact on this very issue. There was now a duty placed on local authorities to provide interim accommodation for individuals who were believed to be homeless. However, there were still some complex cases, for examplewhere an individual has a disability and it is more prudent for the individual to remain in place rather than to move them to temporary accommodation. She suggested that more options were needed for temporary accommodation in the City.

 

 

8.11   Councillor Hansdot stated that he was concerned with what happens immediately after residents have been given an eviction notice. Councillor Watkins informed him that due to the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, a plan was put into place as soon as the Council was made aware that an individual was at risk of being evicted, and the individual would be advised to stay in place whilst they were being helped. Councillors Haigh and Coole stated that they could corroborate this based on residents’ experiences in their respective wards.

 

8.12   Councillor Stephens commented to say it was unclear which direction national housing policy would be headed in relation to some of the issues discussed. He then asked whether there were enough Council resources to deal with some of the challenges discussed which were, in his view, substantial.  A concern for him was affordable housing. He suggested that the City Council could influence the number of affordable houses for new housing developments. Councillor Gravells stated that there had been a lot of progress made to tackle some of these issues, particularly in the last 15 years. Moreover, there was a joined-up approach to tackling the issues with different organisation working together.

 

8.13   Councillor Watkins stated that tackling the issues raised would indeed require plenty of resources. However, there was a lot of cross-party support, as well as partner organisations working collaboratively.

 

8.14   Councillor Tracey echoed Councillor Hilton ‘s concerns around HMOs, student housing, and empty homes. She was of the view that certain areas in the City, such as Kingsholm had a particularly large number of HMOs and student housing. She stated that this then created issues with other aspects such as parking and bins. Further, she agreed with Councillor Stephens that addressing some of the issues raised around housing would require more resources, including more staff. Lastly, she commended Councillor Watkins who would be stepping down in May 2020 for her hard work and comprehensive knowledge in the Communities and Neighbourhoods portfolio.

 

 

8.15    Councillor Gravells responded to Councillor Tracey ‘s observations as follows. Firstly, in relation to her concerns around HMOs and student housing, he stated that it was about getting the balance right. For example, in terms of student housing, he reminded Councillors that they had campaigned hard for the University before it was established, and student housing was an inevitable consequence of having a university. He added that he would be happy to take the issue back to Planning Officers, however, it was important to note that any discussion of the subject would not be straightforward. Finally, he thanked Councillor Watkins for her work within the portfolio, and especially for working collaboratively with partner organisations.  He stated that it would be hard to replace her.

 

8.16    Councillor Toleman moved the debate to issues surrounding drug addiction and homelessness. He stated that whilst there were a lot of agencies providing assistance with accommodation for homeless individuals, it could be difficult for those dealing with drug addiction to access these resources. For example, there were limited spaces for drug rehabilitation, and, in some cases, individuals were required to ‘get clean’ before they could be placed in a rehab unit. He then asked whether it would be possible to potentially open a detox unit in Gloucester. Councillor Toleman also thanked Councillor Watkins for her work.

 

 

8.17   Councillor Watkins referred Councillor Toleman to Page 12 of the strategy of which one of the actions outlined is finding solutions “for those who are homeless and/or with more complex housing needs”. A potential ‘solution’ could be a revolving door approach where money is spent on helping to fund organisations working within the sector. However, this would require conversations with partner organisations, such as Gloucestershire County Council. Finally, she stated that whilst she would personally support opening a detox unit, this was not an issue which was within the remit of the present meeting.

 

8.18    RESOLVED: - that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee NOTE the report.

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