Agenda item

To consider an overview of the transformation project for the Housing Solutions function and help to inform its approach.

RESOLVED: that the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

a)    Endorsed the direction being taken on the Homelessness and Housing Solutions Transformation Project.

b)    Agreed that the Chair would ask the Co-ordinating Overview and Scrutiny Group to consider arrangements for future scrutiny of the new Houses in Multiple Occupation Policy being developed by the Planning Policy Committee.

c)    Agreed to maintain oversight of the position in West Northamptonshire regarding the provision of housing support for people coming into the authority as refugees.

The Assistant Director Housing and Communities introduced the report and referred to the importance of good quality housing in supporting health and wellbeing.  WNC sought to provide a housing options service based on the principles of prevention and early intervention.  The service had previously been delivered by three different councils but now needed to be aggregated.  A transformation project was therefore being progressed.

The Transformation Delivery Manager outlined the two year timeline for the transformation project and the transformation approach, including engagement with relevant staff members.  There were 7 work packages focussing on key themes, which had been ranked in order of priority.  Next steps at this point were focussed on staff workshops for the temporary accommodation work package.  The full business case for the service transformation was due to be presented to the Transformation Board in December 2022 and a further staff survey to provide a sense check of the progress being made would be carried out in January 2023. 

The Committee considered the future provision of the housing options service, whilst members also referred to more general matters relating to housing. Committee members raised the following points during the course of discussion:

·         It was hoped that service integration would not take a levelling down approach.  Housing options was a specialist function and it would also be important to retain local knowledge.

·         How was the development of IT services needed to support the housing options service being managed?

·         How many people were currently in temporary accommodation in West Northamptonshire, including refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine?

·         Was funding for accommodating refugees adequate?

·         Could action be taken to raise awareness of the StreetLink system amongst all councillors?

·         Was there a plan to apply the ‘Everyone In’ approach to rough sleeping again this winter? 

·         Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) had not been discussed – low quality HMOs had a big impact on health and wellbeing.

The Assistant Director Housing and Communities responded to points raised by members during the course of discussion as follows:

·         The development of IT services was being phased.  The first step would be to get all three locality teams operating on the same system.  Further time was then needed to identify the most cost-effective system to adopt for the long term.

·         There were currently just over 500 people in temporary accommodation in West Northamptonshire.  This did not include people from Afghanistan and Ukraine.  People from Afghanistan requiring resettlement were currently in two bridging hotels procured by the Home Office.  WNC received funding to provide wrap-around support to them.  WNC had agreed to provide permanent resettlement for 10 households.  This had been secured for one so far.  Flexibility around the use of funding would assist in this area.

·         The resettlement scheme was well funded.  There was not a concern about recruiting new sponsors for people from Ukraine. The resettlement team was aware of potential sponsors and WNC needed to check their properties before matching them up.  There was a need for dedicated housing options officers who were native speakers.  Further information about resettlement work could be presented to the Committee if required.

·         WNC followed up all referrals to the StreetLink system.  It was planned to provide more training on StreetLink to councillors in the New Year. 

·         The ‘Everyone- In’ plan was being reshaped in the short term, with an aspiration to avoid the need to step up accommodation in the winter and down in the summer.  Options of using Council owned properties on a temporary basis for winter provision were being looked at.

·         Regulation and enforcement relating to HMOs sat in a different service area to private sector housing provision.  HMOs were not negative by definition and, for example, were popular with a young, mobile workforce.

·         A sub group of the Planning Policy Committee was currently working on future WNC policy relating to HMOs, which could produce an outcome before the end of 2022.

Committee members emphasised the need to address issues caused by low quality HMOs and that the Committee could seek to scrutinise a new policy on HMOs produced by the Planning Policy Committee.  The Committee was advised that this was a cross-cutting topic and the Co-ordinating Overview and Scrutiny Group may therefore need to take a view on how it should be approached.  Committee members subsequently also suggested that the Committee should maintain an interest in the provision of housing support to people coming into West Northamptonshire as refugees.

RESOLVED: that the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

a)    Endorsed the direction being taken on the Homelessness and Housing Solutions Transformation Project.

b)    Agreed that the Chair would ask the Co-ordinating Overview and Scrutiny Group to consider arrangements for future scrutiny of the new Houses in Multiple Occupation Policy being developed by the Planning Policy Committee.

c)    Agreed to maintain oversight of the position in West Northamptonshire regarding the provision of housing support for people coming into the authority as refugees.