Issue - meetings

To receive a briefing from the People Portfolio Holders regarding the People business area and their portfolios and to consider any issues that arise.

Members received a briefing from the People Portfolio Holders regarding the People service areas and considered any issues arising from their presentations.

The Director of People Services introduced the item and the three portfolio areas which were: Housing and Benefits, Wellbeing and Intervention and Community Partnerships.

Cllr G. Knight,  Portfolio Holder for Housing and Benefits, gave an overview on housing services and revenue, benefits and fraud. Highlights included homelessness prevention (252 positive outcomes where this was prevented – 96 more than last year) and successful use of emergency accommodation in Horley (which saved around £180k a year on bed and breakfast accommodation). Forty-three affordable and social rented homes have been delivered during the first two quarters of 2019/20. It was examining the affordable housing economic viability qualifications and working with social housing providers to fulfil the criteria which was part of the Housing Delivery Strategy. Projects such as Lee Street, Cromwell Road and Pitwood Park developments were getting underway to deliver more housing.

Universal Credit (UC) was being rolled out gradually in the borough. Raven Housing Trust was performing above the national average to reduce arrears of those receiving UC – an average £589 UC debt compared with £774 national average. It supported Raven’s initiative to help people move to the right size homes to free up larger homes for families.

Over 50 per cent of the 19 people in bed and breakfast accommodation in any week were single people with complex needs which was increasing. The four units in Lee Street, Horley would be aimed at accommodating single people and they were looking at best practice projects working with single homeless people. A project in Leatherhead had been visited, called LeatherHead Start.

Members made comments in the discussion that followed which included:

·         Universal credit – Members asked if people were generally worse off due to the introduction of Universal Credit (UC) and how people were helped to be debt free when there was a five-week delay in payments. It was noted that the Council worked with Raven Housing Trust to help people through the first few weeks such as getting advice from the Money Support Team. It was noted that 700 Raven tenants were claiming UC which was increasing by 12 – 15 households per week. There was no date yet from the Department for Work and Pensions when the full roll out of UC was going to take place.

·         Empty homes – a number of properties were known to be empty and the Council have tried to engage with some owners to bring them back into use as a private rented accommodation or to find another solution.

·         Cromwell Road and Pitwood Park – it was confirmed that the forecast completion date of June 2021 was realistic. A budgetary review of the Pitwood Park development had been carried out as the government’s scheme on starter homes (on which this project was based) had not materialised and the tenure mix and market had changed as well as Members’ appetite for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29