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City of York Council |
Committee Minutes |
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Meeting |
Executive |
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Date |
12 December 2024 |
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Present
In Attendance |
Councillors Douglas (Chair), Kilbane (Vice-Chair), Kent, Lomas, Pavlovic, Ravilious, Steels-Walshaw and Webb
Councillor Widdowson (substituting for Cllr Ayre) |
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Officers in Attendance |
Ian Floyd – Chief Operating Officer Debbie Mitchell – Chief Finance Officer Frances Harrison – Head of Legal Sara Storey - Corporate Director of Adult Services and Integration Pauline Stuchfield - Director of Housing and Communities Laura Williams – Assistant Director Customer, Communities and Inclusion Andrew Bebbington - Housing Strategy Officer Denis Southall - Head of Housing Management and Housing Options Tom Horner - Head of Active and Sustainable Transport |
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62. Apologies for Absence (17:31)
Cllr Ayre sent his apologies for the meeting and was substituted by Cllr Widdowson.
63. Declarations of Interest (17:32)
Members were asked to declare at this point in the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest or other registerable interest they might have in respect of business on the agenda, if they had not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests. None were declared.
64. Minutes (17:33)
Resolved: That the minutes of the Executive meeting held on 14 November 2024 be approved and then signed by the Chair as a correct record.
65. Public Participation (17:33)
It was reported that there had been 5 registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.
Cllr Coles spoke in favour of the ‘Neighbourhood Model’ for York. She noted that it should promote collaborative working to support residents while also ensure spending goes as far as possible.
Nicholas Pleace Professor of Housing and Society at the University of York spoke in favour of the Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy. He noted the evidence that showed the success of housing first internationally and in the UK. He also stated that the University wanted to support the city in the objective of ending homelessness.
Anne Norton spoke on behalf of the York Disability Rights Forum. She stated that she could not support the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan as they had not been properly consulted on the plan in the last year which had changed since it last went to the steering group. She also raised concerns about language in the report which she stated was exclusionary.
Chris Polack spoke on behalf of York Civic Trust transport advisory group. He noted that the group welcomed the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, he noted that York had been unlikely to receive funding in the past against Councils which already had plans in place, therefore the plan was crucial to securing funding.
Andy Shrimpton spoke on behalf of the York Cycle Campaign. He noted the group welcomed the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan. He asked that more plans be laid out clearly on the Council website. He noted that the group would welcome a 5 year strategy of measures to double walking and cycling in York by 2030.
66. Forward Plan (17:49)
Members received and noted details of the items that were on the Forward Plan for the next two Executive meetings at the time the agenda was published.
67. Homelessness & Rough Sleeper Strategy 2024- 29 (17:49)
The Director of Housing and Communities introduced the report noting that Councils are required to have a strategy under the Homelessness Act of 2002. She stated that the strategy would continue to see the Council focus on its rapid rehousing and a focus on supporting individuals to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring.
The Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities thanked officers, partners, and the public speaker Professor Nicholas Pleace for their work on the strategy. He stated that the city had seen the benefit of delivering a person-centred housing first approach. He stated that the strategy which would increase the amount of available housing stock for rapid rehousing would be following a model the Council know works and help reduce homelessness.
Resolved:
i. Approved the Homelessness & Rough Sleeper Strategy for 2024- 29 as described in this report and delegated to the Director of Housing and Communities the final form of the draft Strategy document Annex E, in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities.
Reason: To achieve the positive outcomes for vulnerable
individuals and the other benefits highlighted in this report, while meeting the council’s statutory responsibilities and making effective use of resources.
ii. Establish a multi-agency governance board to help guide the Strategy implementation and approve the high-level performance monitoring frameworks set out in paragraphs 86.-87. of the report.
Reason: To deliver better outcomes for vulnerable individuals and a cost effective, trauma-informed integrated homelessness & rough sleeping set of services founded on early intervention.
iii. Authorised the Director of Housing and Communities and the Corporate Director – Adult Social Care and Integration, to work with partners on service re-design and service transformation, moving to a Housing First approach.
Reason: To deliver the objectives of the Strategy and meet the needs of individuals and families at risk of homelessness.
iv. Authorised the Director of Housing and Communities to work with partners to increase the supply of suitable accommodation to help meet demand.
Reason: To deliver the objectives of the Strategy and meet the needs of individuals and families at risk of homelessness.
v. Authorised the Director of Housing and Communities and the Corporate Director – Adult Social Care and Integration, to develop a preventative approach and services in line with the Strategy and the year one actions detailed in this report.
Reason: To deliver the objectives of the Strategy, meet the needs of individuals and families at risk of homelessness, and deliver early intervention services at a high level of cost effectiveness.
vi. That there will be a report brought back to the Executive Committee within 12 months on
progress against delivery of the Strategy Action Plan.
Reason: To embed accountability within the new governance
structure and performance framework that structure the Strategy delivery plans.
68. Design Principles of a ‘Neighbourhood Model’ for York (18:11)
The Director of Housing and Communities introduced the report and highlighted that the Design Principles of a ‘Neighbourhood Model’ was a co-production key piece of joint working between Communities, Public Health, Place, and Primary Care. She stated that the model would embed multiagency working to support residents.
The Executive Member Housing, Planning and Safer Communities stated that the Executive believed, that the Council works best when it works together with partners. He thanked the Integrated Care Board and GP practices for their support. He stated that the ‘Neighbourhood Model’ would allow people across health, housing, and public realm to be the eyes and ears for early intervention in the city and support areas such as the city’s Mental Health Hubs.
The Executive Leader also welcomed the report. She noted that she was a member of the York Place Board Health and Care Partnership and had seen the how the collaborative working had performed well in York.
Resolved:
i. Noted the work undertaken so far on the Neighbourhood Model and approve the four area model developed in conjunction with health partners;
ii. Approved the Design Principles contained in Annex A;
iii. Approved officers undertaking further engagement and coproduction on the model, applying the approved Design Principles throughout, with an aim to have detailed CYC neighbourhood proposals back to Executive by Summer 2025 with the building blocks in place for delivery.
Reason: To provide a roadmap towards developing a
Neighbourhood Model for York.
69. Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (18:28)
The Head of Active and Sustainable Transport introduced the report noting that a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) was a crucial plan to strategically identify areas for improvement and secure funding. He noted that it was a living document which would support the Local Transport Strategy.
The Deputy Leader and Economy & Culture thanked the Steering Group and apologised that the York Disability Rights Forum had not been involved with the final draft for the LCWIP. He stated that the Executive had picked up the plan which had been steered poorly by the previous administration and required work to align both the LCWIP and the Local Transport Strategy.
The Executive Member for Transport stated that the LCWIP would be a holistic plan for the whole city which would assist the Council in attracting funding. She noted that active travel infrastructure and cycling numbers had both been in decline in York and the plan would provide an evidence based approach to reverse the decline, improve infrastructure, and link up highways maintenance work with improvements.
Resolved:
i. Approved the LCWIP as detailed in Annex A.
Reason: To create an LCWIP for York which will enable funding to be secured for active travel improvements across the city.
ii. Delegated authority to the Executive Member for Transport to review and make changes to the LCWIP, in accordance with any approved Local Transport Strategy or Plan, as required.
Reason: To ensure that the LCWIP remains current and can be amended quickly in response to any changes in circumstance.
Cllr Douglas, Chair
[The meeting started at 5.31 pm and finished at 6.45 pm].