Agenda and minutes

At this point in the meeting, members are asked to declare any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests, any prejudicial interests or any disclosable pecuniary interests which they may have in respect of business on this agenda.

At this point in the meeting, Members were asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest or other registrable interest they might have had in respect of business on this agenda, if they had  already done so in advance on the Register of Interests. Cllr Pavlovic declared that he was previously employed in the homeless sector and was involved with the resettlement contract pre-2016.

To approve and sign the minutes of the Housing and Community Safety Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 21 September 2022.

Resolved: That the minutes of the last meeting held on 21 September 2022 be approved and signed as an accurate record.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak on agenda items or on matters within the remit of the committee.

Please note that our registration deadlines have changed to 2 working days before the meeting. The deadline for registering at this meeting is at 5.00pm on Friday 14 October 2022.

 To register to speak please visit www.york.gov.uk/AttendCouncilMeetings to fill out an online registration form. If you have any questions about the registration form or the meeting please contact the Democracy Officer for the meeting whose details can be found at the foot of the agenda.

Webcasting of Public Meetings

Please note that, subject to available resources, this public meeting will be webcast including any registered public speakers who have given their permission. The public meeting can be viewed on demand at www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

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It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

This paper updates the Committee on the current homelessness situation and the winter night provision for rough sleepers and single homeless people in York. In addition, it advises on the wider homeless service and the current homelessness and rough sleeping strategy and relevant developments.

Members discussed a report on the current homelessness situation and the winter night provision for rough sleepers and single homeless people in York. 

The Committee raised concerns over the uptick in the number of rough sleepers from previous years combined with the decrease in funding offered by the central government and increase in anti-social behaviour. They also noted issues with the annual street count that is commencing following the start of the winter provision on 1 November 2022, where some rough sleepers may be in emergency accommodation, and were worried this would result in skewed figures and further loss of funding. 

Officers stated that the number of rough sleepers has increased from the previous year and as a result, the Council had attempted to place bids to increase funding from the Government, but this was unsuccessful due to changes in policies that now favour the prevention of homelessness and rough sleeping. They also explained that the Council has regular meetings and discussions with other organisations and local authorities to monitor the number of rough sleepers so are confident that the counts conducted by Homeless Link will be accurate. 

Clarification on the winter provision was sought by Members and Officers confirmed that the provision made accommodation more accessible to rough sleepers as they do not have to engage with certain Council services to be placed in the accommodation. They agreed to state that there is a winter sleeping provision in place so there may be fewer rough sleepers in their reports.

Members noted some issues with the current resettlement policy of needing to engage with Council services for a minimum of 6 months and how this may be a barrier if there is an increase in the number of rough sleepers due to cost-of-living crisis and rise in evictions. Officers commented that the time frame can be reviewed and that there are private sector team routes available to rehouse people quickly.

Members enquired about the current capacity in temporary accommodation for rough sleepers, how the Council might manage numbers once they are full prior to the winter provision and what the process moving forward will be. Officers explained that they no longer have access to the 4 additional units at the Salvation Army but that they are analysing and making use of their existing assets, such as Crombie House, to accommodate people in the short term. They stated that they want to do more sophisticated prevention work in the future to identify reasons for rough sleeping alongside expanding their housing capacity and funding. 

Questions surrounding the Council’s staff were raised, including how they are trained to support rough sleepers who may be part of the LBGTQ+ community and officers confirmed training for staff is provided and that peer support is available. Moreover, Members also noted the increase in workload for staff and asked whether there is enough staff to support this. Officers explained that the Council has employed more staff and changed how they work to improve effectiveness and efficiency but  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

This paper updates the Committee on the current situation with the York Allocations Policy.

Members considered a report on the York Housing Allocations Policy. They enquired about whether there have been any changes in the types of households that are applying for social housing due to the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis and Officers explained that there has been an overall increase in numbers but not a large change in patterns at present. They went on to explain that they are extremely mindful of any changes that may occur as the future is very uncertain now.

The issue of council tax banding on newly built social housing was discussed as it can become a barrier for and unaffordable to people on low incomes/benefit recipients as they may be unable to cover the high taxes and charges. Officers explained that the Council does not have control of this as the tax is calculated on the house price and type but there are benefits such as Council Tax Support and Discretionary Housing Payment available for such residents. They also suggested that it may be useful to investigate the type of housing that is built and ask for a mix of housing types from developers to mitigate these issues. 

Members also raised questions about the possibility to complete retrofitting works while homes are vacant. Officers explained that they are looking into these prospects but that at present this process would take too long so the focus is on retrofitting properties that are already occupied. 

Members asked for an update on the Mental Health cluster unit concept and what is being done to move the project along to completion. Officers stated that there were initial issues with finding a developer but are now revisiting the model and setting up a mental health housing panel to move complex cases into the pathway. They confirmed one of the two proposed buildings was built and is currently being used to house homeless families.

Questions were raised about housing accessibility and quality for care leavers and young people, including whether they can keep their accommodation if they move out of the city to attend university during holidays. Officers responded that they are not able to keep stock for university students but may be able to investigate this issue further before reassuring Members that care leavers who return permanently are given high priority for housing. They also explained that they have had some challenges with housing stock and had a backlog of repairs during the Covid period, but this is now improving, and they are having meetings with young people to develop housing.

Housing for offenders was discussed and questions surrounding how the Council supports them when they are released so they are not homeless arose and Officers explained that there are a lot of difficulties with this due to lack of support, advice, and resources. Members highlighted the importance of the Council relinquishing tenancies at the earliest point of someone being sent into custody so that they are not acquiring rent arrears which will then become a barrier upon release. Officers suggested  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

To receive a plan of reports currently expected to be presented to future meetings of the Committee up to March 2023.

Resolved:

i. That the Committee work plan be noted.

Reason: To ensure the Committee has a program of work for 2022-23.