Agenda item

That the Committee continue to support the management of the Single Access Route to Housing (SARTH) policy in Flintshire.

The Chief Officer (Housing and Assets) introduced a report to consider the Allocations Policy for social housing.  He invited the Customer Support Manager to present the report. 

The Customer Support Manager provided background information and advised that a review of the SARTH policy had been carried out in 2017 following the first year of operation.  The review identified that the policy required updating to ensure compliance with the Housing (Wales) Act 2014.  A review of issues raised at the operational panel and steering group established that there were no significant changes required to any of the key principles of the policy.  The Customer Services Manager advised that the requirement for an updated policy provided an opportunity to develop a document that was easier to read and understand.  The revised policy (attached at appendix one) sets out the key commitment of the partners to a common regional approach to social housing allocations. 

The Customer Services Manager reported on the main considerations, as detailed in the report, regarding regional collaboration, social housing demand, audit, and specialist housing.    

Councillor Ian Dunbar commented on the need for suitable housing solutions to meet specialist needs and asked if appropriate housing had been provided from old or new housing stock.  The Customer Services Manager explained that solutions had been provided from a mixture of old and new housing.

Councillor Paul Shotton referred to the collaborative work undertaken with Denbighshire County Council and asked if there were further opportunities to develop work on the triage and housing register with other local authorities.  The Customer Services Manager explained that the Authority also received an income from   other partner landlords and would follow up any opportunities to widen the partnership to further Councils.

Councillor Rosetta Dolphin asked if information was shared between service areas in the Authority, and cited Housing services and Social Services as an example and a situation if a property became vacant because a tenant had moved into a care home.   The Chief Officer gave an assurance that information and intelligence was shared between the Authority’s Housing and Social Services departments. 

In response to a concern raised by Councillor George Hardcastle around the allocation of social housing, the Customer Services Manager explained that Flintshire and Denbighshire operated two separate housing registers.  She advised that Flintshire had been managing the triage and housing register for Denbighshire since April 2017 and referred to the many benefits of Flintshire hosting both Registers.     

Councillor Patrick Heesom raised concerns around the triage service and referred to the increase in the number of applications in 2017/18.  He commented on the number of annual applications and asked what support was provided to those applicants that did not proceed to the housing register.  He also commented on the Council’s democratic accountability in providing housing and said that he did not feel that this had been written into the terms of reference of the SARTH Policy and neither had the role of elected Members been adequately referenced.  The Customer Services Manager gave an assurance that all applicants who presented themselves in need of housing assistance were provided with support, information, and signposted to other services/agencies where appropriate.  

Councillor Heesom sought an assurance that the Housing service would not be put forward for consideration as an alternative delivery model.  The Chief Officer confirmed that no such proposal was under consideration.

Councillor David Wisinger referred to the need for specialist housing and the number of applicants in urgent need in Flintshire.  He commented on the need to work with property developers and the Planning department to increase the supply of stock to meet the needs of households with a disability or which required a larger sized property.  The Chief Officer advised that developers were not obliged to provide adapted properties, however, the Authority did influence the type and number of social housing units through its discussions with developers and based on housing need in a specific area; in addition controls were further exercised through the planning system.  The Customer Support Manager advised that a full report on specialist housing would be presented to the Committee in early 2019.

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RESOLVED:

That the Committee continue to support the management of the Single Access Route to Housing (SARTH) policy in Flintshire.