Issue - meetings

(a)       That the Committee support the Housing Support Grant Delivery Plan for 2023-2024 attached at Appendix 1 of the report;

(b)       That the overview of the Housing Support Grant regime and wide range

of delivery of services locally be noted; and

(c)        That the feedback on the impact of the Housing Support Grant and range of good practice examples shared through the report be noted.

The Housing & Prevention Service Manager introduced a report which provided an overview of the Housing Support Grant (HSG) regime and details of the Housing Support Delivery Plan, which was a requirement of receiving the Welsh Government (WG) revenue supported HSG.

The HSG was a WG funded programme which provided housing related support services to people over the age of 16.  It was an early intervention programme to support activity which prevented people from becoming homes, stabilised their housing situation or helped potentially homeless people to find and keep accommodation.    

The Housing & Prevention Service Manager provided a detail presentation of the report, advising that having initially anticipated a reduction in WG funding in December 2020, it was announced that a further £40m would be put into the national award for HSG and there was an expectation that the additional funding provided a platform to transform services and build on the positive practice that had been developed during the response to Covid.  The funding allowed for the Council to respond to the increasing pressures on housing and homelessness services post pandemic and the current cost of living crisis and should be aligned to the shift in service delivery towards Rapid Rehousing.

A detailed update on the following areas, as outlined within the report, were also provided to the Committee:-

• Current HSG Services
• Accessing Housing Support Services
• Developing the HSG Delivery Plan
• HSG Local Delivery Priorities
• Spend against the HSG
• Commissioning and Reviewing Services
• Regional Working Arrangements
• Sector Wide All Wales Recruitment Campaign

Councillor Bernie Attridge asked a number of questions as detailed below:-

• Could information on the split of Flintshire County Council CC services and Commissioned services in regard to spend for the HSG to be provided and what level of control and accountability was in place when money was being spent externally;

• Assurance requested that the HSG was not being used as a tool to keep waiting lists down on Council properties;
• What was the average case load per member of staff;
• Concerns around the reduction in days that the Connects Office in Connah’s Quay was open and the impact this was having on residents being able to meet face to face with housing officers to discuss any issues;
• In developing the HSG Delivery Plan what consultation activities were carried out;
• In opening up the Private Rented Sector, how many private properties were exclusively for Flintshire County Council;
• In relation to the underspend within the HSG, were no other projects considered to ensure that all funding is used;
• Could information be provided on the future of the Plas Bellin site, given the concerning rumours circulating on social media on its future use;
• Why were void properties being held back given the high number of void properties and the number of people on the housing waiting list;
• Why are no elected Members sitting on the North Wales Regional Housing Support Collaborative Group (RHSCG);
• Could a breakdown of the spend plan 2022/23 categories be provided;
• How much does the Council contribute financially to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25