Agenda item

(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 the regional funded pot;
• Could negative case studies also be provided in order to provide balance and show lessons learnt.

The Housing & Prevention Service Manager responded to the questions, as follows:-

• Information on the split of Flintshire County Council services and commissioned services in regard to spend for HSG could be provided following the meeting;

• The HSG was not used to stop people getting on the housing register.  The housing register was property focused and housing needs led but if through support a person could be assisted in not moving that does reduce the impact on the housing register;
• Future reports could show the impacts the HSG has;
• Staff within the tenancy support service manage an average of around 15 cases each with homelessness officers managing between 45 and 50 cases at the moment;
• Take on board the comments on the Connects Offices but this doesn’t create too many operational challenges as the majority of the support provided is in homes or community based;
• Consultation has been carried out by survey carried out by staff supporting residents to engage with the survey.  There was a mixture of electronic and form based surveys and focus groups for commissioned services;
• In terms of the Leasing Scheme there were currently 25 units of accommodation exclusively for Flintshire County Council.  The focus of this funding stream is to encourage landlords to help with the discharge of duty for homelessness.
• The Landlord Forum was currently being held online post Covid with around 40 landlords currently engaging in the process.  The last few meetings have been focused on the Renting Homes Wales Act and damp and disrepair issues which had been requested to be considered by the landlords;
• In relation to spend against HSG additional money was always welcome but staff were required to be able to deliver those services and the Council and it had been successful with additional funding in previous years.
• Not appropriate to comments on the rumours around the future use of Plas Bellin;
• In relation to the comment around holding voids, this was not voids within the Housing Revenue Account but voids within Plas Bellin.  As soon as this was identified as a risk it was decided to stop letting properties there;
• In relation to the membership of the RHSCG, it had previously been a requirement to have a Member sitting on the Group but WG guidance had stated that Members were no longer required.  Will check if this was guidance or direction following the meeting;
• Will need to seek advice on what level of detail within a breakdown of the spend plan 2022/23 categories could be provided and inform Members following the meeting;
• Flintshire County Council contribute £40,000 to the regional funding pot as do other Local Authorities.  A large number of staff, not just in-house but across all commissioned services had been able to access mental health training through this and it had been good value for money;
• Can bring some negative case studies in future reports. 

In response to a question from the Chair around a site identified for complex needs and managed moves at Plas Bellin, the Housing & Prevention Service Manager explained that the Complex Needs Project was due to go out to tender shortly.  There was no specific site identified and as part of the tender process, providers would be asked to provide the Council with details on how it would meet specific expectations and also source a site.  He explained that the definition of complex needs was two or more needs, which could be, mental health, offending behaviours, substance misuse and a disability.  In terms of Plas Bellin, he explained that a number of residents were in the process of being moved as they had met their support outcomes.  The remaining residents were being assist through the homeless direct let quota which was linked to the Single Access Route to Housing (SARTH) project.

Councillor Sean Bibby, Cabinet Member for Housing & Regeneration, responded to the comments around the membership of the RHSCG and said that he was happy to discuss this matter with the Housing & Prevention Service Manager following the meeting.  He provided information on the Cabinet Member network group meetings which were facilitated by the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and discussions held around more frequent meetings with regional partners. 

            Councillor Dennis Hutchinson thanked the Cabinet Member for assisting him with a serious issue the previous day and also asked that his thanks be passed to Claire Ballard for her assistance.  He raised concerns on the reduction in opening days for the Connects Office in Buckley, outlining that Buckley had the largest population in the County as a single town and also covered a large catchment area.  He also commented on the number of days that the Mold Connects Office was open and asked if consideration could be given for the centre in Buckley to have parity with the Mold centre.  The Chief Executive agreed to pick this up with the Chief Officer (Governance) following the meeting.   

            Councillor David Evans asked whether there had been the opportunity for the Council to purchase Plas Bellin before it went on the open market.  The Housing & Prevention Service Manager responded that the Council were not notified that the building was being sold but advised that the site itself had a number of challenges, such as, its connectivity to the local community.  Also, in order to meet the WHQS and de-carbonisation agenda significant works would be required, and this would be a significant challenge. 

            In response to comments from Councillor Linda Thew around contact between residents and officers, the Housing & Prevention Service Manager explained that telephone numbers were provided within the report.  He explained that the Connects officers were not the only avenue for residents to contact officers and that it was important to have the right number of staff to carry out front line activities while embracing digital information which could be made easily available.  

The recommendations, as outlined within the report, were moved by Councillor Bernie Attridge and seconded by Councillor Dennis Hutchinson. 

RESOLVED:

(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.