Decision details

Madeleine Jeffery (Private Sector Housing Agency Manager) introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

7.1       The council’s housing assistance policy sets out how the council will target financial support and assistance to those in the private housing sector who are not able maintain their own home due to age, disability, vulnerability, lack of resources or lack of knowledge.

7.2       The key aims of the policy are to improve health outcomes, promote independent living, delay and reduce the need for long-term care and support, improve the sustainability of private sector homes, and bring empty homes back into use.

7.3       Last year, the council improved nearly 100 homes through this policy, with a 95% satisfaction rate.

7.4       The committee noted the significant difference between the discretionary fund that is budgeted and that which is spent and queried why this was.

7.5       Officers explained that the difference between the budget and spend of the discretionary fund was due to number of reasons, including capacity within the team, backlogs, and awareness of the scheme among residents.

7.6       One of the key challenges with the housing assistance policy is to better target the support to the people who need it.  A key part of this is improving communications and raising awareness of the scheme.

7.7       The Cabinet Member for Housing offered to provide a briefing on the housing assistance scheme for councillors, which they can share with their constituents.

7.8       The committee also asked how many empty homes had been brought into use through this scheme. Officers agreed to provide the statistics on this. Officers noted that they are seeing an increase in the number of empty homes.

Resolved: the committee noted the report; agreed to receive a briefing for councillors on the housing assistance policy; and agreed to receive statistics on the number of empty homes brought back into use through the policy.