Issue - meetings

EEBC continues to have a significant financial outlay on temporary accommodation costs to meet its homelessness obligations under the Housing Act 1996 and Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, and the level of expenditure is set to significantly exceed the budget set for 2024/25. This report sets out the actions taken to minimise homelessness expenditure and identifies the funding which will be utilised to cover the additional expenditure for 2024/25.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)          Note the priority action points which have been taken to manage homelessness over the past 6 months.

(2)          Note the use of Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG) and Homelessness Grant reserves to cover the increase in expenditure, during 2024/25, to enable the Council to meet its duties under the Housing Act 1996 and Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

(3)          Agree that a further update regarding nightly paid accommodation (NPA) expenditure be provided at the Community & Wellbeing Committee in October 2025.

The Committee received a report setting out the actions taken to minimise homelessness expenditure and identifying the funding to be utilised to cover the additional expenditure for 2024/25.

The Committee considered the following matters:

a)            Effect of Local Government Reorganisation on Nightly Paid Accommodation. In response to a question from a Member, the Strategic Housing Manager suggested that the process for housing people in nightly paid accommodation would likely remain unchanged following the formation of the Surrey unitary authorities. He explained that when selecting accommodation for people, there are requirements in place to ensure that accommodation is suitable, taking into consideration matters such as the standard of the accommodation and also the location.

b)            Competition for Nightly Paid Accommodation. In response to a question from a Member, the Strategic Housing Manager stated that Epsom & Ewell experiences competition for nightly paid accommodation due in part to its close proximity to nearby London boroughs. He stated that placing people in accommodation further out into Surrey can be challenging due to unavailability of accommodation and also because it can cause people to become separated from their support networks.

c)            Modular Homes at Fairview Road. In response to a question from a Member, the Chair stated that the Fairview Road modular homes scheme was progressing well, and it was anticipated that the accommodation units would be in place for Autumn.

d)            Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG) Allocation Consultation. In response to a question from a Member, the Strategic Housing Manager stated that the HPG allocation formula included in MHCLG’s consultation was anticipated to be beneficial for Epsom & Ewell, though suggested it might take c.6 months before an exact figure is known for how much the Council will receive.

e)            MHCLG Additional Grant Funding 2025/26. A Member enquired as to how the additional funding received from MHCLG could be utilised to alleviate homelessness in the Borough. The Strategic Housing Manager stated that typically a large part of the Homelessness Prevention Grant goes towards accommodation. He stated that more preventative measures were also being explored, with the possibility of taking on additional staff within the housing team, funded by the increased grant, being investigated.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)          Note the priority action points which have been taken to manage homelessness over the past 6 months.

(2)          Note the use of Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG) and Homelessness Grant reserves to cover the increase in expenditure, during 2024/25, to enable the Council to meet its duties under the Housing Act 1996 and Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

(3)          Agree that a further update regarding nightly paid accommodation (NPA) expenditure be provided at the Community & Wellbeing Committee in October 2025.