Issue - meetings

This report presents the draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy and Action Plan 2022 – 2027 and Homelessness Review and seeks agreement to consult on these documents prior to returning to Committee for approval to adopt.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved:

(1)      To agree that the draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, Action Plan 2022 – 2027 and Homelessness Review as set out in Appendix 1,  2 and 3 to the report, are submitted to public consultation.

The Committee received a report presenting the draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy and Action Plan 2022 – 2027 and Homelessness Review, and seeking agreement to consult on these documents prior to returning to Committee for approval to adopt.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Empty properties. Following a question from a Member, the Head of Housing and Community informed the Committee that amulti-faceted approach was required to address the issue of long-term empty properties. This included the Council’s decision to introduce a 300% Council Tax charge on properties which remain empty for more than 2 years. The Head of Housing and Community provided the Committee with a verbal summary of the actions undertaken by officers to reduce the number of empty properties in the Borough, in accordance with the Empty Property Strategy. A Member asked whether an update on the number of empty properties in the Borough could be provided as a standard report in future and the Head of Housing and Community informed the Committee that he would discuss this with the relevant Head of Service.

b)            Housing Need Register. Following a question from a Member, the Housing Operations Manager informed the Committee that Social Housing was allocated in accordance with the Housing Allocation Policy.

c)            Rough sleepers. Officers informed the Committee that there were currently two entrenched rough sleepers in the Borough who had refused offers of assistance to provide housing accommodation.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved:

(1)      To agree that the draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, Action Plan 2022 – 2027 and Homelessness Review as set out in Appendix 1, 2 and 3 to the report, are submitted to public consultation.