Issue - meetings

Report CS17094

The Council spent more than £4.5m (net) procuring temporary accommodation for homeless households every year and demand for this service was forecast to increase. Temporary accommodation was procured through a mixture of block and spot contract arrangements.

Members received regular reports outlining the key activities, new initiatives and pressures in the respect of homelessness and provision of temporary accommodation. The gateway report on Temporary Accommodation in January 2016 set out all activities and recommended actions required in order to sustain the initiatives to source an adequate supply of general needs temporary accommodation to meet future requirements.

The Gateway Report had also recommended extending leasing scheme arrangements where possible to maintain existing supply. This report therefore sought to confirm extensions for two of the smaller leasing scheme arrangements as detailed in the earlier report. It was confirmed that extending the leases would secure the accommodation for the Council’s exclusive use.

The report had been scrutinised by the Care Services PDS Committee on 10^th January 2017; the Committee had supported the recommendations.

RESOLVED that

(1) The existing housing leasing scheme agreements with Theori Housing and Dabora Conway be renewed for a period of 3 years from 6th February 2017 to 5^th February 2020 with the option to extend for a further 2 years – this to cover the existing individual leased properties under the scheme and any properties providers secure and offer under the same terms.

(2) Authority be delegated to the Assistant Director Housing to enter into individual leases for properties within the terms of the overarching agreement as and when leases require renewal or where providers are successful in securing new leases within Bromley.

Report CS17094

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report requesting approval to extend the existing leasing scheme contracts for Theori Housing, housing association leasing scheme, and Dabora Conway, private sector leasing scheme for a period of three years with the option to renew for two years.

There were currently 1371 Bromley households in temporary accommodation with demand expected to continue to increase in the short to medium term.  In order to ensure the Local Authority was able to meet its statutory duties in relation to the provision of suitable accommodation for homeless households that fell into priority need categories and reduce the use of costly nightly rate accommodation, it was necessary to maintain the existing supply of properties from private sector and housing association schemes.  It was therefore requested to extend the existing leasing scheme contracts with Theori Housing, a housing association leasing scheme that provided six properties, and Dabora Conway, a private sector leasing scheme that provided 16 properties (with three in the process of lease end and handback) for a further period of three years with the option to renew for two years.

In response to a question from the Chairman, the Assistant Director: Housing Needs confirmed that work was being undertaken with housing and private sector leasing schemes to increase the number of properties available and that longer-term leasing periods were negotiated where possible.

RESOLVED that the Council’s Executive be recommended to:

1)  Renew the existing housing leasing scheme agreements with Theori housing and Dabora Conway for a period of 3 years from 6th February 2017 to 5^th February 2020 with the option to extend for a further 2 years – this to cover the existing individual leased properties under the scheme and any properties providers secure and offer under the same terms; and,

2)  Delegate authority to the Assistant Director: Housing Needs to enter into individual leases for properties within the terms of the overarching agreement as and when leases require renewal or where providers are successful in securing new leases within Bromley.