GREEN AND LABOUR GROUPS AMENDMENT

That changes are made as shown in bold italics and strikethrough below:

This Committee Council notes that:

a) Notes that Housing Committee has reported receiving Government fundingand totaling £21,272,376 million received over the last year to address homelessness and rough sleeping, including funding for the “Everyone In” programme and Housing First, has been reported to Housing Committee, and that in recent years funding has been inadequate to address the growing issue of homelessness in our city caused by years of Conservative austerity policy and lack of social housing; (see link 1);

b) The tragic deaths of residents at Kendal Court and other sites are deeply concerning and this Committee vows to continue to work towards improving the standards and services provided in order to help avoid such tragedies in the future placed homeless people and rough sleepers in accommodation without adequate support, including:

i)      At Kendal Court, significant failings of the Council have been identified in an Independent Report titled ‘Returning to Kendal Court’, September 2021 (see link 2)

ii)      At Eastbourne, there have sadly been a number of fatalities in out-of-area placements;

c) Further notes, that a resident fleeing from unsafe accommodation provided by Brighton & Hove City Council in Eastbourne, pitched a tent at Old Steine Gardens for several weeks to escape the situation; homelessness is a consequence of the “broken housing market” and it is urgently needed

i)       to improve the supply of truly affordable council homes by government investment and ending subsidies under the right to buy

ii) to revoke the provision of insecure deregulated tenancies (introduced in the 1988 Housing Act) and returning to a fair rent model in the private rented sector; and

d) requests that officers bringCalls on the Administration to send an updatergent report to Housing Committee following the current review ton the ake emergency action proposed to ensure homeless people and rough-sleepers placed in emergency accommodation by Brighton & Hove City Council have proper 24-hour support to ensure their safety and wellbeing

e) requests the Chief Executive of the Council write to the Government urging it to tackle the shortage of affordable rented housing and help the council reduce homelessness by abolishing section 21 with immediate effect, reimbursing councils for the £7b of additional national debt taken on by HRAs across the country as part of the self-financing settlement to be invested in new council homes at social and living rents.

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Proposed by:              Cllr Gibson                              Seconded by: Cllr Williams

Recommendations to read if carried:

This Committee notes that:

a) Government funding received over the last year to address homelessness and rough sleeping, including funding the “Everyone In” programme and Housing First, has been reported to Housing Committee, and that in recent years funding has been inadequate to address the growing issue of homelessness in our city caused by years of Conservative austerity policy and lack of social housing;

b) The tragic deaths of residents at Kendal Court and other sites are deeply concerning and this Committee vows to continue to work towards improving the standards and services provided in order to help avoid such tragedies in the future

c) homelessness is a consequence of the “broken housing market” and it is urgently needed

i)       to improve the supply of truly affordable council homes by government investment and ending subsidies under the right to buy

iii) to revoke the provision of insecure deregulated tenancies (introduced in the 1988 Housing Act) and returning to a fair rent model in the private rented sector; and

d)  requests that officers bring an update report to Housing Committee following the current review on the action proposed to ensure homeless people and rough-sleepers placed in emergency accommodation by Brighton & Hove City Council have proper 24-hour support to ensure their safety and wellbeing

e)  requests the Chief Executive of the Council write to the Government urging it to tackle the shortage of affordable rented housing and help the council reduce homelessness by abolishing section 21 with immediate effect, reimbursing councils for the £7b of additional national debt taken on by HRAs across the country as part of the self-financing settlement to be invested in new council homes at social and living rents.