Agenda item - Public Involvement

To consider the following matters raised by members of the public:

(a)       Petitions: to receive any petitions presented to the full council or at the meeting itself;

(b)       Written Questions: to receive any questions submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 8 March 2017;

(c)   Deputations: to receive any deputations submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 8 March 2017.

Petitions

69.1       There were none.

Questions

69.2       Daniel Harris asked the following question:

“I note in the inspections report the low but slightly positive feedback from survey respondents, you state that "to date the number of occupants returning the forms has been low, and we have been reliant on staff from either the Council or proprietors completing the forms with occupants." Can I ask, were these forms also provided to other front line providers, and if so can you name the providers who completed these forms, for example Arch Healthcare, formally Morley Street Clinic or Mental Health Homeless Team?”

69.3       The Chair replied as follows: 

“We did ask ‘Homegroup’ for assistance, who provide support for people under the age of 26 experiencing accommodation difficulties. We didn’t receive any forms back and so it was considered prudent to await the outcome of the meeting agreed at January’s Housing & New Homes Committee to discuss the feasibility of a temporary accommodation board, as that might be a suitable conduit through which we engage a range of external partners so as to increase feedback.”

69.4    The Chair asked if Mr Harris had a supplementary question.

69.5    Mr Harris stated that residents at The Baytree (Emergency Accommodation) had issues with rats. Mr Harris noted that in the Inspection report on the agenda that the council were not asking feedback from these accommodations. There were many accommodations that were not part of the feedback.  Mr Harris asked why and hoped this would be rolled out across the board in due course.

69.6    The Chair replied that there would be a written response to Mr Harris’s question but most of it could be dealt with through the Temporary Accommodation Board of which Mr Harris was so closely aligned with. 

69.7    (The written reply was as follows:

 “The Baytree Hotel is spot purchase accommodation and so the council has undertaken fewer inspections because we are not managing a contract.

As staff are not on site as often as with contracted accommodation, we have been unable to obtain feedback through face to face contact.

However, we will be exploring a range of options on how we can obtain feedback from tenants living in temporary accommodation and it is hoped that the emergent Temporary Accommodation Board will be a conduit to assist with this.

We are committed to providing high standards in all our Emergency and temporary accommodation.”

6987   RESOLVED- That the Public question be noted.

69.9    Nikkie Brennan asked the following question:

“In November’s meeting of the Housing and Homes Committee Meeting, an urgent report was requested into revenge evictions.

It is now March and it is still not on the agenda.

Can the Chair explain why, when I am hearing of an increased number of cases?

Caroline Lucas MP also recently has raised this issue.”

69.10  The Chair replied as follows:

“Although there is no report on the agenda for this meeting, Officers and Councillors have had positive meetings with Ethrag and the providers with a view to setting up a temporary accommodation board. One of the purposes of this board will be to look at evictions from temporary accommodation and agree a protocol which protects tenants, the providers and the council. The council is opposed to any ‘revenge evictions’ and officers are working to bring a report to the next meeting of the Housing and Homes committee regarding evictions from temporary accommodation. This report will set out the numbers of evictions from TA, the reasons for those evictions and whether any action was taken to discharge housing duty.”

69.11  The Chair asked if Ms Brennan had a supplementary question.

69.12  Ms Brennan stated that the Chair had acknowledged the revenge evictions. 

69.13  RESOLVED- That the Public question be noted.

              Deputation

69.14    There were no deputations.