Issue - meetings

[Report of the Director for  Housing  and Growth. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing and  Estate Renewal.]

Request for approval of a  contract  for the Housing Reviews contract which delivers the statutory review function of decisions about homelessness made under Part VII Housing Act 1996.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Estate Renewal introduced this report which sought approval for an extension of the contract with Housing Reviews Limited (HRL) to undertake reviews of allocation and homelessness decisions under Parts VI and VII of the house Act 1996. Cabinet was informed that the Council, in deciding what, if any, duty is owed to homeless applicants, had to make necessary enquiries to be sure that they were eligible for assistance. Such decisions were open to be reviewed if challenged and there was a set time within which applicants could seek a review. The Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) now added additional points at which a review could happen. For the review process to be fully effective, there should be seamless delivery of this function. This ensured the quality of service to applicants, as well as minimising the risk of legal challenges, managing costs and protecting the reputation of the Council. This report recommended extending the current Housing Reviews Contract while officers monitor the impact of the Homelessness Reduction Act and explored other suitable options over the next year.

In response to questions from Cllr Cawley Harrison, it was noted that:

• The expected time scale to bring the contract back in house, or put it back out to tender as a full contract, was 1 year.

• The Council might have to recruit more reviewing officers in the future if there was an increase in the number of reviews by applicants. After reviewing the first 6 months of the impact of the Homelessness Reduction Act, the increase in reviews was not as much as was expected. However, it was considered that 6 months was too soon and a longer review period would be needed to assess the Act’s direct impact upon services.

• A shared service with other boroughs was also an option that could be considered for future delivery of review applications.

• The reviews being conducted externally to the Council had the added benefit of improving the perception of independence in the reviewing process and could assist in reducing the number of legal challenges.

RESOLVED

1. To approve, in accordance with Contract Standing Oder (CSO) 10.02, an extension to the Council’s current contract with Housing Reviews Limited for the reviews of allocation and homelessness decisions for a period of 12 months, from 1 December 2018, with a 6 months break clause. This will be at an estimated cost of £20,000, based on current contract rates, but subject to maximum costs of up to £50,000 being incurred if more reviews than currently estimated prove to be required during the contract extension.

2. To note that the requested extension will give officers time to track and fully review the impact of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2018 (HRA) on demand for Housing Reviews and develop a service delivery model that will achieve the best possible outcomes in terms of quality and value for money. During the extension period, officers will explore the option of Homes for Haringey or the Council delivering the function internally  ...  view the full minutes text for item 102