Issue - meetings

Report of the Corporate Director of Adults, Housing and Health. To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Housing & Planning (Deputy Leader)

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST RELATING TO THIS ITEM:

None

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Noted the Homelessness Review attached at Appendix?2.

2.    Noted the outcome of the formal consultation on the Draft Homelessness Strategy, as set out in paragraphs?6.20–6.30 of the report.

3.    Approved the Homelessness Strategy 2026–2027 attached at Appendix?1.

4.    Delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Adults and Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Director of Finance, to approve an action plan for publication setting out how the Council and its partners would deliver the Homelessness Strategy.

Reasons for decision

Under the Homelessness Act?2002, local authorities were required to carry out a homelessness review and to formulate and publish a homelessness strategy informed by that review at least once every five years. The Strategy proposed for adoption had been developed over more than a year, in response to a homelessness review and with extensive engagement from a wide range of stakeholders, including people with lived experience of homelessness, organisations working to support them, and respondents to the formal consultation process.

Alternative options considered

Cabinet could have chosen not to adopt the proposed Homelessness Strategy. This option was not recommended because the Strategy had been developed following a thorough review of evidence and extensive engagement with stakeholders. Furthermore, the Council was required to take its Homelessness Strategy into account when exercising its functions as a local housing authority, and the Strategy required updating for this purpose.