Agenda and minutes
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE To receive any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: None |
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Declarations of interest A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:
(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and (ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.
A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.
Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct Additional documents: Minutes: None. |
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Additional documents: Minutes: The Cabinet Member received a report which sought approval to extend the service for accommodation and services from London Walthamstow Ltd T/A Ibis Styles Hotel, 543 Lea Bridge Road, E107EB - 63 units of accommodation and subsistence for up to six months, from 1stOctober 2021 to 31 March 2022. RESOLVED
That the Cabinet Member for Planning, Licensing and Housing Services approved the extension of the contract for emergency accommodation for vulnerable rough sleepers, to London Walthamstow Ltd T/A Ibis Styles Hotel, for a period of 6 months from October to March 2022, as allowed under Contract Standing Order 16.02 at a cost of £573, 627.60. The total value over the life of the contract will therefore be £1,505,848
It was agreed that the proposed funding would be via a mixed contribution from the existing revenue and grant funding within the Housing Related Support service and top up funding.
Reasons for decision
The ‘Everyone In’ directive, which allowed the Council to use its discretion to provide accommodation to people to whom it did not owe a duty under the Housing Act 1996, has resulted in a 75% sustained reduction in rough sleeping in the borough since November 2020. On any given night, around 9 people rough sleep on the streets of Haringey, the lowest recorded figure and a major achievement for the borough. Prior to COVID-19 and the ‘Everyone In’ directive, between 60-75% of those rough sleeping in Haringey had no recourse to public funds.
Figure 1 – bi-monthly street count figures 2016-2021:
Over the course of the pandemic, over 1100 placements have been made for vulnerable homeless people. The Housing-Related Support service has now exhausted all committed and available funds to continue the hotel placements after September 2021. A total of 63 bed spaces are currently available at the IBIS, and a further 24 at the Green Rooms, which are due to close at the end of September. As a result of which, there is a significant risk that up to 59 people will return to the streets if both these provisions were to close, 55 of whom face immigration restrictions, as will be set out below.
Alternative options considered
Conduct a full RFQ process
The need for ongoing temporary accommodation and subsistence for this cohort is urgent. Without an extension of contract, there will be no accommodation options for this cohort, who remain at risk of severe illness were they to contract Covid-19 while street homeless. It was deemed unfeasible to conduct a lengthy procurement process when the contract will expire in four weeks’ time. It is also understood that enquiries have been made by neighbouring boroughs in relation to this hotel and winter accommodation planning. The hotel is unique in its location and offer, and therefore a procurement process wouldn’t be a valuable use of time.
Do nothing
The Council could elect not to use its discretionary powers to source accommodation for vulnerable homeless people with no recourse to public funds during the winter. However, ... view the full minutes text for item 34. |
