Agenda item

[Report of the Interim Deputy Chief Executive. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Planning.]

This  report will update members on the progress of the Housing Support Transformation Framework, as requested in the report approved by Cabinet in March 2017. As well as selected highlights from the programme's progress, this report seeks approval of a Supported Housing Tenants and Residents Charter, one of the recommendations approved in the March 2017 report, whose aim is to make commitments to tenants and residents of supported housing that might be affected by the Transformation programme.

The Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Planning introduced the report which set out the Supported Housing Tenants and Residents Charter. The creation of a Charter was one of the recommendations of the Supported Housing Review, whose recommendations were approved by Cabinet in March 2017 in the form of the Housing Support Transformation Programme. The aim of the Charter was to codify the Council’s commitments to supported housing tenants, who may be affected by changes to housing support as a result of the programme.

RESOLVED

1. To approve the draft Supported Housing Tenants and Residents Charter at appendix 1.

2. To note and consider the update of the Housing Support Transformation programme set out in this report.

Reasons for decision

It was considered appropriate that Cabinet approve the Supported Housing Tenants and Resident Charter, a key element of the Housing Support Transformation programme, recommended by the Supported Housing Review in March 2017.

Approval is anticipated to support the delivery of the Council’s strategic priorities for vulnerable adults as part of the Corporate Plan (2015-18) and commitments made in the Medium Term Financial Strategy (2017/18).

Approval is anticipated to address the issues, gaps and opportunities identified by the Supported Housing Review, as approved by Cabinet in March 2017.

Alternative options considered

The Council already has a range of charters, pledges and commitments to tenants and residents which it could apply to this programme of change. However, the Housing Support Transformation programme was approved on the basis that it would make a commitment to co-production, transparency and partnership in order to deliver the recommendations of the Supported Housing Review. With a number of challenging decisions to make about our supported housing provision, and in recognition of the particular housing and support circumstances of residents living in supported housing, making generalised commitments does not reflect the importance of the programme or the population it involves.

Alternatively, the Council could move forward without a Supported Housing Tenants and Residents Charter as there is no statutory requirement for a local authority to produce one. However, having a coherent commissioning framework and approach, founded in co-production, transparency and partnership with vulnerable residents is considered best practice. As with the option presented in 5.1, with a number of challenging decisions to make about our supported housing provision, making no commitment to those who may be affected is clearly not an option.

The draft Supported Housing Tenants and Residents Charter has been co-produced with supported housing tenants and residents through a series of workshops and meetings. It outlines six pledges to vulnerable residents who receive housing support, specifically in reference to changes to housing support that may arise out of the Housing Support Transformation programme. The Charter commits to involving, valuing and recognising the contributions of supported housing tenants in delivering the required changes as well as making commitments to those people who may be individually affected by change. Alternative options were discounted where they:

·         Would not be consistent with the data and intelligence about housing support need in the borough

·         Would not have been consistent with the general tenor of feedback and engagement with service users, service providers and technical specialists

·         Did not comply with current and forthcoming government legislation

·         Would have represented policy choices that are unachievable given known and likely constraints