Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence from those Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

Apologies were received from Chris Friend.

To approve the minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on the 25^th March 2024.

That the minutes of the meeting held on the 25^th March 2024 be approved as a correct record.

Members will be asked to say if there are any items on the Agenda in which they have any disclosable pecuniary interests or any other interests, which may prevent them from participating in any discussion of the items or participating in any vote upon the items.

No interests were declared.

Most agenda items take place in public. This only changes where there is a need to consider exempt information, as contained at Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. You will be informed at this point which items are to be recommended for exclusion and to be resolved by the Panel.

All agenda items were considered in public.

The Panel will receive any petitions and/or deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also submit a petition at the meeting relating to a matter on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10, Members of the Public must submit a deputation in writing, at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting and shall subsequently be notified if the deputation shall be heard. A maximum of four deputations shall be heard at any one meeting.

No deputations or petitions were received.

To receive any public questions.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11, the period for the asking and answering of public questions shall not exceed 15 minutes.

Any questions must be submitted in writing at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting.

No public questions were asked.

This paper seeks feedback from the Place Scrutiny Panel on the draft Kirklees Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024 – 2029, and also seeks feedback on the refreshed Kirklees Council – Housing Solutions Service Temporary Accommodation (TA) Placement Policy 2024.

Contact: Sarah Holmes, Housing Services Strategic Manager, Tel: 01484 221000

Cllr Moses Crook, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Transport, introduced the item, informing the Panel that the information being presented is a pre-adoption review of the updated Kirklees Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, which will run until 2029 and the Temporary Accommodation Placement Policy. Strategic update is a periodic and statutory requirement every five years; however, it is of critical strategic importance to Kirklees.

Housing, and having a safe secure and decent home is a pre-requisite for a healthy and productive life. Health, education and training opportunities, economic inclusion, is all supported through this basic necessity. In addition, the significant direct cost of insecure housing to those individuals needing support, the national housing crisis, which is not unique to Kirklees, imposes significant direct and indirect pressure on the council finances. By way of illustration, last year the temporary accommodation spend on hotel provision was £7.2 million, which was up from £3.1 million in 2022, which is a significant increase. The indirect costs are also significant, better health and education outcomes which are supported by better and more stable and available housing.  This allows people to contribute to collective productivity, and reduce the impact on health and other service demands. Housing policy and strategy is essential for those suffering from insecure and non-existent provision,  for the collective as well as those individuals future prosperity and to save on immediate and future financial cost to services.

Cllr Crook explained that to briefly illustrate the pressure currently on housing, there are 22,000 council homes plus approximately 6000 available through other registered providers, including housing associations, against a current waiting list of 18,500. Each year 1,800 homes are allocated, the total turnover of housing in council housing stock and other registered providers. Last year 1,926, homelessness assessments were conducted, even without the 18,500 already waiting for housing. The presentations of homeless households significantly exceed the total number of housing that becomes available each year.

In this context, it is clear that the new housing solutions Temporary Accommodation Placement Policy for 2024, needs to navigate a difficult task as to manage demand, and ensure that those in need are supported as well as possible within the national constraints. The policy rightly places emphasis on provision of warm, safe and decent accommodation and also on helping people to remain within Kirklees as close to their support networks as is possible. It rightly places emphasis on the impact of housing insecurity on children and also on early interventions to reduce the number of households ultimately presenting as homeless. This is a very difficult area of service delivery, and officers should be thanked for the hard work that has gone into developing this strategy and the diligence with which they support vulnerable residents in need, against a significant resource deficit.

Sarah Holmes,  Housing Services Strategic Manager, directed the Panel to the summary page of the Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy which outlined the vision and objectives. The Panel was informed that the vision is as follows:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

This report provides information to support the approval and adoption of the Damp, Mould, and Condensation (DMC) Policy v1.4, in response to the Regulatory Notice issued by the Regulator of Social Housing on 6 March 2024

Contact:  Neil Hutchinson, Interim General Manager Assets, Homes and Neighbourhoods Tel: 01484 221000

Cllr Moses Crook introduced the item, advising the Panel that the issue around damp, mould and condensation is a well-publicised national issue. The report being presented, outlines the new Damp, Mould and Condensation (DMP) Policy which will further improve the councils approach to service needs and resolve issues within housing stock, in addition to responding to the Regulatory Notice to Improve, which was issued by the Regulator of Social Housing on the 6th March 2024.

The policy prioritises resident safety and demonstrates the new strategy to address damp, mould and condensation within the housing stock. This is by properly reacting to, and resolving root causes by proactively addressing repairs to prevent future instances of damp, mould and condensation from emerging. Ensuring a consistent timely and a well managed approach including positive and clear communication with residents. This policy has been developed in consultation with tenant voice. This policy outlines how the improvement journey will be accelerated in compliance with the regulator’s consumer standards.

Naz Parkar, Service Director Homes and Neighbourhood, informed the Panel that this policy has at its heart, the tenant and their safety and wellbeing. It is also a policy that enables residents to become clearer about what they can expect from the council as their landlord in response to damp, mould and condensation. It has been informed and heavily influenced by the tenants voice, using the complaints handling information, feedback from responding to certain cases, taking learning from others in terms of some of the Housing Ombudsman reports, all these have influenced how this policy has been shaped and designed to ensure that the tenants voice is heard loud on it.

It is a policy that takes a fragmented approach because currently, damp, mould and condensation responses are held within the repairs policy which covers a multitude of repair responses and responsibilities. The aim was to have a standalone policy to ensure there is a more co-ordinated approach to the way things are done and this enables the design of a much more defined approach in two key areas.

1)      In terms of reactive, all cases are prioritised by the household circumstances, but also resolves existing open cases, whilst dealing with new ones that are coming through.

2)      In terms of the proactive approach, it enables the identification of cases that might not be known about, referred to by the Housing Ombudsman as ‘finding your silence.’  There may be tenants who for one reason or another do not want the council to enter their property, they may have vulnerabilities such as hoarding for instance. 

Currently, the response has been on a responsive repair basis, responding to the situation by asking a contractor to go out and carry out a damp and mould treatment and it has not always addressed the real issue.  The approach now being adopted is that it is surveyed first, identify the root causes, the response still might end up being a DMC treatment, however it may point to something more fundamental such as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.