Agenda item

To consider an opportunity to receive grant money to purchase 9 homes as a resource to meet the Council’s responsibilities with regard to housing refugees and as a lasting legacy resource to support meeting our wider homelessness duties.

Appendix B to this report comprises exempt information – to exclude the public (including the press) from a meeting of a committee it is necessary for the following proposition to be moved and adopted: “that the public be excluded from the meeting for Items which would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the paragraphs 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) as indicated.”

Members considered the Local Authority Housing Fund report presented by Councillor Hoy.

Councillor Tierney said he will support this, but he wants to place on record his reservations. He has no problem with helping legal migrants get housing, or the idea in principle of the Government helping us to do so with this money, which we would be foolish to turn down, but the criteria placed on this, that it must initially be used for refugees from two countries, is divisive and unwise. He would have preferred that they suggested it might be a good use but then to have left the final decision to us to categorise according to need. There are plenty of local people desperate for housing who will be angry about this, so he wishes the Government had not done this.

Councillor Count said he welcomes this but largely agrees with Councillor Tierney. Whilst the money is welcome, he wonders if clarity of thinking is the right approach; we have the money and this is how we must spend it, but it will overheat the market. It is not increasing the amount of housing stock; what we need is more housing full stop. Government needs to increase the housing stock for everyone to access. He welcomes this money; we will be better off for it by being able to place some families in these homes but he hopes there is more longer-term strategic thinking coming from Government.

Councillor Mrs Laws said she was in total agreement with Councillors Tierney and Count. There needs to be some forward thinking and Government strategy on this; her heart goes out to our local residents; they have a need, and it will be difficult for them to comprehend this.

Councillor Hoy said she does not disagree with this, but she is in a difficult position; it is her portfolio, and she needs to present it and why would we turn government money down? Nevertheless, she agrees with all that has been said. People came here legally under EU treaty rights but cannot get any funding and are sleeping in what she would say are self-made shacks in town, but we are spending public money buying houses for additional people to come. Then we have our own local population, and we all know how long the housing list is and how desperate people are. She is loath to say no but she echoes the thoughts of her fellow councillors, this is not a good situation, and the Government needs to get to grips with it.

Councillor Boden said he agreed with all the comments made. From the Council’s point of view, given that we would have a liability anyway for refugees which is imposed by Government, this money will help offset some of that and it is a cost-effective way of doing that from our perspective. However, this is a sticking plaster on a serious wound that Government will have to solve. As far as Afghanistan is concerned we have taken on various liabilities and requirements which is appropriate given the history and our involvement there, and in respect of Ukraine, our hearts reach out to those displaced by the terrible events there. Nevertheless, comments about how this will be seen are completely valid and ultimately this is something Government will need to address. We must play our part based on what opportunities we have available to us. It will help in terms of the liability we have to house refugees; it makes economic sense from the Council’s point of view to accept this; it is not ideal but is better than any alternatives that could be forced on us by Government.

Proposed by Councillor Hoy, seconded by Councillor Seaton and Cabinet AGREED to:

·         Approve receipt of the LA Housing Fund grant in the sum of £873,932 for the purposes described.

·         Authorise entry into the prescribed Memorandum of Understanding with DLHUC for receiving the grant as set out in Appendix A; and

·         Fund the residual element for the 9 properties to be purchased, delegated to the Section 151 officer to determine in consultation with Investment Board Members. Range of funding needed has been identified in the confidential Appendix B

·         Purchase properties outside PE13 and PE14 post code areas.