The Head of Housing Services had submitted a report  to provide a review of the first year of the Home Choice pilot and to approve, in principle, the extension of the pilot to March 2019.

Councillor Smith spoke to the report. The Home Choice scheme, introduced in 2003, sought to reduce homelessness. Demand for it was increasing as private rents rise and changes to Government policy put more pressure on individuals and families. The Home Choice Pilot was introduced in 2016 to deal with the inequality in approach to private sector tenants outlined in the report.  Thought needed to be given to making the scheme sustainable, hence the recommendation for a review and a further report to the CEB in the Autumn.

Councillor Rowley said the scheme did not provide an answer to the challenges posed by the costs of the private rented sector but it had helped a great many people and it should, at the very least, continue for a further year.

The Revenues and Benefits Programme Manager reminded the Board that the scheme was but  part of a range of strategies to deal with the problem of homelessness. The scheme was attractive to landlords and increased the number of potential properties for those in need, a group for whom little else was available. Other Local Authorities had expressed interest in the scheme.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.    Approve in principle, the extension of the Home Choice pilot until March 2019; and

2.    Instruct the Head of Housing to undertake a further review of the pilot later this year, and report the findings to CEB in October 2018.