The Director of Housing Services submitted a report to Cabinet seeking approval to implement measures to meet demand and bring down cost of Temporary Accommodation.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the latest set of mitigations the Council is taking, as summarised in paragraph 6 of this report, to increase the provision of temporary accommodation, to improve quality, and decrease cost.

2.    Delegate to the Director of Housing Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy, and the Group Finance Director: 

a.    subject to the parameters as set out in paragraph 19, authority to agree the properties to be acquired and the detailed terms for the acquisition of properties and enter into all necessary documentation to effect the acquisition of each property into the Housing Revenue Account for the use of Temporary Accommodation; and 

b.    authority to enter into necessary agreements or contracts required, and to authorise expenditure, for any works required to convert or carry out works to (a) any new properties acquired by the Housing Revenue Account or (b) to suitable existing properties from the General Fund to enable them to be used for Temporary Accommodation and to ensure compliance prior to occupation Provided all such expenditure is within the £32 million capital budget as contained in the MTFP. 

3.    Note the additional measures as set out in paragraphs 21 to 26 of this report. 

Cabinet resolved to:

1.       Approve the latest set of mitigations the Council is taking, as summarised in paragraph 6 of this report, to increase the provision of temporary accommodation, to improve quality, and decrease cost.

2.       Delegate to the Director of Housing Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy, and the Group Finance Director: 

a.       subject to the parameters as set out in paragraph 19, authority to agree the properties to be acquired and the detailed terms for the acquisition of properties and enter into all necessary documentation to effect the acquisition of each property into the Housing Revenue Account for the use of Temporary Accommodation; and 

b.       authority to enter into necessary agreements or contracts required, and to authorise expenditure, for any works required to convert or carry out works to (a) any new properties acquired by the Housing Revenue Account or (b) to suitable existing properties from the General Fund to enable them to be used for Temporary Accommodation and to ensure compliance prior to occupation Provided all such expenditure is within the £32 million capital budget as contained in the MTFP. 

3.       Note the additional measures as set out in paragraphs 21 to 26 of this report. 

The Director of Housing Services had submitted a report to Cabinet seeking approval to implement measures to meet demand and bring down cost of Temporary Accommodation.

Councillor Linda Smith presented the report. She outlined the growing need for temporary accommodation in the city and how the report helped to address these needs. She emphasised that the report would also improve the quality of temporary housing in the city.

Richard Wood, the Housing Needs and Strategy Manager, said that the centrepiece of the plan was the Council’s investment into temporary accommodation units. He said that they would try to buy the units in Oxford, or the wider county if necessary. He noted that the project would also support the financial health of the Council. He spoke about the flexibility included in the project and how this would support their work to address the city’s housing needs.

Councillor Brown thanked the officers for their work on the report and to improve accommodation in the city.

Councillor Turner spoke about the Renter’s Rights Act and that there could be an uptick in people serving notice before the legislation comes in. He asked the team if they had seen evidence of this happening.

The Housing Needs and Strategy Manager said that there had been a rise in demand for temporary accommodation in the past 3 years. Over the last 12 months, he said that they had seen an increase in families becoming homeless. He said that they had seen a rise in landlords evicting tenants as they moved away from being landlords. He said that they were monitoring the Renter’s Rights Act and how this related to homelessness in the city.

Councillor Smith outlined the new funding the advice centre was receiving to provide extra support for tenants as the new legislation comes in.

Councillor Hollingsworth asked if the legislation meant that landlords were leaving the market and if that created opportunities for the Council to pursue multiple block acquisition.

The Housing Needs and Strategy Manager said that this would create opportunities and that they were engaging with landlords and portfolio landlords to discuss these possibilities.

Cabinet resolved to:

1.       Approve the latest set of mitigations the Council is taking, as summarised in paragraph 6 of this report, to increase the provision of temporary accommodation, to improve quality, and decrease cost.

2.       Delegate to the Director of Housing Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy, and the Group Finance Director: 

a.       subject to the parameters as set out in paragraph 19, authority to agree the properties to be acquired and the detailed terms for the acquisition of properties and enter into all necessary documentation to effect the acquisition of each property into the Housing Revenue Account for the use of Temporary Accommodation; and 

b.       authority to enter into necessary agreements or contracts required, and to authorise expenditure, for any works required to convert or carry out works to (a) any new properties acquired  ...  view the full minutes text for item 160