Agenda item

To receive a presentation from the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Health on themes proposed by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

(Report attached and oral report to follow).

The Committee received the Annual Report from the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Health.  The report was structured around the themes that had been proposed by Members at the previous meeting of the Committee. 

The Portfolio Holder began by discussing the Choice Based Lettings Scheme.  He explained that demand for Council Housing in the Borough was higher than supply, with approximately 3,000 people on the waiting list and only 500 houses available.  Residents using the system were assessed according to need and allocated to four bands which included priority, gold, silver and bronze bands.  Residents could then bid in order to win the property of their choice.  He explained that this system had yielded many benefits which included a reduction in the number of voids and the lessening of problems created by properties that were difficult to let.  Officers explained that in the previous twelve months only twelve properties had been refused. 

Members questioned whether access to the service had been a problem for vulnerable residents.  Officers explained that this had not been the case but if residents had needed assistance in using the system, Officers were available to help them. 

Councillor Clayton provided an update on the second theme of Homelessness.  He informed the Committee that, following the implementation of many of the recommendations contained within the Overview and Scrutiny Homelessness report, the service had become better equipped at preventing homelessness.   Members questioned whether many people who presented themselves as homeless came from outside the Borough.  Officers explained that the Council had a duty to assess every case of homelessness and that the majority of cases involved local people. 

Members commented on the possibility that the number of homelessness cases would rise as a result of the current economic climate.  They queried whether any contingency plans had been put in place to address this problem.  Officers explained that training had been offered to Officers to deal with potential problems.  The Council was also planning to conduct an advertising campaign to raise awareness of the help that would be available for residents who may be struggling with their housing situation. 

Councillor Clayton provided the Committee with his views on the Mortgage Rescue Scheme, which had recently been suggested by the government as a possible method for responding to the impact of the credit crisis on domestic home owners.  The Committee were informed that the Government had pledged £400 million to help social housing providers bring house building schemes forward to 2009/10.  Central Government had also recommended that social housing providers work with organisations that had a history of providing debt and housing advice to undertake independent eligibility assessments for the scheme.  Councillor Clayton explained that he would not be in favour of the Council entering into arrangements whereby the authority would take responsibility for residents’ mortgages. 

Members commented that they felt it was important that the Council used every opportunity to bid for money from the Government to implement these measures for residents.  Officers clarified that the risk associated with undertaking these measures would lie mainly with Registered Social Landlords as they would be in receipt of Government funds that would need to be allocated to shared ownership, rent back or equity schemes. 

Members asked Councillor Clayton about the Council’s five year investment programme.  Councillor Clayton confirmed that the Council was in the second year of the second five year programme and that modernisation of properties completed under the programme had been successful.  Councillor Clayton confirmed that sufficient funds were available to complete the full programme of works and that they would be completed in their existing order.

Councillor Clayton provided an update on the final theme of Health.  He explained there were some wards in Redditch where statistics had shown there to be high levels of deprivation and health problems.  He explained that work would be undertaken to address these problems including working with the Local Strategic Partnership, the Primary Care Trust and local GPs.  Officers explained that work had been undertaken by SureStart Centres to promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles to users of the service.  A Health Improvement Co-ordinator had also been employed by the Council.

RESOLVED that

the report be noted.