Issue - meetings

In order to follow on from the ‘everyone in’ initiative to assist all rough sleepers into accommodation in March, the Council successfully applied to the “Next Steps Accommodation Programme” (NSAP) in August 2020 with proposals which have been accepted by MHCLG and Homes England, awarding over £2m to the Council and its partners for this purpose. This report asked Cabinet to agree delegated authority so that officers could move forward with this initiative.

RESOLVED

Cabinet agreed to delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Planning, Growth and Sustainability and the Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness;

• To grant fund Harrow Churches Housing Association £1.3m - using £650k of Next Steps Accommodation Programme grant awarded from MHCLG/Homes England and up to £650k of unallocated s.106 developer funding - for them to be able to purchase 15 one bedroom properties in the Wycombe and Aylesbury areas for move on from supported housing for former rough sleepers;

·         To grant fund Hightown Housing Association £650k of unallocated s.106 developer funding - for them to be able to purchase Ardenham House, Aylesbury match funding a £650,000 award from the Next Steps Accommodation Programme for this purpose, subject to contract with Hightown and in return for a nomination agreement on behalf of the Council in perpetuity.”

• That the two projects are added into the Capital Programme this year with agreement from the s.151 Officer and the Leader.

Cllr Isobel Darby, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, introduced the report on the Next Steps Accommodation Programme Funding Award.  In order to follow on from the ‘everyone in’ initiative to assist all rough sleepers into accommodation in March, the Council successfully applied to the “Next Steps Accommodation Programme” (NSAP) in August 2020 with proposals which have been accepted by MHCLG and Homes England, awarding over £2m to the Council and its partners for this purpose.

In order to move forward with these proposals, officers were seeking delegated authority to grant fund Hightown Housing Association £650k of unallocated s.106 developer funding so that Hightown Housing Association can purchase Ardenham House, Aylesbury match funding a £650,000 award from the Next Steps Accommodation Programme for this purpose.  Furthermore officers were seeking delegated authority to match fund MHCLG’s grant to Harrow Churches Housing Association to enable the purchase of 15 one bedroom units as ‘move on’ for former rough sleepers from supported accommodation.

These two proposals follow on from, and compliment the short term revenue award of £485,438 to the Council from the NSAP to assist the Council in accommodating rough sleepers in Buckinghamshire during the pandemic, through to April 2021.

Subject to contract and Cabinet approval, the £1.3m match fund capital outlay by the Council would provide the housing service with access to 15 one bedroom units in perpetuity for former rough sleepers for move on; and 9 high support needs, one bedroom units in Aylesbury. All of these 24 units would be at no revenue cost to the Council. Each unit represents one less rough sleeper on the streets of Buckinghamshire and creates a pathway from rough sleeping to longer term, affordable and independent accommodation.

The proposal to utilise S106 Developer contributions would enable the Council to ensure that funds were spent on affordable housing within the required agreement time frames, whilst meeting the housing need for rough sleeping homeless persons.

Cabinet were asked to consider a revision to the second recommendation as was set out in the report so that the second recommendation mirrored the model of the first recommendation.

In the discussion which followed, the initiative to provide long term accommodation to current and former rough sleepers was welcomed. Cabinet thanked all those officers involved with the initiative and for all their hard work in helping the most vulnerable during the pandemic.

RESOLVED

Cabinet agreed to delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Planning, Growth and Sustainability and the Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness;

• To grant fund Harrow Churches Housing Association £1.3m - using £650k of Next Steps Accommodation Programme grant awarded from MHCLG/Homes England and up to £650k of unallocated s.106 developer funding - for them to be able to purchase 15 one bedroom properties in the Wycombe and Aylesbury areas for move on from supported housing for former rough sleepers;

·             To grant fund Hightown Housing Association £650k of unallocated s.106 developer funding - for them to be able to purchase Ardenham House, Aylesbury match funding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10