Full Council

Agenda Item 42  

Green Group Amendment

Safety of Council Tenants

This Council:

a. Acknowledges repeated concerns from tenant, leaseholder and resident associations that the City is not cooperating or sharing CCTV footage when requested by Sussex Police;

a. Notes further serious concerns expressed by tenant, leaseholder and resident associations the above groups concerning:

i. An suspected increase in drug-dealing and cuckooing on council estates since regular officer inspections were reallocated to the field officer team were ended by the council in 2018 but also notes that a pilot programme of weekly area walkabouts ran between May and August 2022 facilitated by the Area Housing Manager;

ii. The current allocations policy but notes that this is due to come to Housing Committee in November for review;

b. Recognises that

i. Lack of adherence to the tenancy pathways from street to independent accommodation are to ensure that people receive the right support and move on to the next stage when they are ready council home, with placements made before addictions have been overcome; and

ii. The high number of empty council homes in estates has reduced from 237 in April 2022 to 153 by the end of September 2022 and that performance is regularly being reported to Housing Committee detracting from amenity; and

c. notes the current review into Anti-social behaviour which is due to come to January Housing Committee

d. Acknowledges that repeated cuts to public services, including the Police, by the central Government, have led to resource pressure for both the police and council just as the Council is implementing additional fire-safety measures under legislation finally being introduced as a result of the Grenfell enquiry

e. Notes that anti-social behaviour and drug use is primarily a matter for Sussex Police

f. Supports a compassionate approach to supporting people with addiction issues

Therefore, resolves to:

1. Calls for a report to Housing Committee that outlines a strategy for resolving the above issues

2. Requests that the chief executive write to the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner outlining concerns about anti-social behaviour.

Proposer: Cllr Hugh-Jones

Seconder: Cllr Gibson