Agenda item - Public Involvement

To consider the following matters raised by members of the public:

(a)       Petitions: to receive any petitions presented to the full council or at the meeting itself (copy attached);

(b)       Written Questions: to receive any questions submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 24 February 2016;

(c)   Deputations: to receive any deputations submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 24 February 2016.

(1)          That the petition be noted and a written response be sent to the petition organiser.

(2)          That officers investigate the merits of expanding housing first beyond its current programme size and evaluate:

i)The outcomes for homeless people

ii)The cost savings on other services of such a scheme and

iii)The cost of such a scheme

(3)       That officers report back their findings any proposals that follow on from these findings as part of the Rough Sleeping Strategy 2016 report.  

67.1   The Committee considered an extract of the proceedings of Council held on 28^th January 2016, and the following petition signed by 1,851 people.  Ree from Love Activists was invited to present the petition. She informed Members that the petition recommended 7 proposals.  Ree stressed that if finances and resources were in place then everybody would be able to get off the street. She mentioned that she knew of 15 homeless people who had died since March 2015.  Ree was accompanied by a fellow Love Activist who stated that homeless people were sleeping in wheelybins because they were warm and dry.  

               Solution Based Proposals to End Homelessness

“We the undersigned petition Brighton & Hove Council to consider the following solution based proposals, to end homelessness.

1. Every homeless person is vulnerable and should therefore be considered in priority need, including those in temporary accommodation.

2. The Housing First model should be expanded to offer housing to all of the city's homeless people, offering adequate support to suit each individual's needs.

3. The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) should be activated immediately, in any weather which threatens rough sleepers' health, particularly the wet.

4. The council should activate the Extended Winter Provision of the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol immediately. The emergency shelters should be opened every night, over the winter and beyond.

5. Affordable social rents should be imposed on private landlords and property investors, prioritising the provision of permanent homes until everyone is securely housed.

6. Reform the LASPO act, to make squatting empty properties safe and equitable for property owners and otherwise homeless people.

7. Because of the so-called 'first mover loses' phenomenon, it will be necessary for local authorities around the country to work together, in order to implement these measures nationally.”

67.2   The Chair thanked Ree for the petition and said she would ensure she got a written response which would be placed on the council website. The Chair suggested that Love Activists might be interested in the Draft Rough Sleeping Strategy which would be considered later on the agenda.  The strategy would be an enormous help in bringing together all the partners that were needed to tackle this crisis.   

67.3   The Chair quoted the first proposal ‘Every homeless person is vulnerable and should therefore be considered in priority need, including those in temporary accommodation.’  The Chair stressed that the Government’s view was different but she would send Love Activists more detail on that issue.  

67.4   The Chair stated that she wished the council had the power to deal with all the suggestions outlined in the petition.  Unfortunately, it was more the responsibility of the local MP and Government that could rent cap and could carry out the other suggestions.  However, the council were working as a local authority with other local authorities.  The council had the Rough Sleeping Strategy and there were many other measures being undertaken to work with many of the homeless charities and organisations in the city. 

67.5   Councillor Mears agreed with the Chair that there were a number of things in the petition which the council did not have the power to change.  They would need to be dealt with through Government and local MPs.  However, proposals 3 and 4 were within the council’s power and were taken very seriously.   The council needed to monitor severe weather accommodation and keep it open as a matter of urgency when needed.  This was something the council could do better. 

67.6    Councillor Gibson appreciated the efforts of the Love Activists and hoped the council would engage with them.  He agreed that a number of the proposals were not in the gift of the council but of central government.  He agreed with Love Activist’s views on affordable rents and considered that the council should write to the government calling for powers on rent controls.  Councillor Gibson proposed to ask officers to look at Housing First and would be making the following recommendation. 

‘That officers investigate the merits of expanding housing first beyond its current programme size and evaluate:

i)The outcomes for homeless people

ii)The cost savings on other services of such a scheme and

iii)The cost of such a scheme

That officers report back to a future Housing & New Homes Committee their findings on any proposals that follow on from these findings.’  

67.7    Councillor Miller stated that if there was the political will, something could be done to end rough sleeping.  He supported the above recommendations with regard to Housing First. 

67.8    Councillor Moonan stressed that the Housing First model was included in the Rough Sleeping strategy and there could be a debate on whether it was cost effective to expand it.  The Council had been flexible with regard to the SWEP protocol and emergency accommodation being open for more than one day.  Decisions were being made now with regard to the SWEP.  Meanwhile the council would implement everything else in the Rough Sleeping Strategy over the next four years.  Councillor Moonan was happy to work with other groups to discuss approaches with national government. 

67.9    The Acting Director of Environment, Development & Housing suggested taking the matter forward through the Rough Sleeping Strategy to enable officers to look at models in the context of the strategy.   Councillor Gibson replied that he was happy for his recommendations to be taken forward through the context of the strategy. 

67.10  Ree from Love Activists stressed that homelessness was not economic.  It was cheaper to give people a home.  She felt that there could be solutions before June.  It was about allocating affordable properties. 

67.11  The Chair thanked Ree for her attendance.  She explained that affordable homes would not be built for a couple of years and could not be built in a few weeks.  The council was working hard on a draft strategy which would be going out for consultation. 

67.12  RESOLVED-

(1)            That the petition be noted and a written response be sent to the petition organiser.

(2)            That officers investigate the merits of expanding housing first beyond its current programme size and evaluate:

i)The outcomes for homeless people

ii)The cost savings on other services of such a scheme and

iii)The cost of such a scheme

(3)      That officers report back their findings any proposals that follow on from these findings as part of the Rough Sleeping Strategy 2016 report.  

68.13  There were no written questions or deputations.