Issue - meetings

Report of Chief Executive

Lead Cabinet member: Councillor Stephen Holt

(Non-key):

To note the report and agree in principle support to the proposed areas for savings set out at paragraph 2.18 of the report, subject to further Cabinet decisions or delegated authority as appropriate.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Chief Executive, updating them on the Stability and Growth programme.

Section 2.13 of the report detailed the emerging pressures for local authorities around homelessness. In response to the pressures, the council co-hosted, jointly with the District Council’s Network, an emergency homelessness summit, which was attended by 158 local authorities. The outcome of the summit was a letter that would be submitted to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, signed by as many authorities as possible, which contained six main requests:

·        Raise Local Housing Allowance rates to a level that will cover at least 30% of local market rent and commit to annual uprating.

·        Provide £100m additional funding for Discretionary Housing Payments in 2023-24 and an additional £200m in 2024-25. 

·        Provide a £150m top-up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2024-25.

·        Review the cap for housing benefit subsidy rate for local authority homelessness placements.

·        Develop policy to stimulate retention and supply in the privately rented sector.

·        Give councils the long-term funding, flexibility and certainty needed to increase the supply of social housing.

Thanks were conveyed to officers for their work in setting up the summit.

Resolved (Non-key):

To note the report and agree in principle support to the proposed areas for savings set out at paragraph 2.18 of the report, subject to further Cabinet decisions or delegated authority as appropriate.

Reason for decision:

The Stability and Growth programme will work to drive improvement and efficiency, in line with the needs of the organisation, and also the recommendations made by the Assurance Reviews and the Local Government Association (LGA) Peer Challenge.