Agenda item

To adopt and approve the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy as set out in the report and appendices for publication.

Members were informed that an amendment from the Labour Group had been received. The Civic Chair invited Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, the Monitoring Officer, to share advice on the amendment.

The Monitoring Officer, advised against Labour's Amendment #5, which proposed requiring the Executive to include a provision not to place families in split accommodation for over 14 nights. He provided two reasons for this:

1.    Jurisdiction Issue: Full Council does not have the authority to impose such requirements on the Executive. The Council's remit in this meeting was the homelessness strategy, a policy framework document, whereas the temporary accommodation placement policy was matter for the Executive.

2.    Judicial Risk: Implementing the proposed requirement would expose the Council to a risk of judicial review proceedings.

Councillor Stuart King, the Leader of the Opposition and mover of the Labour Group's amendment, acknowledged the Monitoring Officer’s advice, which was received after their amendment was submitted. In response, he proposed a revised wording for Amendment #5. The new proposal called for the Council to make every effort to avoid splitting families in temporary accommodation, with careful consideration if it must occur. He also suggested adding a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) to the Mayor's Business Plan, which would track the number of split households in emergency accommodation and the duration of their stay.

The Monitoring Officer confirmed that the revised amendment addressed the previous concerns and could now be considered by the Full Council.

It was moved by the Chair seconded by Councillor Luke Shortland and RESOLVED by Council that:

The following process be adopted for the consideration of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, involving three-minute speeches from Councillors:

·       The mover of the Executive proposals:

·       The Seconder for the Executive (with rights to speak reserved)

·       Councillor from the Labour Group

·       The Conservative Seconder

·       Councillor from the Labour Group

·       The mover of the Executive proposals (with right of last reply

The Deputy Executive Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Lynne Hale presented the report, explaining that under the Homelessness Act 2002, local authorities are required to produce a homelessness strategy every five years. She stressed the importance of this strategy, which not only met the Council's legal obligations but also addressed Croydon’s homelessness and rough sleeping issues. She highlighted the role of the Housing Transformation Programme in improving services and thanked all contributors, including residents, partners, and the Scrutiny Home Sub-Committee, for their input.

Councillor Chrishni Reshekaron highlighted the alarming rise in homelessness and rough sleeping, particularly among ethnic minorities. He welcomed the strategy’s focus on preventing homelessness, better management of housing stock, and partnership work with landlords. He emphasized Labour’s amendments, particularly those addressing family splits in temporary accommodation and the introduction of a KPI to monitor split households.

Mayor Jason Perry who seconded the motion, expressed his support for the strategy, aligning it with the goals of his Business Plan. He discussed the Council's efforts to prevent homelessness through early intervention and highlighted several improvements, such as reduced waiting times for assessments, additional housing benefit claims, and better management of temporary accommodation. He acknowledged the Labour Group's concerns about split families and accepted the revised amendment.

Councillor Stuart King expressed concern over the rising number of split families in temporary accommodation, citing figures showing a sharp increase in recent years. He welcomed the acceptance of Labour’s amendments and called for clear targets to reduce the practice of splitting families. He emphasized the need for continued efforts to address this issue and supported the amended strategy.

Councillor Lynne Hale, exercising her right of last reply, provided updates on recent progress, including reduced waiting times for homelessness assessments, efforts to clear backlogs, and improved data management. She acknowledged the need for further improvement in reducing family splits and reiterated the Council’s commitment to providing a service that supports the homeless and prevents homelessness as early as possible.

The recommendations were put to the vote and Full Council RESOLVED to:

Full Council is asked to:

a) Consider the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy Review Summary set out in the report and at Appendix B;

b) Consider the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Consultation Report set out in the report and at Appendix C;

c) Consider the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Delivery Plan in Appendix D

d) Consider the Equality Impact Assessment set out in the report and in Appendix E

e) Note that the Scrutiny Homes Sub-Committee recommendations and draft Executive response at Section 6 were considered by Cabinet on 15^th July 2024.

f) Approve for adoption and publication the amended Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024-2029 as set out in Appendix A and as amended by the agreed Labour Amendment.