Agenda and minutes

The Chairman will announce any late items for consideration.

Any apologies for absence will be noted at this point.

Apologies were received from:

·       Cllr Todhunter

·       Cllr Hamilton

·       Cllr Evans

·       Cllr Johnson

The Panel is requested to approve the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 17 July 2024.

The minutes from the Panel held on Wednesday 17 July 2024 were approved as a correct record.

Members are asked to make any declarations of disclosable pecuniary, personal and/or prejudicial interests which they might have in respect of matters on the agenda for this meeting.

Cllr Bangert declared an interest in relation to Item 4: Choose Work – Progress Report, as a family relative had recently used the service.

Recommendation:

The Panel is requested to note the contents of the report.

The Chair invited Cllr Bangert, Ms Bushby and Mrs Crabtree to present the report.

Cllr Bangert briefed Members on the service and its objectives. The report includes additional information regarding the service, including client outcomes and routes of referral.

Ms Bushby added that the team received 62 new clients in 2024, against the UK Shared Prosperity Fund funding target of 15 clients. This illustrates the growth of the service and increase in demand. Funding for “Choose Work” is due to expire in March 2025. The service has been proposed as a growth item 2025-26, for consideration alongside the budget setting process.

Mrs Crabtree highlighted the significant increase in referrals across all sources such as social prescribing, foodbanks and GPS. At present, the current target is to reach 80 clients by March 2025. The service has already exceeded this target, reaching 81 clients, further demonstrating the current demand. Mrs Crabtree added that the service prioritises matching the correct client with the correct position, as this leads to more productive outcomes for the client and less repeated use of the service.

The Chair noted the complexities in reporting and tracking the different outcomes and stages of the process.

The Chair asked whether Officers had received any further information from Government regarding the UKSPF.

Mrs Rudziak advised that Government have not released any further information. Whilst the UKSPF is continuing in some form, the Council’s allocation has not yet been confirmed. Further information regarding this is likely to be released in December 2024.

Mrs Crabtree agreed that tracking and presenting all the data outcomes can be a complex process. Whilst the data required is set by the UKSPF, Officers will be reviewing the report to include further data and to highlight specific barriers of employment. This will help present a more detailed overview of the service.

In addition to this, the service has continued to work efficiently alongside the Housing Department and Supporting You Team. This has led to the successful recruitment of several Council positions.

The Members thanked Officers for their work and the information presented.

RESOLVED:

The Panel is requested to note the contents of the report.

Recommendation:

The Panel is requested to review the draft strategy and action plan (Appendices 1 and 2), provide feedback and recommend to Cabinet that the strategy go out for consultation prior to adoption by Council.

The Chair invited Ms Standing to present the report.

Ms Standing briefed Members on the draft strategy and action plan. The adoption of the strategy will outline clear actions and objectives for the next five-year period. Members will have the opportunity to provide feedback in January 2025. Ms Standing noted that the draft strategy and action plan are still liable to change and are subject to formal consultation.

Officers have conducted research into existing strategies throughout the Country, this has provided valuable data on housing objectives and potential areas of improvement. This data has been used to further develop the strategy being presented. Ms Standing thanked the Officers and Members for their contributions in structuring the strategy and for ensuring that the strategy presented will work alongside the Local Plan and the Council’s other projects.

Ms Williams outlined the strategy’s key priorities. Upon review and consultation, the most positive and cost-effective outcome is to prevent homelessness in the first instance. Ms Williams noted that a large section of the action plan focuses on this priority.

In addition to this, the second key priority is to meet housing needs. This is consistent with the Council’s corporate objectives, which is to ensure that housing is available for a variety of residents, such as emerging families or young professionals. It is important that housing is available for different demographics and Officers will maintain this approach moving forward. Maintaining strong communications with registered providers and developers will play a key role in achieving this priority.

The third key priority is to improve existing housing standards. Officers will be conducting a review of the existing housing standards to determine the most appropriate way to proceed in this aspect.

Furthermore, the Council will continue to deliver action on climate change. This strategy will work in cohesion with the Local Plan and the upcoming Climate Change Action Plan. The objective is to deliver carbon neutral homes and to improve APC ratings and standards.

The final key priority entails working in partnerships to deliver regeneration and to create opportunities for the community. Officers are currently in contact with Hyde and will be engaging with other providers in the district to increase access to housing and to help develop areas of residence.

Ms Williams briefed Members on the project timeline. The draft strategy will be referred to Cabinet in January 2025 and will be subject to a six-week consultation period. Revisions will then take place in the following month, before being referred to Cabinet and Full Council for final approval by April 2025. The final version of the strategy is expected to be published by May 2025.

Cllr Bangert thanked the Officers for the information and detail provided in the report.

Cllr Bangert asked whether the Council’s registered providers are factoring in accessibility when constructing new properties.

Ms Williams confirmed that the Council requires a portion of its homes to be adaptable to different standards, as part of the Council’s planning process. As these properties are being developed, the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

The Panel will consider any late items as announced by the Chairman under agenda item 1.

There were no late items.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday 6 February 2025.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday 6 February 2025.