Agenda item

For performance from February 2025 to October 2025

Members considered the progress of the Communities Corporate Priority, with Councillor Hoy gaving a verbal presentation covering homelessness and the issues surrounding this.

Members made comments, asked questions and received responses as follows:

·       Councillor Mrs Davis stated, in relation to supporting vulnerable residents, what risks have been identified around the transition to the crisis resilience fund and how will the allocation meet local needs? Councillor Hoy responded this is difficult to judge as there is never a clear picture of what problems are coming in to deal with and she can only speculate what some of those problems might be or expect so things are managed as they come in case by case, with members, partners, and officers all working well together to communicate the problem coming down the line, what can be done about it and keeping the channels open.

·       Councillor Mrs Davis asked how the Council deal with the lost contacts and how does the Council know that they are safely accommodated? Councillor Hoy stated that when contact is lost it is very difficult to know whether that person is safe or not or even if they have stayed in the District but outreach workers can go out to see people plus the other workforces in the Council are asked to keep an eye out and if a rough sleeper is called in by a refuse man etc, outreach will go along and help identify that person and offer them help or keep revisiting sites. She continued that rough sleepers are known to move around so this can prove challenging and this is where the Council work with partner agencies to do the same and refer, with it being important to remember that there are a few charities that are out there helping rough sleepers but these people never get referred to the right authorities and she would urge them to encourage as many referrals as possible so people get the right help. Councillor Mrs Davis stated that some people on the streets do not always want the help, and she is aware of several cases in Fenland. Councillor Hoy explained there is a fine line between the fundamental human right to live how you choose as long as they are not affecting other people’s human rights, however how much of that anger and resistance is because of past trauma and history, and there is also that balance of how much can you give somebody because yes some people do have complex pasts and they need a lot of help but at the same time how long do you spend on an individual who is not engaging as this needs to be a two way process.

·       Councillor Foice-Beard noted that there will be a leaflet distributed to the homeless and asked if there is a date for the launch and if this will be available digitally as a link and will it be in different languages to help. Councillor Hoy stated that the leaflet will be going digital and in other languages. Dan Horn added that the leaflet is being rolled out this week.

·       Councillor Barber stated that it was good to see Bed and Breakfast figures have improved, and asked what factors have driven reductions and is the progress sustainable? Councillor Hoy responded that she hopes it is sustainable but the risks are those pressures that are not seen, for instance a person becomes homeless there is a legal duty to house them and if the accommodation is not available they have to go into a B&B and with the changes in the renters reform this could have the potential to lead to a large increase. She continued that the Council are trying to put the mitigations in place, so this does not get pushed onto the taxpayer but there is a fine balance. Councillor Hoy added that Cabinet made a decision to spend one million pounds on purchasing some flats, nine flats have been purchased across the District with the tenth still going through, but the only issue with this is if Fenland District Council or Clarion own the building to house people they will need the full amount of housing benefit subsidy from the Government, whereas if it is someone who is not a registered provider, like a charity or Bed & Breakfast for example, the Council do not get the full rate back so it is a direct cost to the authorities and that is why with the flats the Council would get the full money back because FDC are the legal owners of them. She continued also with some of the charities the Council place homeless people with they are being asked to register as a homeless provider ASAP, which would take the Council cost down and she was happy to report that the team are almost in a place where things are getting signed and the Council should receive the subsidy back. Councillor Barber asked, once people have moved into the flats that the Council have bought is this their permanent accommodation? Councillor Hoy confirmed that this would not be their permanent accommodation, but the resident would go onto a housing register, where their banding will be assessed then they will stay there until a permanent house is found. She added this is not the best solution, but it is better than leaving a person in a B&B long term because the length of time could be the same, but it is less of a cost to the Council.

·       Councillor Booth asked for clarification on page 35 of the report where it talks about 61 properties being available to the Council stating there are 33 units owned by the district council and there is a 7-unit hostel, questioning whether that hostel is not owned by the district council or does the Council just have the use of it? Councillor Hoy confirmed that the hostel is owned by the Council. Councillor Booth pointed out that means there are 40 units and asked if this is a route the Council are going to carry on with to bring even more savings to the Council, and would it help even more with the situation regarding homelessness? Councillor Hoy agreed there are lots of opportunities including the Government Local Authority Housing Fund which allows the Council to purchase properties and the Council have used that very successfully. She stated that the only small caveat to this opportunity is that the Council is slower and less cost effective in terms of maintenance than a private individual would be and the other risk factor is that the Council are not building any new properties, the 20 flats bought are now 20 less homes for someone else to own or rent privately so it has not helped the net profits. Councillor Booth stated that Fenland are getting 500 units each year through planning applications, so the situation is improving just very slowly Councillor Hoy responded that the Government keep saying there is a housing crisis and a shortage of houses nationwide, and population obviously does increase every year with birth rates and immigration.

·       Councillor Mrs Davis asked how the Council is fairing with affordable homes coming online? Dan Horn responded that there is an improved pipeline from working with Housing Associations, this has created a significant move forward year on year with rural exception sites ring fenced for families which will free up flats for single people and move them out of the B&B situation Councillor Booth commented on the rural exception houses in Parson Drove which has been very successful for the people living there especially with their local connections to remain in the area and they are now looking to build more houses in this area. Dan Horn stated that it has been a great help working with the Parish Councils to remind those local people that if they need help to register with Home Link so local people can apply for local properties in their area.

·       Councillor Barber stated that 104 homes have been investigated, is this just the tenants who can ask for a home to be investigated or can a member of the public do that, and would they be taken any notice of? Councillor Christy stated that reports come from all kinds of different sources, anybody can report a problem, sometimes members get contacted by tenants to raise concerns as well as the emergency services and trading standards. He added that the Housing Enforcement Policy on the website explains all the relevant information along with information on fines and debts which can be put in place if landlords are struggling to pay their debts or are having debts written off, maybe due to a business loss etc, but this is the last resort when all other avenues have been exhausted.

·       Councillor Woollard stated that there have been various interventions with CCTV, Policing etc, are there any specific outcomes that have been achieved by these interventions particularly effecting March or anywhere else in Fenland? Councillor Wallwork responded that, funding was given to youth groups in Fenland to help with the anti- social behaviour and they have just received another year’s funding. She continued that through this group young adults were made aware of knife crime etc and encouraged to join youth groups like kickboxing and other local sports, the team also worked with youth clubs and outreach groups to tackle the most hardest to reach young people who were not engaging in any other organised groups and happily this has worked and the project will continue through next year with the funding granted.

·       Councillor Barber asked if the CCTV team are now fully staffed after their recent adverting for recruits? Councillor Wallwork responded that all shifts have been covered.

·       Councillor Hay asked when CCTV goes down are the relevant Town Councils and Parish Councils informed? Councillor Wallwork stated when any CCTV goes down and it is a small camara it is fixed as soon as possible but, in some cases, when permission is needed some cases can take longer.

·       Councillor Barber asked if the recent cost of living event that happened in Whittlesey is going to be repeated in any of the other towns? Councillor Boden responded that the cost of living events will be taking place across the other Fenland towns, these are run in conjunction with Cambridgeshire County Council, and the next one is likely to be in January at Wisbech but as these dates get firmed up advertising will take place nearer the time.

·       Councillor Booth asked if any CCTV’s will be deployed to rural areas? Councillor Wallwork responded that this can happen, but the advice would come from the Police about needs in the area unless this is something the community needs on a day-to-day basis it would not be something that would normally happen, if the Police contact CCTV they do have the ability to put the cameras in place but if it is not getting reported the resources cannot be put in place. Councillor Booth suggested that this is an area that needs to be tapped into now there are more Police in the area to work on using the mobile CCTVs to crack down on rural crimes. Dan Horn added that there is the ability to go out to rural areas but there can be a cost involved on a temporary or more permanent basis, but there is a scheme where villages can part fund the cost of a CCTV camera in their area.

·       Councillor Hicks asked what the state of the cameras are in Fenland and how many need replacing? Councillor Wallwork stated the CCTV system in place is pristine with excellent picture quality and openly invited anyone from the O&S Panel to come and visit the CCTV room for themselves to experience what the team can see and the quality of service.

·       Councillor Mrs Davis asked how will Active Fenland maintain the attendance levels despite the reduced funding they have had? Councillor Wallwork responded that realistically Active Fenland will not because there is not going to be the funding anymore and those staff members will be going over to the new provider that is running events. She continued that, FDC will still hold a 20 hour post so certain elements will still be delivered like the tea dance and the ramblers, but realistically the attendance will not be the same because FDC do not have the funding and the staff to deliver the projects.

·       Councillor Mrs Davis asked what actions are being taken to address learning to swim? Councillor Wallwork stated that there are posters all over the venues and it is advertised on social media, the lessons do take place and seem popular.

·       Councillor Woollard stated on page 7 of the report regarding housing back into use there are two tables, and they refer to LTEP 6-11 months and LTE 12 months asking what does this mean? Councillor Christy responded that LTE stands for Long Term Empty which is over 6 months and LTEP stand for Long Term Empty Premium which is over one year.

·       Councillor Foice-Beard asked which areas within communities are most at risk of performance deterioration in 2026 Councillor Hoy responded that she felt all homelessness due to demand and does feel this could get worse due to the level and scale of changes being made by the Government.

Members noted the information provided.