Agenda and draft minutes

To receive the notes of the meeting held on 12^th November 2019.

The notes of the meeting held on 12 November 2019 were received by the group.

Councillors will consider the Empty Homes Strategy

The Group received an update on the Empty Homes Strategy, which had been introduced to encourage homeowners and landlords to bring empty homes back into use across the District. The number of empty homes had reduced from 700 to 400 since its introduction.  This had been achieved partly due to new legislation that increased  premiums on properties that had been empty for over five years by 200%  and over ten years by 300%.

The Group noted the progress that had been made. 

The Environmental Health and Licensing Manager will present

The Head of Environmental Health and Licensing updated the Group on the recent tender process for the procurement of the Stray Dog Collection and Kennelling Service. 

There had been no viable, suitably priced bids and therefore officers and the current kennelling service had come to an agreement for a fixed price contract for the next 24 months.  The Cabinet Member confirmed that there would be a review of the service at the end of this period.

The Homeless Prevention Manager will present

The Homeless Prevention Officer gave a presentation to the Group on the MHCLG Rough Sleeper funding, that had been awarded to HDC, Mid Sussex District Council and the charity Turning Tides to provide a range of interventions to prevent homelessness and reduce rough sleeping across both districts. 

The £317,717 award would help fund staff resources and training, and provide personalised support, both financial and with essential items such as clothing, food and travel.  Homelessness Forums were being set up across both districts to increase the impact of the funding and resources that have been secured.

The Group noted that the increased funding had already brought the number of rough sleepers down from 11 to six.

Presentation by the Head of Housing and Community Services or the Community Development Manager

The Community Development Team had undertaken a review of the Council’s support for Community Partnerships in 2020.  There were seven Community Partnerships across the district, which worked with partners to deliver projects and events to support their local economy.

The Head of Housing and Community Services outlined the proposal that would bring all the partnerships into line with each other, and  create a project fund  of £7,000 (nominally £1000 per partnership) to be bid for throughout the year.  Opportunities to pool recourses and reduce costs would be explored. 

The Group noted the timeline for the proposals, which included consultation with the Community Partnerships, Parish Councils and Local Members.  Once any comments received have been considered, the proposals would be signed off by the Cabinet Member at the end of March.

To be presented by the Corporate Accountant

The Head of Finance presented the draft report on the application to the Secretary of State for consent to dispose of land.  The report would be considered at the Extraordinary Council meeting scheduled for 17 March.

To note the Forward Plan extract (if any) for the Community Matters and Wellbeing Portfolio

The contents of the forward plan extract were noted by the Group.