Under the new Coronavirus Contingency Planning Procedures, as approved by the Leader of the Council, the executive (Leader and Cabinet) priorities of the Council are amended to simply be:

(i)  preservation of life;

(ii)  supporting the vulnerable;

(iii)  safeguarding children; and

(iv)  aiding the Borough’s businesses and economy during this period that contingency planning is required to respond to an emergency situation and manage the effects of a covid-19 epidemic.

In view of the Leader’s decision to agree that

(i)  the Head of Paid Service is authorised to take any action in furtherance of the priorities set out above, acting in consultation with the Leader, Cabinet member and/or Group Leaders wherever it is reasonable and practicable in the opinion of the Head of Paid Service to do so; and

(ii)  the Head of Paid Service and each Director is authorised to take any action that officer consider is reasonably necessary to protect the health, safety or welfare of individuals.

The following decisions have been made:

DECISION(S)

Thatbudget provision to be made available to support emergency placements for homeless and rough sleeper households.

That budget provision to be made available to support emergency placements for homeless and rough sleeper households.

We are currently working with other landlords in both the private and social sectors on a list of void properties that could be suitable and would be available for meeting the current emergency placements, we are also looking at longer term and contingency planning as it is anticipated further homeless people will present, this along with those Probation cases will place additional pressures for accommodation.  The Provision of council accommodation which could be converted to residential use in an emergency basis to house individuals if required is also being considered.