To consider a recommendation from Executive Board.

The Portfolio Holder for Communities and Better Ageing presented a report that enabled consideration of amending the Council’s Capital Programme, reflecting the funds required to deliver nine properties under the Local Authority Housing Programme, alongside a further investment of £1m to support delivery of temporary accommodation to meets the needs of residents.

The background to the report was highlighted to Members, as set out at Paragraphs 1 and 2, pages 50 to 53 of the Agenda refer.

It was noted that the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) Round 2 was a £250m national programme to support local authorities in providing accommodation to Afghan families, settled in the UK legally under various government schemes following the conflict that had occurred in the country.

The fund was designed to support primarily with providing accommodation for Afghan families.  The fund also allowed authorities to access funds to support provision of additional general temporary accommodation to meet local needs.  The authority had been invited by government to consider an offer of £936,000 to support in making available nine properties; eight homes for Afghan families, and one property for general temporary accommodation.

At a meeting of Executive Board on September 20th 2023, it formally agreed to take part in the Local Authority Housing Round 2 programme.  Participation in the Local Authority Housing Fund scheme required the Council’s Capital Programme to be amended to reflect the project, including local authority match funding, Minute No. 22 refers.

At the same meeting of Executive Board, a further recommendation was agreed to make available a further additional £1m to support investment in temporary accommodation to meet wider needs arising in the district and in light of the Executive Board decisions, this report recommended to Full Council that the necessary amendments to the Capital Programme be made to enable the total package of housing investment in its entirety to progress. 

Following which the recommendation was duly Proposed and Seconded.

Members were invited to put their comments and questions forward and during discussion the following queries and comments were made:

A Member queried whether the funding referred to was for new properties or refurbishment of existing properties.  The Portfolio Holder confirmed that the LAHF funding was for new properties.  The additional £1m funding was more flexible and the Council could decide in which way it used the money.  Further to a query whether more properties could become available by refurbishing, it was highlighted that this often presented obstacles and the process took longer.  It was confirmed that the properties funded by LAHF had to be in place by Spring 2024 which was part of the conditions of the grant.

A Member commented that members of the Afghan community liked to live closer together and queried whether the nine properties being built could be in close proximity to enable them to support each other.  It was highlighted that Afghans were keen to work and considered that they should not be housed in the countryside, but in a more urban location.  It was further highlighted that there were some innovative ideas relating to places for homeless people in London, albeit very basic accommodation but good schemes and it was queried whether this could be investigated as East Lindsey had a large number of temporary homeless people.  In response, the Portfolio Holder clarified that the Council would not be building the nine properties as they needed to be in place by the Spring, therefore would be purchasing these but consideration could be given to purchasing a block of houses.  Members were further advised that if Afghans chose not to live in East Lindsey, the Council still received the funding.  With regards to the additional £1m funding, the Council could be more innovative and advised Members that the Housing Team was currently looking at the housing appraisals and pods of a modular construction, for example.

A Member queried whether any of the properties being built by Invest East Lindsey would be suitable for the project.  In response, the Portfolio Holder stated that there were experienced officers in the Council with relevant knowledge and it could be a possibility.

In conclusion, the Leader of the Council stated that he was very supportive of the scheme and highlighted that the Afghans coming to the UK were fleeing the collapse of the Afghan regime and were mostly qualified, including civil servants and doctors and were willing to work and contribute to society and benefit the area where they chose to settle.

RESOLVED

That the Council’s 2023/24 capital programme, to include the Local Authority Housing Fund project, coupled with an additional £1m investment in temporary accommodation, as set out in Appendix A be amended.