Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director (Place)

The Assistant Director (Leisure, Community & Culture) presented the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025-2029 which provided an update and summarised the Council's Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Strategy 2025-2029 and action plan.

·         A Member commented regarding the number of rough sleepers in Welwyn Hatfield. The report stated that in comparison nationally the number of rough sleepers in Welwyn Hatfield remains low, however the figures show a different story. If the national average is 6.8 rough sleepers per 100,000 population and Welwyn Hatfield population is about 120,000, for the number to remain low the expectation would be that there would be approximately 8 but the total is 14 and therefore above the national average. There are some good bits in the action plan for eradicating rough sleeping but there is something at the end that says development of the website to include a range of support services, and it is unlikely that rough sleepers will have access to the internet.

·         The Assistant Director (Leisure, Community & Culture) agreed to relook at this and make amendments and reword the rough sleeping paragraph around the comparative number of rough sleepers.

·         The Member then asked the Panel if the topic of rough sleeping should be looked at more in depth, i.e. look at the analysis of the individuals, their circumstances, what makes them choose to sleep rough and suggested asking Officers to bring a more detailed look at rough sleeping to a subsequent panel.

·         The Assistant Director (Leisure, Community & Culture) added that while the numbers are going up there are people known to the council who wish to be rough sleepers and who have the offer of properties but refuse the support and they still have to be counted under rough sleepers.

·         A Member asked if there is a separate category for ex-military who have let the forces due to mental health problems and decided to be a rough sleeper,  and asked whether we can help ex-military more.

·         The Assistant Director (Leisure, Community & Culture) responded that there is the restart programme with Resolve which is funded by the Council so that when someone reported as being a rough sleeper they will then go and engage with that person, regardless of whether they are ex-military or anybody else rough sleeping.

·         A Member suggested this should go to Overview and Scrutiny Panel for consideration of what scrutiny needs to be done for rough sleeping and asked if it could be put through to OSC for consideration as either a task & finish or a report for the 2025/26 OSC work programme.

·         The Executive Director (Resident Services and Climate Change) confirmed the Panel can make that as a recommendation going through for consideration by OSC that there will be workshop in the new municipal year to look at topics for the forward programme for overview and scrutiny.

·         The Executive Director (Resident Services and Climate Change) added that the report asks for permission to go out to a public consultation on this strategy.

Councillor Zukowskyj  and Councillor Hobbs moved and seconded that the  recommendation includes an additional recommendation to ask Overview & Scrutiny Committee for a Task & Finish group on Rough Sleeping.

RESOLVED:  unanimous

The Panel agreed the additional recommendation to ask Overview & Scrutiny Committee for a Task & Finish group on Rough Sleeping.

·         Tenants Panel commented that the consultation should also include homeless charities who have first-hand experience of this issue.

RESOLVED:  unanimous

The Panel noted the contents of the report and agreed that the public   consultation process for the Council’s Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Strategy 2025-2029 can commence.