Agenda item

Report of the Joint Associate Director of Commissioning (ACH/20/122) on the Housing and Accommodation Strategy, Healthy Lives, Vibrant Communities, Housing Choices 2020 to 2025 and to agree the proposed next steps, attached.

The draft Strategy is enclosed at Appendix A, with an Easy Read version of both the Report and Strategy at Appendix B.

The Cabinet are also asked to note that the Health and Adult Care Scrutiny, at its meeting on 23^rd January 2020 considered Report of the Associate Director of Commissioning (Care and Health) (ACH/20/120) on the Draft Housing and Accommodation Strategy (minute *171 refers). The Committee supported the development of a Strategy but resolved that ‘Cabinet be asked for the Service to develop a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with District Councils as appropriate to indicate a shared commitment and to engage with all Members to drive the Strategy forward’.  

(Councillors Biederman, Dewhirst, Hannaford, Greenslade and Whitton attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Joint Associate Director of Commissioning (ACH/20/122) on the Housing and Accommodation Strategy, Healthy Lives, Vibrant Communities, Housing Choices 2020 to 2025 and to agree the proposed next steps, circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

The draft Strategy was enclosed at Appendix A, with an Easy Read version of both the Report and Strategy at Appendix B.

The Strategy had been jointly developed by the Council and Devon’s Clinical Commissioning Group, in consultation with a range of partners, setting out how the Council would work in partnership to increase the range of housing and accommodation so that more people could live in their own homes and make informed and planned choices about where they lived.

The Strategy was for all adults and included all the types of homes that people might live in, temporarily or permanently during their lives. Good quality housing and accommodation in the right place contributed to health and wellbeing and cohesive communities and opened up opportunities for people to live the independent life that was right for them, noting that people’s care and support needs could change over time. The aim was to make it easier for people to move between different housing options and shift away from traditional residential care models and also promote the use of Technology Enabled Care and Support (TECS) and appropriate infrastructure to promote self-care.

The Strategy depended upon effective partnerships and set out priority areas of focus to increase the range of housing and accommodation within the community. The priority areas were included in the table at paragraph 3.7 of the Report and included building a joint understanding of market towns and localities to inform development, increase the supply of accessible homes, housing with support settings being more flexible, residential and nursing homes for those with only the most complex needs and supporting recruitment and retention of the workforce.

The Cabinet noted that the Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee, had at its meeting on 23^rd January 2020 considered the Report of the Associate Director of Commissioning (Care and Health) (ACH/20/120) on the Draft Housing and Accommodation Strategy (minute *171 referred). The Committee supported the development of a Strategy but resolved that ‘Cabinet be asked for the Service to develop a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with District Councils as appropriate to indicate a shared commitment and to engage with all Members to drive the Strategy forward’.  

Advice on the proposal from the Scrutiny Committee had been sought and it was felt that such an agreement was not necessary at the current time. However, this would be kept under review and the proposal would be discussed further by the Health and Wellbeing Board in April 2020.

The Report outlined the next steps in the process, asking Cabinet to endorse them which included a detailed joint action plan being developed to sit underneath the Strategy, taking into account existing and new activity. Governance arrangements were also being refreshed to ensure there was sufficient oversight of delivery of the housing and accommodation pathway and pipeline.

The Joint Associate Director’s Report highlighted that the approach would promote the equality of opportunity for people in Devon and for people with health and care needs to have the same opportunities and lead meaningful lives. An equalities impact assessment of the joint strategy had been published and could be found at https://www.devon.gov.uk/impact/published/.

This highlighted that the Strategy strengthened the links between housing and accommodation and health and social care, aiming to improve the combined positive impact on both the population and the economy, therefore no unmanageable impacts had been identified.

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability, carbon impact, risk management, equality and legal considerations and Public Health impact) set out in the Joint Associate Director’s Report and/or referred to above having been considered:

It was MOVED by Councillor Leadbetter, SECONDED by Councillor Hart, and

RESOLVED that the Housing and Accommodation Strategy, Healthy Lives, Vibrant Communities, Housing Choices 2020 to 2025 and the next steps (outlined at section 5 of the Report) be adopted and agreed.

[NB: The Impact Assessment referred to above may be viewed alongside Minutes of this meeting and may also be available at:  http://new.devon.gov.uk/impact/].