(An opportunity for Committee Members to ask questions of the relevant Director/ Assistant Director, relating to pertinent, topical issues affecting their Directorate – maximum of 10 minutes allocated).
Minutes:
One Member question was received regarding the Government policy on capping housing benefit and whether this would resulting in an increase in required housing in Slough.
Neil Aves, Assistant Director of Housing Services, informed the Committee that it was currently too soon to asses the full impact of the changes, particularly due to the implications of the recession. He advised that there had been an increase in housing registration applications by 32% since 2010 and that all accommodation, excluding emergency accommodation was now full. It was noted that Slough was already taking places from at least 20 other local authorities, and this had a number of knock on effects for the Borough. Members were advised that Thames Valley Police had expressed concerns with regard to the number of criminal offenders who could possibly be relocated to Slough.
The Assistant Director also stated that it was becoming increasingly difficult to find private accommodation to rent in Slough, as an increase in demand was allowing landlords to ask for large deposits upfront, in addition to the requirement to provide a guarantor. Members were also informed that an increase in homelessness was foreseeable as claimants between the ages of 25 and 35 would become eligible for a single room rate only as opposed to entitlement to rent a flat, as had previously been the case.
A Member questioned where the surplus people requiring accommodation had come from, and was advised that there had been an increase in people moving to Slough from West London, Berkshire and other urban areas such as Portsmouth and Southampton. The Assistant Director confirmed that Slough was required to add those people requiring accommodation to the waiting list, which consequently had implications for the social services and education service areas.