Agenda

Council notes the unprecedented housing and homelessness issues affecting tenants and potential tenants in Aberdeen.

Recognises the extreme pressures facing housing and homelessness services in Aberdeen today. 

These pressures exist despite the best endeavours and professionalism of officers within the Council that have seen a number of positive achievements. These include:

The Aberdeen Labour decisions alongside our coalition partners 2017-2022 to build 2,000 new Council homes on top of procuring over 4,000 Affordable homes with Registered Social Landlords.

This has resulted in

·          Dyce new Builds Completed

·          Auchmill Road New builds Completed.

·          Summerhill New Build has now achieved Practical Completion for all blocks

·          Tillydrone New Build has now achieved Practical Completion for all blocks

·          Cloverhill New Build is progressing as planned

·          Kaimhill New Build is nearing completion,

·          Greenferns and Greenferns Landward are progressing to achieve RIBA 3 completion

·          Craighill New Build is out to tender

·          Kincorth New Build tender documentation is being finalised; and

·          206 Union Street works have commenced

However, the number of households assessed as homeless or in housing need waiting for a home to call their own remains of significant concern.

As detailed in the reports to the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee:

·          Homeless applications are at a 13 year high at the end of March 2024, with levels recorded (1,481) not seen since the same period in 2010/11

·          442 Statutory Homeless Households Residing in Temporary Accommodation at end March 2024.

·          Only 30 % of Unintentional homeless decisions reached within 21 Days

·          161 days the Average length of journey in days for applicants assessed as unintentionally homeless at the end of March.

·          The Council are now breaching our duties in accordance with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order, by having households in unsuitable accommodation for longer than 7 days.

·          237.7 The YTD Average time taken to re-let all properties (Citywide - days) against a target of 125 days at the end of March 2024.

·          The YTD Void Rent Loss figure for 2023/24 is £7,805,806 this equates to 7.91% of the gross debit (rent due) which is a significant increase when compared with the same period last year where the figure stood at £5,271,632 (5.70%).

·          Planned maintenance projects such as in Summerhill have been put on hold.

·          In April 2022, 4,750 applications were on the waiting list for housing, this has grown to 6,658 in May 2024

These issues have been exasperated by the following.

·          We have 366 houses identified as uninhabitable due to RAAC and a massive transfer operation in place for Council tenants.

·          Of the 366 houses, 138 are privately owned properties whose owners have been virtually neglected by ACC, The Scottish Administration and the UK Government, families face ruin and bankruptcy and this should not be allowed to happen in a Civil Society.

·          The Housing Revenue account is funding the majority of the costs currently being incurred and faces unprecedented financial pressures. .

This a perilous situation and one that requires action today. 

That the Council therefore agrees to:-

-           Declare a Housing Emergency in Aberdeen today.  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.1

That the Council:-

1.    Notes the resignation of the Rt Hon Humza Yousaf MSP as First Minister of Scotland;

2.    Considers that as First Minister Humza Yousaf spent little time in Aberdeen beyond attending SNP Conference and never formally met with the Council Co-Leaders; and

3.    Therefore agrees to instruct the Chief Executive to write to the new First Minister of Scotland:

                          i.       reconfirming the Council’s willingness to work with the devolved administration in delivering projects of benefit to the people of Aberdeen;

                         ii.      outlining the contribution of Aberdeen to Scotland and the UK’s economy;

                        iii.       noting the historic underfunding of Aberdeen City Council by Holyrood and calling for remedial action; and

                       iv.       asking them to meet with the Co-Leaders at the earliest opportunity given the failure of both previous First Ministers to meet the Co-Leaders.

That the Council:

1. Notes with concern Stagecoach's announcement on 13 June 2024 of the proposed cancellation of its 22A and 22B bus routes which service Torry and Lochside Academy with the 21A bus route from Cove to Lochside Academy also facing being scrapped;
2. Recognises that this follows on from Aberdeen City Council cutting its subsidy of the route for pupils; and
3. Instructs the Chief Executive to (a) write to Stagecoach's North Scotland Managing Director David Beaton noting the impact on local pupils; and (b) respond to the consultation noting the negative impact on the Torry community; and
4. Instructs the Executive Director of Families and Communities to prepare an impact report to be submitted to the Education and Children's Services Committee with proposed actions to ameliorate.

That Aberdeen City Council:

1.    notes that anti-social behaviour includes street drinking, fist fights, drug taking and dealing, aggressive begging and recognises that anti-social behaviour incidents in the city centre are causing increasing concern to residents, businesses and those who work, shop and visit the area;

2.    notes that Aberdeen holds Scotland's only Purple Flag accredited city centre status and that efforts should continue to retain this accreditation; and

3.    instructs the Chief Officer - Governance to co-ordinate a further report from the Community Safety Partnership to the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee on current efforts to manage anti-social behaviour in the city centre and on approaches to offering wider system awareness and understanding of the issues.