Agenda item
Questions
Minutes:
The Council had before it eleven questions, of which due notice had been given in terms of Standing Order 20(2), which had been placed on the agenda as the questioners had indicated they were unhappy with the responses.
Councillor McDonald
QUESTION -
To the Convener of the Audit and Risk Committee
“To ask the Convener of Audit and Risk what he sees as the key risks for the Council in meeting its statutory duty with regard to temporary accommodation for homeless people.”
ANSWER (by Councillor Crockett) -
1. The supply of temporary accommodation is not adequate to meet duty
1.1. The number of homelessness presentations actually fell in 2009 - 2010 but they are still, at 2459, 60% higher than five years ago. Overall the rise in presentations in Scotland was 0% and 14% in Aberdeenshire.
1.2. An average of 216 households per month presented to the Homelessness Service 2009/2010. 251 in April 2009, 308 in April 2010, up 23%.
1.3. One of the particular areas of concern has been the Council’s ability to provide temporary accommodation. In 2009 - 2010, 469 or 40 per month were not provided with such accommodation despite the Council increasing provision by around 50 places.
1.4. Throughout Scotland the use of temporary accommodation has increased by 56% from 6,445 to 10,053 households at any one time in the last five years. Aberdeen City had 0.25% of all households in temporary accommodation at 31 December 2009 compared with the Scottish average of 0.44%.
1.5. The initiative to provide 75% of lets to homeless households has ensured that all families are getting offers of housing fairly quickly. However, the main problem exists in re-housing single person households. Officers are currently looking to the housing associations to assist with this.
1.6. The Council is struggling to meet the demand. The increased presentations mean longer waiting times for interviews. This in turn increases the number of lost contacts, repeat homelessness cases and our overall homelessness journey time has increased to over 100 days. The decrease in the number of voids has also adversely affected the availability of houses.
1.7. Officers are trying to secure additional temporary accommodation although the refusal of the licence for Aberdon House was a setback to this strategy.
1.8. Officers are current taking forward proposals for:
· A Private Sector Leasing Scheme which will provide access to between 100 - 300 properties
· Further extension of the use of flats for temporary accommodation. Currently 180 properties and this will increase incrementally to 300 properties by June 2011
· Establishing a Prevention Team
· Putting a full time manager into 165 Crown Street and re-apply for a licence
· Considering purchase of a current B&B establishment
· Not insisting on an HMO licence for B&B establishments that we use
1.9. Overall, the Council has a Temporary Accommodation Strategy and Resettlement & Homelessness Strategy in place which are monitored by the Council’s Homelessness Strategy Working Group.
2. The financial costs to the Council do not represent best value
2.1. The cost of making provision available through bed and breakfast establishments/hotels is significant.
2.2. The total expenditure in 2009 - 2010 was £993,966 with subsidy of £336,947 received from the DWP. The net cost to the Council was £657,019.
2.3. Taking £40 per night as the average cost of bed and breakfast provision, the annual cost to the Council of each additional place is approximately £8,500. An additional 40 spaces would, therefore, cost £342,000.
3. The reputation of the Council could be adversely affected
3.1. Audit Scotland/Aberdeen City Council Shared Risk Assessment - Assurance and Improvement Plan 2010 - 2013 outlined significant concerns and that focused activity was needed to gain a better understanding of performance in homelessness.
3.2. These concerns were linked to previous concerns raised by the Scottish Housing Regulator in the 2005 inspection.
3.3. Failures in relation to what is expected of the Council are normally picked up and reported on by the media.
In accordance with Standing Order 20(4), the Lord Provost ruled that the question had been answered satisfactorily.
The Council resolved:-
(i) to note the details; and
(ii) that any specific reasons provided by elected members in terms of why they were not satisfied with the response to their question be recorded within the agenda.
Councillor Farquharson
QUESTION -
To the Chief Executive
“To ask the Chief Executive at what stage in the Aberdeen Local Development Plan implementation process will a detailed risk analysis be carried out into the proposed Plan and will members be fully apprised of any potential financial concerns arising from negative infrastructure issues emanating from the Plan’s implementation.”
ANSWER (by the Chief Executive) -
From an early stage in the plan preparation process, the Local Development Plan Team have been working with colleagues and partners involved in the planning and delivery of infrastructure, through a group known as the Future Infrastructure Requirements for Services Group. This group has helped to identify the infrastructure required to support new development proposed in the Plan. The findings of the group will be set out in a list of infrastructure requirements to be published in late June, and also in the Proposed Plan later in 2010.
New development will need to provide, or make a financial contribution towards, the infrastructure identified. This will be in scale and kind with the proposed development. Further work is on-going to determine the costs of providing such infrastructure and the level of funding that may be required from the Council. These requirements will be subject to scrutiny by Full Council when the Proposed Plan is considered in August.
The Council resolved:-
to note the details.
Councillor Young
QUESTION -
To the Convener of the Finance and Resources Committee
“To ask the Convener for Finance and Resources to provide Council with details of the monetary cost associated with Court action for evicting travellers from unauthorised encampments and to provide Council with the monetary costs associated with cleaning up sites including costs associated with repairing sites after travellers have left or been evicted for the following years 2008, 2009 and 2010 so far.”
ANSWER (by Councillor Kevin Stewart) -
Legal Costs -
2008 - £2096.66
2009 - £3558.61
2010 - £1941.06
Clean Up Costs -
2008 - £27,121
2009 - £10,015
2010 - £700
Clean up costs do not include general litter picking or disposal costs for the waste uplifted.
In accordance with Standing Order 20(4), the Lord Provost ruled that the question had been answered satisfactorily.
The Council resolved:-
to note the details.
QUESTION -
To the Convener of Finance and Resources
“To ask the Convener for Finance and Resources to provide Council with the monetary value which has been recovered following legal action from travellers who have been evicted from unauthorised encampments including any amount recovered for cleaning up sites after travellers have left or been evicted for the following years 2008, 2009 and 2010 so far.”
ANSWER (by Councillor Kevin Stewart) -
2008 - None
2009 - None
2010 - None
In accordance with Standing Order 20(4), the Lord Provost ruled that the question had been answered satisfactorily.
The Council resolved:-
to note the details.
QUESTION -
To the Chief Executive
“To ask the Chief Executive to provide Council with details of all elected members if any who have been or currently are members of the Pension Panel since 2007 who have participated in foreign travel (outside of the UK) by means of conference attendance or for any other purpose associated with Pension Panel business.”
ANSWER (by the Chief Executive) -
Councillor Fletcher is the only Councillor to have travelled abroad on behalf of the Pension Fund, he attended a Harbourvest Fund Manager meeting in Boston from 17th - 20th May 2010.
In accordance with Standing Order 20(4), the Lord Provost ruled that the question had been answered satisfactorily.
The Council resolved:-
to note the details.
QUESTION -
To the Chief Executive
“To ask the Chief Executive to provide Council with the detailed costs including cost of travel costs relating to all other benefits including those received in kind by elected members if any whether or not Council paid for these. Details of who paid for any benefits in kind if any including all hotel costs and costs associated with conference or any other purpose of all elected members if any who have been or currently are members of the Pension Panel since 2007 who have participated in foreign travel (outside of UK) by means of conference attendance or for any other purpose associated with Pension Panel business.”
ANSWER (by the Chief Executive) -
Details of costs are displayed below:-
Flights = £598.20
Hotel costs Boston = £434.76 at today's rate of conversion as not through credit card bill yet.
Hotel cost London = £86.60
The hotel costs for one night in Boston (£209.58) and the cost of the hotel in London (£86.60) were incurred due to the British Airways (BA) strike and we are seeking compensation for these but have had no response from BA as yet.
The pension fund is paying for the equivalent of Councillor Fletcher attending the annual pension conference at the Belfry Birmingham at the rate of £511.86, with Councillor Fletcher repaying any additional costs himself. The amount he is to repay has not yet been finalised due to the hotel costs not being through the credit card statement and also until we get a response from BA.
In accordance with Standing Order 20(4), the Lord Provost ruled that the question had been answered satisfactorily.
The Council resolved:-
to note the details.
QUESTION -
To the Chief Executive
“To ask the Chief Executive to provide Council with a detailed account of all elected members if any excluding the Lord Provost who went to the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston USA in May 2010 and to further ask the Chief Executive to provide Council with the elected members’, if any, costs associated with travel and accommodation breaking this down by elected member, if any, if the Council paid or contributed for any travel and/or accommodation.”
ANSWER (by the Chief Executive) -
Councillors who attended the OTC conference in May 2010 other than the Lord Provost were Councillor John Stewart and Councillor Neil Fletcher, who attended as partner of Councillor Stewart. Costs are detailed below.
Councillor Stewart - Munro’s Package (flights and accommodation) = £2,220
Subsistence = £420.57
Councillor Fletcher - Additional cost to Munro’s Package to be repaid by Councillor Fletcher = £63.00
In accordance with Standing Order 20(4), the Lord Provost ruled that the question had been answered satisfactorily.
The Council resolved:-
to note the details.
Councillor Ironside
QUESTIONS -
To the Convener of the Finance and Resources Committee
(1) “To ask the Convener for Finance and Resources why has the Council reneged on its promise to the users of Summerhill Community Centre, that new replacement facilities for the community would be in place before the building was sold?”
(2) “To ask the Convener for Finance and Resources what is to happen to all the groups who use the Summerhill Community Centre now the building is up for sale and when will the community users be told where their facilities will be?”
(3) “To ask the Convener for Finance and Resources does this Council not respect the views of the local Community Council, the decisions of the Full Council to protect these facilities, and the Council taxpayers and residents of Summerhill, Mastrick and Sheddocksley?”
ANSWER (by Councillor Kevin Stewart) -
Officers have been progressing a range of options to secure the suitable relocation of all the community activities and services which are presently delivered at Summerhill. Officers are particularly seeking to secure suitable accommodation which provides best value for the Council and optimises the use of other Council properties, where spare capacity exists.
Activities that are located within Summerhill through lets are being relocated to other suitable facilities through the letting process. This work co-incides with the launch of the new bookings and lettings scheme, which allows greater flexibility to relocate activities across a wider range of educational, sports and community facilities. Letters of comfort are being sent to all current Summerhill lettings users to explain that officers are looking into options for alternative accommodation. These will be followed up over the next month by offers of accommodation for each group.
Officers have met with Mastrick and Sheddocksley Community Council and are in regular dialogue with the Chairperson to keep them informed of progress. The Community Council appears to be satisfied with the Council’s work to relocate current community activities while acknowledging the provision of any replacement facilities cannot be considered until the outcome of the sale of the site is known.
Community Learning activities are similarly being relocated to other Education, Culture and Sport properties where suitable accommodation is available. Progress to date is as follows:
|
Group |
Relocation Arrangements |
|
Sugar Craft |
Mastrick Community Centre from summer 2010 |
|
Ramblers |
Mastrick Community Centre from summer 2010 |
|
Sequence Dancers |
Mastrick Community Centre from summer 2010 |
|
Bowlers |
Mastrick Community Centre from summer 2010 |
|
Local History |
Northfield Community Centre from summer 2010 |
|
Crafty Sew & Sews |
Northfield Community Centre from summer 2010 |
|
Keep Fit |
Northfield Community Centre from summer 2010 |
|
Ceramics |
Northfield Community Centre from summer 2010 |
In addition, officers are considering options to relocate some services to non-Education, Culture and Sport properties. For example, officers are in discussion with colleagues in Social Care and Wellbeing and Asset Management to consider the option of relocating the Mastrick Young People’s Project services to the previous Hillyland Disabled Living Centre. This is dependent on Social Care and Wellbeing declaring this property surplus to requirements and may also be dependent on the actual capital receipt secured from the sale of the Summerhill site and other demands on the Council’s capital programme.
Officers are working closely with MASCOT to address their unique situation. The dialogue has been constructive so far and it is hoped that a mutually agreeable solution can be achieved. The social programme of activities organised through MASCOT can be transferred to Mastrick Community Centre, a viable location for the shop has still to be identified.
All current lets for use of the swimming pool are being honoured. The pool will close and be decommissioned over the summer. All existing users are being relocated to other pools in the city through the letting process and groups will again be receiving letters of comfort, followed by offers of alternative pool facilities over the next few weeks.
The planned final deadline for the vacation of all the community activity from Summerhill is August 2011. However, as advised above, officers are working to relocate service as swiftly as possible, particularly where suitable alternative accommodation is presently available. This will avoid the risk of delaying any relocations until into 2011 when there may not be the same choice of properties and accommodation.
The Council resolved:-
to note the details.