Purpose

To seek Executive approval for
the draft Fareham Housing Borough Council Vulnerability Policy to go forward
for a period of consultation.

 

Fareham Borough Council is committed
to ensuring that our residents experience fair and equitable outcomes whenever using
our services.  This is particularly so
for our vulnerable residents who may face barriers that would otherwise prevent
this.

 

The Policy details how Fareham
Borough Council will meet that commitment, and it supports Officers in making
informed decisions when they are working with our more vulnerable
residents.  It also sets out how vulnerable
residents can influence decision making in order to improve our services to
them, whether that be through our work with community groups advocating on
their behalf or through our consultation and engagement activities, or tenant
engagement opportunities.

 

In the absence of any universal
legal agreement on a definition, the Policy sets out a workable interpretation
of ‘vulnerability’ which upholds our duties under the Public Sector Equality
Duty and the various regulations or guidance different services may have to
adhere to.

 

The Policy sets out how we will
identify and record vulnerability in the Council’s role of social landlord, and
it explains the concept of ‘reasonable adjustments’ and how these may work in a
number of different service areas.

 

The Policy also comes with an ‘easy
read’ version and will be published alongside the main policy on our website.

 

A period of six weeks public
consultation will be undertaken on the Draft Policy before it returns to
Executive for formal adoption.

Decision

RESOLVED that the Executive:

 

(a)  approves
the draft Fareham Borough Council Vulnerability Policy to be put forward for 6
weeks public consultation; and

 

(b)  agrees
that any minor changes to the policy prior to public consultation are delegated
to the Director of Housing following consultation with the Executive Member for
Housing.