Purpose

Following the decision to commission a
short-term accommodation-based support service for refugees, due to
unrealistic move-on notice from Home Office contingency
accommodation; 

To seek approval to exercise the
first option to extend the term of the council’s Wheatridge
Court Refugee accommodation-based support contract with Caring for
Communities and People (CCP) for a period of 6 months.
To seek delegated authority for the
Director of Public Health, in consultation with the Cabinet Member
for Public Health to approve the final 6-month extension if deemed
appropriate. 
To extend the cohort to former
unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) Care Leavers currently
accommodated by Gloucestershire County Council in high-cost
Children’s placements.

 

Decision

In coming to this decision I have given due
and full regard to the requirements of the public sector equality
duty contained in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (“the
Act”) by reference to the law itself and also the relevant
Equality Impact Assessment, which was prepared in accordance with
the requirements of the Act.  
 
Having fully considered all the available
information, I have decided to reject the alternative options and
take the recommended decision to: 
 

Approve the proposal to exercise the
first 6-month extension option (commencing on January 1st 2025)
under the council’s contract with Caring for Communities and
People (CCP) for the provision of short-term supported
accommodation at the council’s Wheatridge Court property for
refugees who were previously resident at Home Office Contingency
accommodation (i.e., hotel or other dispersal bed) within
Gloucestershire and are confirmed to have no ‘priority
need’ by the relevant Housing Authority and, by consequence,
are at risk of rough sleeping.  

 

Approve the allocation of up to
£99,008 funding from existing Government grants received for
migrant and refugee purposes to fund the contract extension
described in Recommendation 1. 

 

Delegate authority to the Director
of Public Health, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for
Public Health, to:  
 

Determine whether to exercise a
further 6-month extension option under the contract described in
Recommendation 1. 

Make provision for a personalisation
budget, to be administered by the council’s short-term
supported accommodation services provider during the contractual
period specifically to assist residents with finding ongoing
accommodation. 

 

Approve an extension to the
eligibility criteria for the service to include former
unaccompanied asylum seeker Care Leavers (UASC) currently
accommodated by Gloucestershire County Council in high-cost
Children’s placements. 

 
 
For the reasons set out in the report.