The Adult Social Services, Health and Housing Committee met on Thursday, 11 January 2024, to discuss a range of important issues including homelessness, the extension of care contracts for adults with learning disabilities, and performance updates on the Richmond Corporate Plan. Key decisions made included approving revised forecasts for temporary accommodation to inform future budgets and extending contracts for residential care services for adults with learning disabilities.

Homelessness Update and Temporary Accommodation Forecasts

The committee received an update on homelessness demand and temporary accommodation usage, noting a significant increase in recent years driven by legislative changes, welfare benefit reforms, the cost of living crisis, and refugee resettlement schemes. Rehousing supply has also decreased, exacerbating the issue. The report detailed a six-year history of homelessness applications, temporary accommodation placements, and rehousing supply, highlighting a substantial rise in temporary accommodation usage, particularly in nightly paid units.

To address this, a budget recovery strategy was presented, aiming to reduce temporary accommodation usage and spend by March 2026. This strategy includes measures such as reducing caseloads, preventing and relieving more homelessness through increased staffing and the uplift of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, increasing occupancy of hostels and leased temporary accommodation, assisting housing associations with under-occupation, and recovering void properties. The committee approved the revised temporary accommodation forecasts, which will be used to revise direct homelessness budgets for 2024/25 and future years.

Extension of Contracts for Residential Care Services for Adults with a Learning Disability

The committee considered a report seeking approval to extend four contracts for residential care services for adults with a learning disability for up to 12 months. This extension is necessary to ensure continuity of care while new contracts are procured, with the aim of providing local and settled accommodation. The existing contracts were due to expire in March 2024, and the new contracts are planned to commence by April 2025.

One residential care service, Walsingham contract at 45a Hampton Road, is proposed for decommissioning as the property is no longer fit for use. Residents will be moved to suitable alternative accommodation. The committee approved the extension of the four contracts to incumbent providers at an estimated cost of £5,802,455 per annum, funded from existing budgets within the Adults Social Care and Public Health Directorate.

Richmond Corporate Plan Mid-Year (Q2) Performance Report

The committee received a mid-year progress update on the Richmond Corporate Plan (RCP) actions and performance against key performance indicators (KPIs) relevant to the committee's remit. The report indicated that 7 out of 11 performance indicators had shown improvement compared to the previous year, with 12 out of 13 indicators rated as green against their targets.

Areas of improving performance included the percentage of eligible people receiving an NHS Health Check, a decrease in admissions to residential and nursing care for those aged 65+, a significant increase in homeless cases prevented, and improved performance in identifying and removing serious hazards in private sector housing. Areas of underperformance included the number of people quitting smoking through the smoking cessation service. The committee noted the progress on RCP actions and performance against KPIs and agreed that no specific areas of performance warranted recommendation for the Policy and Performance Review Board's workplan.

L&Q Housing Report

The committee received a report from London and Quadrant (L&Q) Housing Association, providing information on their stock profile, housing management, tenancy fraud, anti-social behaviour (ASB), complaints, lettings, reactive maintenance, damp and mould, major works programme, L&Q Foundation, sustainability, placemaking, and agency-managed services.

During the discussion, concerns were raised by a public speaker, Mr Nick Dexter, regarding the level of scrutiny, the delivery of affordable housing, and the reporting of tenant satisfaction measures. Members also expressed disappointment regarding the lack of Richmond-specific data in the L&Q report. L&Q provided responses on issues such as ASB, complaint management, damp and mould, and void standards. The committee noted the contents of the report.

Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees Update

Councillor Stephen O'Shea provided an update on the South West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, including concerns raised regarding the potential relocation of paediatric oncology specialist services. Councillor Clare Vollum updated the committee on the North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, highlighting the operational status of the Central Middlesex Orthopaedic Specialist Centre and updates on staff recruitment, including midwives. The committee noted these updates.

Forward Plan

The committee reviewed the Forward Plan of future committee business. A public speaker, Mr Nick Dexter, inquired about the timeline for considering the Social Housing Improvement Plan. It was advised that this plan would be subject to consultation in February 2024 and considered by the committee in June 2024. An additional item, a report on the GLA Council Homes Acquisition Programme and Richmond applying to become a registered provider, was added to the Forward Plan for the next meeting. The committee noted the contents of the Forward Plan.