Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Alderman and Lord Mayor Elect Vincent Keaveny, Alderman Bronek Masojada and Benjamin Murphy.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 28 June 2021.

In response to a query from the Chairman on Minute 7: Rough Sleeping Initiative Grant Funding 2021/22, the Head of Homelessness, Prevention and Rough Sleeping advised that the Mobile Intervention Support Team Service, which had been launched in April 2021 for a fixed six-month period, had been extended to the end of December 2021. Provided by Thames Reach, this service offered in-reach support to individuals in temporary accommodation with the aim of stabilising them in accommodation and ensuring they received the right level of health intervention.

RESOLVED, that the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 28 June 2021 be approved.

Report of the Town Clerk.

Members received the Sub-Committee’s outstanding actions list and the following update was noted:

·         The Homeless Link Immigration Pledge Appeal had been considered at the meeting of the Community and Children’s Services Committee on 24 September 2021 (Action 10/21/HRS).  The Community and Children’s Services Committee had agreed its support for the Pledge and had referred it to the meeting of Policy and Resources Committee on 14 October 2021 for consideration.

RESOLVED, that outstanding actions be noted.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services providing detail on the various City of London interventions funded by the Rough Sleeping Initiative grant for the 2021/22 financial year and the following points were made:

·         The Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) was launched by the Government in March 2018 with the aim of reducing overall rough sleeping numbers in the 83 local authorities with the highest numbers of people sleeping rough, based on the 2017 rough sleeping snapshot.  On 15 May 2021, the City of London Corporation was notified that it would receive a total of £1,028,677 for the 2021/22 financial year.  This was the largest RSI grant allocation to date and would fund 14 different interventions provided by a minimum of eight organisations.  RSI-funded interventions could be broadly grouped into three categories comprising personnel (both at the City of London Corporation and external); additional resource to sustain or increase capacity somewhere; and service delivery via discreet projects or the work programme.  The Head of Homelessness, Prevention and Rough Sleeping advised that plans to fund a Pathway Liaison Officer within the 2021/22 RSI proposal were currently on hold until the consultation/implementation phase of the Target Operation Model had been completed.  The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which had recently replaced the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, had been advised about the delay and it was hoped to repurpose any underspend towards supporting other planned interventions within the programme.

·         A Committee Member underlined the need for clarity in reporting the cost and impact of individual interventions within the RSI-funded programme to support the development of a robust programme.  The Head of Homelessness, Prevention and Rough Sleeping confirmed that cost and impact was monitored for each intervention but that reporting mechanisms varied across

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services in respect of rough sleeping data for Quarter 1 2021/22 and the following points were made:

·         The total number of rough sleepers in the City of London in Quarter 1 2021/22 was 92 individuals, which represented a 9.8% decrease on the previous quarter and a 34.3% decrease on the same period in 2020/21.  Of these rough sleepers, 21 were identified as new, which was a reduction of 27.6% on the previous quarter, and 37 were long-term rough sleepers (Living on the Street) which represented a slight increase.  There had been 48 accommodation outcomes during Q1 2021/22 which was a decrease of the 98 recorded in the previous quarter and was largely due to a reduction in SWEP accommodation events and COVID-19 emergency accommodation; however, long-term accommodation moves made up an increasing proportion of accommodation events with more rough sleepers gaining access to long-term and sustainable accommodation.  Two individuals had been supported in reconnecting with a local authority with which they were linked during Quarter 1. 

·         In considering the update,  the Chairman was pleased to note that three known long-term (Living on the Street) rough sleepers had been supported into accommodation which represented a 9.1% reduction.  This positive outcome was as a result of the persistent and creative work carried out by the City Outreach team in conjunction with other commissioned homeless services and showed the benefit of taking a flexible approach to tackling homelessness.  In response to a question from a Committee Member, the Head of Homelessness, Prevention and Rough Sleeping advised that the Homelessness Service had discussions with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities around the need for ongoing funding to maintain the progress made in addressing rough sleeping in the City of

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services presenting the CHAIN Annual Summary for the 2020/21 financial year, and the following points were made:

·         For the 2020/21 financial year, there had been a 19.4% reduction in the annual total individual rough sleepers against the previous year in the City of London, which compared favourably to the outcomes of the neighbouring London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Islington and Southwark.  Accommodated individuals had risen during the 2020/21 financial year by 74 or 67.3% against the previous year, which demonstrate the positive impact of the City of London’s COVID-19 accommodation measures and the Government’s “Everyone In” initiative.  Despite moving into the post-COVID period, accommodation rates in Quarter 1 2021/22 had not reduced down to the pre-pandemic baseline with just over half of the 67.3% increase made between the 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years being maintained with a large increase in long-term accommodation events.

·         The City of London had been ranked as 13^th highest for total rough sleepers against all boroughs listed in the Greater London Authority Annual Summary for the 2020/21 financial year.  This was a significant improvement on the 2018/19 financial year when the City of London had been placed 4^th.  The Chairman led the Sub-Committee in thanking Members and Officers for their ongoing commitment to tackling homelessness and rough sleeping within the City of London which was making a real difference to vulnerable individuals.

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services providing an update on the COVID-19 Recovery Plan and the following points were made:

·         In May 2020, the City of London Corporation developed a COVID-19 Recovery Plan to ensure the safe recovery of the City’s rough sleeping population following the COVID-19 period and develop new interventions to increase the long-term capacity of the service.  Significant progress in supporting individuals into suitable accommodation was made during the duration of the Plan which was now being wound down. The City of London had ceased operating the ‘Everyone In’ approach on 2 August 2021 had had returned to the substantive position of ‘In for Good’. 

·         In considering the update, the Chairman was pleased to note the positive outcomes achieved by the COVID-19 Recovery Plan which included 75 Credible Service Offers and 48 resettlements out of Carter Lane Hostel between April 2020 and July 2021.  In response to a question from a Committee Member, the Head of Homelessness, Prevention and Rough Sleeping advised that of nine clients in the COVID-10 Recovery Plan with no recourse to public funds, seven had applied to the EU Settlement Scheme and were awaiting determination on their cases.  Two individuals had not applied but remained eligible for the scheme which had been extended for those with extenuating circumstances, such as mental health difficulties.  No individuals with no recourse to public funds had been referred to the Home Office whilst the City of London Corporation was considering its position on the Homeless Link Immigration Pledge.  A Committee Member observed that 48 individuals were still resident at Carter Lane hostel which was due to cease operation at the end of December 2021.  The Head of Homelessness, Prevention and Rough Sleeping confirmed that there were a number of long-term

The Commissioner of the City of London Police to be heard.

The Sub-Committee received an update of the Commissioner of the City of London Police and the following points were made:

·         A review of Operation Luscombe had been undertaken on 26 September 2021 to compare performance with the same period in 2017 which was prior to the establishment of Operation Luscombe.  During the period 1 August to 30 September 2021, there had been 16 reports to the City of London Police which represented a 41% reduction on the 27 reports made during the same period in 2017.  Since 1 September 2021, 73 tickets had been issued of which 51 were “green” invites to attend the bi-weekly intervention hub, 12 were “amber” Community Protection Warnings and 10 were Community Protection Notices, with Criminal Behaviour Orders also used where appropriate, such as where individuals were involved in begging.  At every stage of issuing notices individuals were invited to attend the bi-weekly intervention hub where they could access support homelessness outreach and support services, and a significant proportion of those receiving notices had not come to notice again. 

·         In response to the success of Operation Luscombe, a further three years of funding had recently been agreed for the bi-weekly intervention hub.  Operation Luscombe had also benefitted from increased digitisation by the City of London Police and was now accessible via front-facing devices used by the Sector Policing Team and Partnership and Intervention Hub.  Other Police Forces were working to establish Operation Luscombe in their own areas and were seeking support and advice from the City of London Police.

RESOLVED, that the update be noted.

There were no questions.

There was no other business.

MOTION – that, under Section 100(a) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act

RESOLVED– that, under Section 100(a) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

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To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 28 June 2021.

RESOLVED, that the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 28 June 2021 be approved.

The Director of Community and Children’s Services to be heard.

The Sub-Committee received a non-public update of the Director of Community and Children’s Services on the Growth Programme.

The Commissioner of the City of London Police to be heard.

The Sub-Committee received a non-public update of the Commissioner of the City of London Police.

There were no non-public questions.

There was no other business.