Local Authority Housing Resilience Group minutes: March 2021

Attendees and apologies

• Laura Caven, COSLA (Chair)
• Ross Anderson, Guest from ALACHO
• Ashley Campbell, CIH
• David Goldie, Highland Council
• AnnMarie Carr, West Lothian Council
• Caroline Dicks, SG
• Naeem Bhatti, SG
• Michael Cameron, SHR
• David Simpson, Dundee City Council
• Katrina Reid, Public Health Scotland
• David Wilson, Stirling Council
• Mandy Brown, SG (Secretariat)

Items and actions

Welcome and approval of previous note

The note from the previous meeting was agreed.

Actions:

• Digital sign-ups: SG to provide update on the number of digital sign ups on tenancy agreements – Post-meeting: SG do not hold this information
• Internal Market Bill: CIH to circulate internal market bill information once available – complete, Post-meeting: COSLA circulated CIH and partners briefing on the UK Government Internal Market Act.  Please let COSLA know if you would like to discuss further.
• Minister’s meeting: COSLA will circulate the note of the last chairs meeting – complete, circulated latest approved note from 3 February.

• Gypsy traveller: COSLA to issue a survey through ALACHO to look at costs of sites and ask councils to share needs demand assessment to better understand supply. COSLA have been in contact with ALACHO and will update at next meeting.

• Criminal justice: COSLA to obtain an update on issues relating to criminal justice eg numbers of Covid-19 cases in prisons, high levels of remand prisoners, from their community justice colleagues – update: COSLA will obtain this information and discuss further with the group.
• SG are having a discussion with the homelessness street teams next week and will feed back at the next meeting.  COSLA will pick up with SG.
• Tenant Hardship Loan Fund (THLF): SG to find out if there is any follow up of rejected applicants and if there is a breakdown of tenure of the applicants and if this information can be shared – ongoing
• PRS group had asked to see the THLF rejection letter and if of interest to this group COSLA will circulate to members of this group - ongoing
• Discussion of utilities is on the agenda for the SHR group meeting - COSLA will email an update after that discussion – complete, circulated to group.

Update from resilience chairs meeting with Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning

Action: Please contact COSLA if there is anything you would like raised at the Minister’s meeting with the resilience chairs.

Unwinding of evictions restrictions (CAS papers)

Action: COSLA are meeting with CAS and SFHA today, 16 March, so will discuss further and update the group at next meeting. 

Scottish Housing Regulator returns, voids processing update and any related issues

Actions:

Members to contact SHR with any suggestions on the dataset, whether this remains the right data to collect or if new data should be collected. 

Scottish Welfare Fund, admin of funding for new tenancy and furnishing packages - members suggested that could divert some of the SWF directly to the homelessness fund.  Also, delays as people can’t start to apply until they have signed their tenancy agreement.  COSLA to discuss internally and report back at next meeting.

Minister has written to Energy UK and SG colleagues have also been in contact with Energy UK and also Scottish Power.  SG to update members at the next meeting.

Scottish Government Update

Action: Members to inform SG if would like to discuss any elements of the Hto2040 report.

Action: Members are encouraged to feed their views into the SG draft Heat in Buildings Strategy consultation and sign up to one of the events.

AOB

The next meeting will be 20 April. 

Action:  Members to contact COSLA if would prefer to move to an email based group, with meetings being arranged as and when required.