Agenda and minutes

None.

Councillor Peter Kemp declared a personal interest as a governor on the Board of Directors of CNWL.

Were agreed as a correct record.

All items were considered in Public.

The Corporate Director for Social Care, Health and Housing introduced the report and answered questions from the Committee.

The report outlined the future aims and challenges facing the Group, including:

         I.      Managing demand: keeping residents independent, investing in preventative services to stop or significantly delay residents from requiring ongoing social care or becoming homeless or in housing need

       II.      Managing the support system: efficient and effective in-house provision that is reablement focused, delivering time-limited interventions to effect change so residents can learn or re-learn crucial skills to live independently

      III.      Managing supply: commissioning private and voluntary social care and housing services, delivering support, choice and independence to vulnerable, complex and high dependency residents

Challenges highlighted in the report included:

·        Responding to the national economic crisis – the budget situation facing the public sector and the constraints placed on local government in the face of increasing demands for services.

·        Demand pressures

o       Demography - from an ageing population. Learning disability where there is increasing evidence of a significant population increase over the next 5-10 years. Addressing the needs of ageing carers represent a potential pressure.  The needs of people with dementia and for occupational therapy services is increasing.  Demand for residential placements for older adults with adults with mental health needs will continue. The increasing numbers of households reflecting increasing numbers of single households, including older people.

o       Legislation and rising expectations – the expectation to provide people with a better standard of living continues.  Legislative change has led to increased demand on services provided by in relation to housing, including: homelessness prevention, the Houses in Multiple Occupation licensing system, Disabled Facilities Grants, the demand for affordable housing, a rising number of housing benefit claimants.

o       Economic - Increased demand is related to the wider economic down-turn.

·        Turnover of placements – supplier pressure to increase the cost of a placement as new placements for services are made as well as the costs of meeting the needs of people with more complex needs.  This is happening at a time where local authorities are placing increasing expectations on suppliers of price reductions and improved value.

·        Managing change – maintaining and improving services during periods of change

·        Customer engagement – making full use of customer views and involvement in shaping service delivery.

·        Partnership working - including the health and voluntary sector.  The Council need to continue to work closely with our partners to respond to and manage these challenges effectively.

·        Recruitment and retention –is a major challenge for some key posts across Social Care, Health and Housing to ensure effective succession planning with an ageing workforce profile and fewer people available to appoint from. 

·        Heathrow - robust dialogue with Government to minimise the costs falling on Hillingdon residents

·        Housing – including Housing Benefit Changes, Housing Benefit changes and the strategy to find homes and pay rent, Special Needs and Supported Housing

In the course of discussions Members raised the following additional issues:

• The Committee were pleased to learn that the number of people currently  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Committee discussed a number of possible topics for their major reviews in 2011/12. Suggestions included Changes to the Health Service, Housing Benefit Changes, Special Needs and Supported Housing, Hillingdon Homes Return to the Council and the Personalisation Agenda.

The Committee expressed a strong interest in looking at aspects of Housing Benefit changes but were advised by officers that this was a particularly fluid area. Members were informed that a number of transitional arrangements were in place and would remain so until the outcomes of the legislation were clear. Officers were requested to monitor Housing Benefit changes over the next few months and to provide the Committee with an update in 6 months time.

In the course of discussions, officers suggested the Committee might consider examining the transfer of public health to the Local Authority as a potential second review topic later in the year. The Committee agreed that officers be requested to provide a draft scoping report on Hillingdon Homes Return to the Council to the next meeting.

Resolved –

1. That officers be requested to provide a draft scoping report on Hillingdon Homes return to the Council to 6^th July 2011 meeting.
2. That officers be requested to monitor Housing Benefit Changes and to provide an update to the Committee in 6 months time.

The Committee looked at Cabinet Items 576 – Review of Social Housing Allocations Policy and S1 – Progress report on the Disabled People’s Plan as requested at the last meeting.

The following points were noted:

576 - Review of Social Housing Allocations Policy

• Changes to the allocations policy – with regards to ex-service personnel, their Locata banding had been changed from Band C to Band B in acknowledgement of the high priority of need

• In relation to Housing Needs, it was noted that there was no current intention to withdraw priority Band D from Locata although this might change in light of the implications of the Localism Bill.
• Table 4 on page 169 of the Cabinet agenda entitled Comparative average waiting time should be amended to include ‘houses’

S1 – Progress report on the Disabled People’s Plan

• That officers be commended on the new style of the Plan
• That officers be requested to align the traffic light performance comparators of the Disabled People’s Plan with those of the Older People’s Plan

The Committee then considered the current Forward Plan which is a standard agenda item. The Committee noted that POC would not have an opportunity to comment on a number of Cabinet reports because the Council’s meeting schedule meant that the Cabinet agenda was published after the POC had met. Members requested officers to investigate the opportunities to available to POC to review the Forward Plan and to report back to Committee.

Resolved –

1. That the Forward Plan be noted.
2. That officers be asked to investigate the opportunities available to the POC to review the Forward Plan and request info about any forthcoming decision

The timetable of meetings and draft work programme was discussed. At the request of the Chairman and with the agreement of the Committee, the 1st September 2011 meeting was changed to 31^st August 2011.

Resolved –

1. That the timetable of meetings and proposed draft work programme for 2011/12 be noted.
2. That the date of the 1 September 2011 meeting be changed to 31 August 2011.