The Cabinet considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (People) on the outcome of the review of housing need of older people in the Borough which had been undertaken by Peter Fletcher Associates (PFA).

Resolved:-

1. That the contents of the submitted report and the accompanying PFA Report, be noted.

2. That a series of workshops and working groups be convened for the purpose of exploring in detail the main themes of the report, namely:

- Physical structure of the schemes – including accessibility within Schemes and the size of individual accommodation units.

- Community & Locality – location of Schemes in relation to local facilities (i.e. accessibility to local amenities and transport links) and encouraging community access to Scheme facilities as part of a wider Locality approach to services.

- Meeting Housing, Care and Support needs of older people – how Schemes enable tenants to stay in their homes as they become frailer, developing a criteria for sheltered housing based on need, and developing use of Telecare, Telehealth, and assistive technology options.

3. That the workshops and working groups be convened and facilitated by officers from the strategic housing service, South Essex Homes, and adult social care services, and be supported and attended by elected Members as key stakeholders and decision makers.

4. That the outcome of these workshops and working groups be presented as a follow up Cabinet report in the spring of 2017 with recommended options for developing a model of sheltered housing provision in order to meet the housing need of older people in Southend.

Reason for Decision

The provision of good quality housing for older people is an important issue that is crucial to the successful delivery of the Council’s strategic objectives in relation to health and wellbeing, safety, prosperity, and value for money.

Other Options

None

Note:-This is an Executive function

This item is eligible for call in to People Scrutiny Committee and Policy and Resources Scrutiny Committee

Executive Councillor :- Flewitt and Salter

*Called-in to People Scrutiny Committee and Policy & Resources Scrutiny Committee