The following Notices of Motion have been received:
Temporary Accommodation costs and budget pressures
This motion is asking for a letter to be sent by NNDC and our two MPs to the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
This letter seeks clarity over the funding support to Councils regarding exponential rising nightly paid temporary accommodation costs. The building of more homes is of course incredibly welcome. However, it is the short term funding crisis that needs addressing while these new affordable homes are built out. It is putting unprecedented pressure on NNDC and councils up and down the country. This means that costs have to be found by cutting other services leaving residents lacking in support.
This echos the findings from the District Councils Network that this is a National issue and they are calling on the Government for support. https://www.districtcouncils.info/record-temporary-accommodation-figures-action-demanded-to-tackle-crisis/
The second part of the letter requests a return visit from the Ministry Housing, Communities and Local Government (previously DHLUC). The Council were grateful to meet with the department at NNDC Council offices earlier this year. Action points were taken by the Officials. We would like to know the progress under the new Government Regime.
Recommendation: The letter will be drafted by the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council and asked to be signed by both of our MPs.
Proposed by Cllr Wendy Fredericks, seconded by Cllr Lucy Shires
Motion on Winter Fuel Allowance Announcement
Fuel poverty is a pressing issue, with 16.1% of households in North Norfolk affected, compared to the national average of 13.1%. (1)The region's housing energy efficiency is subpar, with over 60% of properties off the gas grid, relying on expensive heating alternatives. This disproportionately affects older residents, many of whom live in cold homes and are vulnerable to fuel poverty. (2)
Norfolk has a significant elderly population, particularly in North Norfolk, where 33% of residents are aged 65 or older. (1)This demographic is more susceptible to cold-related health issues, contributing to high excess winter deaths.
NNDC stresses that failure to address this issue will push more elderly people into fuel poverty, exacerbating health risks and impacting the well-being of North Norfolk's aging population.
NNDC are proactively reaching out to residents with our teams using our data to encourage those eligible to apply for Pension Credit and help fill in appropriate forms. Anyone concerned about this please give NNDC a call and our teams will help you.
Recommendation: We ask NNDC to submit a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer urging a review of the winter fuel allowance means test, particularly considering pensioners with incomes below the national living wage. This Council calls upon our two local MPs in particular the North Norfolk MP to continue to lobby the Government for this review, emphasizing the potential negative impact on elderly residents in North Norfolk:
Proposed by Cllr Liz Withington Seconded by Cllr Wendy Fredericks
References
(1) JSNA_Housing_Briefing_Paper_March_2024.pdf (norfolkinsight.org.uk)
(2) (2)Source: Non-gas map (nongasmap.org.uk)
(3) Save the Winter Fuel Payment | Age UK
Minutes:
As explained earlier, the motion on Winter Fuel Payments would be debated first as it was closely linked to the item of Opposition Business. The Chairman invited the proposer of the motion, Cllr L Withington to introduce it.
Cllr Withington referred member to several slides which set out the reasons for requesting a review and outlined the financial impact on pensioners in the District. She highlighted the number of homes with a D rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and the high levels of households living in fuel poverty. In addition, many were not connected to mains gas. The number of excess winter deaths in Norfolk was also higher than the national average. In conclusion, pensioners in North Norfolk would be particularly impacted by the Government’s proposals to remove the winter fuel allowance from everyone not on pension credit. She urged members to support the request to ask the Government to urgently review of the means testing levels of the winter fuel payment scheme.
The seconder of the motion, Cllr W Fredericks, reserved her right to speak.
The Chairman opened up the debate:
Cllr T Adams said that regardless of these changes, there was a role for Government departments to have as much data as was reasonable to help identify people that were eligible for pension credit and any other benefits. Helping to sustain households financially could only be beneficial. He said that Council officers had had meetings with the Department for Work and Pensions and raised this issue.
Cllr L Shires said that she had recently had several conversations with older residents who struggled to put their pride aside and apply for pension credit or ask for assistance with heating their home. Help was available and she urged them to seek it.
The seconder of the motion, Cllr W Fredericks, closed the debate by reiterating Cllr Shires comments and urged residents to contact the Council for assistance. There were specialist teams which could provide support and guidance on all areas. She then asked members to be present in their communities and help residents. Just completing the pension credit application form was difficult.
The proposer of the motion, Cllr L Withington said she had nothing further to add.
The Chairman then put the motion to the vote and it was
RESOLVED unanimously
- To submit a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer urging a review of the winter fuel allowance means test, particularly considering pensioners with incomes below the national living wage.
- To call upon our two local MPs in particular the North Norfolk MP to continue to lobby the Government for this review, emphasizing the potential negative impact on elderly residents in North Norfolk
The Chairman then moved onto the second motion – Temporary Accommodation Costs and Budget Pressures. She invited the proposer, Cllr W Fredericks, to introduce it.
Cllr Fredericks began by saying that there were several reasons why people became homeless. In North Norfolk, the top three were domestic abuse, ending of a private rental tenancy and family and friends no longer being able to provide accommodation. It was not a refugee issue but local residents who were presenting as homeless. Several of the Council’s teams were working hard to assist people. It was impossible to anticipate how many people may present to the council as homeless on any given day but there was a duty to support them and find a bed for them until a more sustainable solution could be found. The financial cost of placing a family in nightly paid accommodation for a week was between £350 and £632 per week. The Council received £98 from the Government and the shortfall had to be covered from other budgets. In 2023/2024 NNDC spent £1.3m on nightly paid accommodation. The Government paid £334k and the Council funded the shortfall of £861k. Cllr Fredericks said if the Council had not purchased its own properties for use as a temporary accommodation (26 homes) then the cost would be almost double. Councils across the country faced the same issue. Placing a family in council-owned accommodation could mean in income in rent and fully covered subsidy of housing benefit. She said the increase in costs was crippling and having a heavy impact on the Council. Being able to afford to provide statutory services such as environmental health and waste collection was challenging enough let alone being able to continue to provide non-statutory services such as public toilets.
Cllr Fredericks said that representatives from NNDC had met with the Department for Housing, Levelling Up and Communities (DHLUC) to suggest possible solutions and the Council’s work had been recognised nationally for its work in this area. She urged members to support the motion.
The seconder of the motion, Cllr L Shires, reserved her right to speak.
The Chairman opened up the debate to members:
Cllr N Dixon said that this was already a work in progress and had been going on for some time and he was surprised to see a motion coming forward on this matter. He said the merit in the argument was clear. Cllr Fredericks said that DHLUC visited NNDC in March because of the lobbying and work undertaken by the Council. She said that she would like all members support on this matter as it affected everyone.
Cllr L Withington spoke about a resident that she had supported that day who had fled domestic abuse. The housing team had offered support but it was out of area and not ideal and so the community had stepped in and offered a short term solution. Sadly, this was not an isolated case and it was a huge issue. She said she would like to see members stand together on this and lobby the Government for proper financial support.