Agenda item

Community Impact Statement and Associated Actions

Decision:

The Housing Portfolio Holder APPROVED:

a) The Community Impact Statement.

b) The Financial Inclusion Strategy.

c) The payment of £10,000 (ten thousand pounds) to the Rainbow Anglia Credit Union Ltd.

d) The Digital Inclusion Strategy.

e) The in principle appointment of a fixed term post to help deliver the Digital Inclusion Strategy action plan.

Minutes:

The New Business Initiatives Manager presented the Community Impact Statement which set out the beneficial impact on communities of the Affordable Homes service. Discussion ensued:

· Members were assured that the Council recognised that the design of houses had an influence on the physical and emotional wellbeing of residents. The Portfolio Holder clarified that housing design had been addressed, with Portfolio Holder and other Member involvement in the design of council housing for the future. The Director of Housing emphasised that great effort was made with the physical design of both the exterior and interior of social rented housing, which was often a superior build quality to mass built private homes. Members were informed that housing satisfaction was monitored on an ongoing basis.

· Achieving the objective of ‘promoting opportunities to grow your own food and eat a healthy and balanced diet’ was queried with gardens becoming increasingly smaller in new build properties. Whilst it was recognised that this was an aspirational target, it was highlighted that allotments for residents were not always utilised and that this would be something that would be promoted further.

The New Business Initiatives Manager presented the Financial Inclusion Strategy. The following comments were made:

· The Portfolio Holder requested the removal of Paragraph three on page two of the Strategy.

· The implications of zero hours contracts and housing benefit were discussed. Members were informed that with the introduction of universal credit, such changes in circumstances should be picked up by the Council more quickly.

· The Portfolio Holder expressed concern that the Credit Union was Cambridge-centric but was assured that this was not the case.

· Concern was raised over the Council continuing to grant fund a number of Citizens Advice Bureaus that were outside the District. The Portfolio Holder clarified that the Council recognised that it was often geographically easier for South Cambridgeshire residents to access some Citizens Advice Bureaus located outside the District boundary and therefore contributed to their funding.

· Energy conservation improvements to homes were discussed and Members made the Portfolio Holder aware of positive feedback from their wards of the external cladding the Council had added to homes, for energy conservation. Councillor Cuffley informed the Portfolio Holder and other Members that residents in Sawston had been particularly impressed with this and were seeing the financial benefits of the improvements reflected in their energy bills, and it was thought that the appearance of the area had improved where external cladding had been added to properties.

· Energy conservation and fuel poverty regarding the gypsy and traveller community was discussed. Information was being disseminated to Eastern Region Gypsy and Travellers and a platform was being sought to showcase the work the Council had done on this.

· Access to affordable contents insurance for Council tenants was discussed. It was not known why take up of this had been low but the Council would continue to offer this to tenants. It was noted that many tenants who had been flooded in Bar Hill in August 2014, did not have contents insurance.

The Digital Inclusion Strategy was presented and discussed:

· Universal credit for single claimants was being introduced from December 2015. This could only be applied for online and the Digital Inclusion Strategy was aimed at helping residents to be able to do this.

· Passwords for wifi installed in 40 communal rooms at sheltered housing schemes across the District would be given to sheltered housing residents to enable them to access this wifi in their homes, provided the signal was strong enough.

· South Cambridgeshire District Council’s ICT service would manage the 40 PC’s located in communal rooms.

The Credit Union funding proposal was discussed:

· It was clarified that Credit Union services would be on a first come first served basis for Council tenants.

· Jam jar accounts that the Credit Union offered, would help tenants/leaseholders to manage their money. To find out the balance of their jam jar accounts, account holders would have to telephone the Credit Union or visit the office.