Agenda item

F Williamson presented the report on the performance information and The Elms proposed contract arrangements and asked Members if they had any questions.

Cllr Freedman commented he was very much in support of The Elms and renewing the contract on 1+1 basis as it seemed a logical and reasonable approach.  He wanted to flag up that if we change suppliers it is quite a risk, Dens is very good at building its brand across Dacorum as a whole and that he would worry that any new supplier would be seen as a Hemel only offer.  Cllr Freedman asked how we would ensure that any tender would look at how we could include that part of it.  F Williamson said that the points made were very valid, Dens have a very good brand awareness and the hostel is managed properly.  F Williamson added that any future procurement would include the brand awareness and that any new organisation would work across all of Dacorum.

Cllr Adeleke said thank you for the report, that he was in favour of the proposals and he had two questions.  Cllr Adeleke asked about the KPI’s on page 27 mentions eight self-referrals and wondered if they were from Dacorum.  Also would the original installer of the cladding be responsible for any compensation.  F Williamson replied that self-referrals can be anyone who is in crisis and they present themselves to Dens independently as opposed to through the Council’s Homelessness Service.  They can be an out of area presentation and sometimes they are from within the Borough.  F Williamson confirmed that in respect of the cladding, we are working with the Fire Safety Engineers, the original contractor and the Dacorum’s internal team, looking to reclaim some of those costs from the main contractor.

Cllr Pringle echoed the comments of the previous Councillors about how much they appreciate the work that Dens has done building relationships in our communities, especially during the pandemic. At the beginning of March 2020 lockdown when Cllr Pringle was contacting her constituents in Northchurch, Dens was supporting those who needed it so it does reach into our communities. 

Cllr Pringle asked about the fire safety precautions and whether there was adequate measures in place.  F Williamson confirmed that there are a number of measures in place, we’ve been working very close with the Fire Service who attend our fire safety meetings.  We have a Fire Safety Strategy for the building which is operated by Dens and this has been reviewed by the Fire Service.  The building is flagged in respect of the material used for the cladding and they would provide a double response in the case of a fire.  CCTV monitors the external parts of the building and it does have a full fire alarm in place, plus two staircases.  F Williamson added that in respect of anyone in the building with mobility issues, they have a personal evacuation plan and they are placed on the lowest level of the building as possible.

Cllr Hollinghurst asked if we are able to bring any action against the contractors for the use of the materials, or because they met the building regulation standards at the time and we are able take action against the Government or the Building Research Centre, who must have contributed to the regulations at the time.  It seems to be a breakdown in regulations and that in my opinion is down to the Central Government at the time or the bodies that drew up the specifications.  There should be a case for compensation.  F Williamson replied that the Hackett Report that was conducted following Grenfell has resulted in the Building Safety Bill, which is working its way through parliament to Royal Assent at the moment and has identified a number of improvements around how building safety is operated in the future.  F Williamson added that she is unable to comment historically or about Central Government’s position, but we are exploring all avenues in terms of any potential redress that is available to us and we are currently concentrating on the workmanship and detailing of the original installation of the cladding.

The Chairman commended the work Officers have done in creating The Elms with Dens and identifying the need, getting National Lottery Funding and building The Elms which has been very successful in reducing Homelessness in the Borough.  Covid has changed the dynamics and there will be longer term effects, people that have lost their homes or jobs and wondered if a second Elms type project needs to be commissioned by the Council and is there a way to bid for funding.  F Williamson advised that the Council has submitted a bid for the Rough Sleeper Next Steps Accommodation Programme and that bid is currently being considered by MHCLG, this is for eight modular units sited on a garage sites, plus nine further units in conjunction with Hightown, which will be a conversion of a building in Alexander Road. We are constantly looking at providing additional accommodation. 

F Williamson added that Herts County Council are undertaking a review countywide of the temporary accommodation provision looking at the operating models, including where are the successes and looking at conjoining services to improve the offer available.  We are working with Herts County Council and once the review is complete we will be in a better position to understand what’s required in Dacorum. 

F Williamson advised that we are also doing additional work mapping the number of homelessness presentations and initially we were concerned about the moratorium on evictions coming to an end would increase the presentations from the private rented sector and we had over 100 households who contacted us with concerns they may be evicted from the private rented sector and the Homelessness Prevention Team have been working closely with those people and many of them are in a stronger position having negotiated with their landlords to prevent the homelessness situation. Also because the moratorium has gone on for so long there is a backlog of cases in the courts which will cause delays and they will take a while to go through the courts so that’s why we are closely monitoring.  That’s why the Homeless Team have been looking at Discretionary Housing Benefit or working with the landlord to try to guarantee some security for their tenure.

Cllr Adeleke asked if the two year extension is normal standard practice.  F Williamson replied that this is a commission type of contract, it could be structured for a period of between one year and up to four years.  The restrictions are mainly around the contract value so we have structured this for one year plus one year, so that we can keep the focus on performance, whilst there hasn’t been an problems to date, it’s important that we continue to work with Dens to deliver the services both to the homeless cohort and the wider community.

The Chairman thanked staff for the excellent work they have done and also pre-empting what we will need in the future.