Agenda item

The impact of the cost of living increases on residents of the Borough, the current support provided by Enfield Council together with the future approach which will be taken.

Cheryl Headon (Head of Schools Traded Services), Sally Sanders (Head of Financial Assessment, Karen Lucas (Head of Housing Management) and Simon Pollock (Interim Director of Customer Experience) presented this item highlighting key points from the presentation.

Cllr Ergin Ebril highlighted that the cost of living crisis has had a worse impact on the residents of Enfield than Covid-19. Many residents are left unable to heat their homes or feed their children and this is unlikely to end any time soon.

Following a query from Members about the Household Support fund, the Officers explained they are awaiting confirmation for more information on funding. There is speculation that rather be given 6 monthly, it will be yearly. This will help to have proactive solutions rather than reactive.

In response to Members questions, Officers explained that the best way to prevent homelessness where possible is early intervention prevention. The cost of renting in the private sector in the borough is an issue and it will be some time before we see it go down steadily.

Officers explained that the community hubs allow them to find out what people’s needs are, if necessary, they can then refer them onto the relevant areas of assistance.

Cllr Ergin Erbil explained that the Local Housing Allowance that the government sets as the maximum help with rent within housing benefit and Universal Credit is not rising which is contributing to the huge strain on private renters. He explained they are continuing to pose questions on this to central government.

Members commented that they compliment the Council on its response to the cost of living crisis.

In response to Member’s query on the definition of an overcrowded home, Officers explained that the law has 2 definitions which include the number of people in a home, babies under 12 months are not accounted and children under 10 are counted as half. They also look at the number of bedrooms and living space available. The second looks at the size of the rooms. There is a trend of multi-generational families in properties due to cultural trends.

ACTION: Officers to provide a written response on how affective the £100k spent on bed blocking has been for getting people who are in hospital effectively discharged.

Following a question from Members, Officers clarified that they work closely with Citizens Advice and Job Centre Plus to discuss new ideas and new ways of doing things.

In response to Members query, officers clarified that the council tax support hardship scheme is funded by Enfield. It usually costs around £450k a year, this year we will spend closer to £470k as the need has gone up. Next year around £600k will be allocated to the scheme. Cllr Ergin Ebril elaborated to explain that the proposed Council Tax Support Scheme changed for 23/24 is more equitable and schemes are being review to meet budget requirements.

In response to members questions on Council Tax, Business Rates and rent collection including short breaks in payments and extended payment dates, officers confirmed they have around 3500 people in temporary accommodation and around 10,000 in council homes. Officers work with tenants to help them to keep on track. There are around 5 residents per month who move into smaller housing which is more suitable for them as this results in lower rent and bills. They are not forced into a property which is too small for them, as an example someone who has been in a 4 bed home could be moved into a 2 bed home. A grant is provided to them and an Officer works with them to help them find a suitable property.