Agenda item

This report is to allow Members to amend the current work programme and advise about current issues.   

Discussion:

Councillor Turpin and an ex-offender recently released from prison, Peter Penn, addressed the committee about the cost and quality of supported housing provision from the provider ‘Lifeline’. Mr Penn advised that although he had asked to go elsewhere, the Probation Service had told him that he had to go to ‘Lifeline’ for accommodation or be sent back to prison. He had been given a room but he had only stayed there one night, as it was so appalling. It had been rat-infested, damp with no bedding available and drug-dealing was widespread. Key workers were assigned to each ex-offender but were never seen.

Mr Penn advised that the large amount of this type of provision in Medway was drawing in people from all over Kent and had resulted in Medway having a high number of heroin addicts who received no help. Mr Penn asked the committee to investigate this issue in order that ex-offenders could be provided with decent living accommodation and the possibility of changing their lives.

The committee thanked Mr Penn and Councillor Turpin for raising this issue and advised that it hoped this matter would be chosen as an in-depth review for the forthcoming year. If, however, it was not chosen for a review Members asked for it to be kept on the work programme in order to investigate it at a future meeting.

The Democratic Services Officer introduced the work programme report to Members highlighting the three new items on the Cabinet’s Forward Plan within the remit of this committee.

Members discussed various topics that they might wish to see coming forward as reports in the future and requested that a copy of the Terms of Reference of the committee was included in the next work programme report. It was requested that a report on properties owned by the council and the backlog of maintenance repairs was added to the work programme. Officers advised that a condition survey was currently on-going and that a report should be able to come forward in early 2012.

The committee discussed the three suggested topics put forward for in-depth review by the Chairman and opposition spokespersons, as set out in appendix 4 of the report, and agreed that these should all be put forward to join the other topics from other committees that would be discussed at the next meeting. Members requested that the final list of topics from all committees was made available to them as soon as practicably possible.

Members discussed the follow-up to a previous review on Temporary Accommodation and officers undertook to come back with further information.

Decision:

The committee agreed to:

(a)   add the following items to the work programme:

(i)     Annual review of Risk Management Strategy and six monthly review of Corporate Risk register – 20 September 2011

(ii)   Treasury Management Strategy mid-year review – 20 September 2011

(iii)2012/2013 Capital and Revenue Budgets and Business Plans – initial proposals – date to be confirmed

(iv)  a report detailing the properties owned by the council and the backlog of maintenance repairs – early 2012

(v)    a report/themed meeting on Supported Accommodation for ex-offenders – date to be confirmed (if this is not chosen as a topic for in-depth review);

(b)   that the long-list of topics being put forward by all overview and scrutiny committees for in-depth review is made available to Members as soon as possible;

(c)   that officers provide the committee with a  follow-up of a previous review into Temporary Accommodation.