Narative report - Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

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Delivering equality through our main servicesHousing and benefitsThe council is firmly committed to tackling inequalities and meeting the housingand support needs of vulnerable households through the delivery of its Housing,Homelessness and Benefits Strategy. It has taken the progressive step of mergingits housing and benefits services in recognition of the need to deliver servicesseamlessly in order to prevent homelessness, reduce poverty and stop financialexclusion. It has also focused and prioritised its resources to ensure it continues tomeet its statutory housing and benefits obligations in spite of increasing demandsand caseloads.Service delivery is ensured in three main ways- the direct provision of services – including welfare resettlement officers andspecialist advisors (for housing advice, mortgage arrears, young and olderpeople), as well as the promotion and availability of disabled facilities grantsto older or disabled households;- the direct commissioning of services – including supported lodgings forvulnerable young people (and teenage parents), handyperson services andspecialist outreach for victims of domestic violence. Some of these servicesare commissioned jointly with partners, including across administrativeboundaries;- leading the coordination and engagement of key partnerships and forums –this has been particularly successful in relation to the network of SupportedHousing Panels now in operation throughout the borough.Results to date have been significant. Since 2007 the council has virtuallyeliminated the use of temporary accommodation and bed and breakfast forvulnerable households, focusing instead on ensuring sustainable and suitableaccommodation (with support if necessary) is available. Annual rates of acceptedhomelessness and rough sleeping across the borough are currently almost zero.A key component to this success has been maximising the delivery of newaffordable housing. The council has provided more than 450 new affordablehousing units each year over the last 3 years, by far the highest level within theregion. This new provision has been delivered in a sustainable way by ensuring amix of all tenures throughout new developments (rather than marginalising theaffordable housing delivery into concentrated areas).The council launched a comprehensive Choice Based Lettings scheme during2010. The implementation placed particular emphasis on addressing the particularsupport needs of vulnerable and potentially marginalised households to ensureequality of access is maintained across the borough (see case study 6).22
Revenues and benefitsIn addition to the support we offer to help our customers both face-to-face and bytelephone, a visiting officer is available. Revenues and benefits staff are able toarrange visits for our more vulnerable customers who are unable to access ourservices by any of the other methods provided.Domestic abuse servicesThe council has taken the lead in coordinating the housing and support servicesavailable to victims of domestic violence. An array of services are delivered acrossthe borough, including to male victims, including a 17 bed space refuge, specialistoutreach services and a successful Sanctuary scheme (which assists over 10victims each year). The council has also developed a progressive DomesticViolence Housing Protocol which seeks to ensure a consistent and high qualityresponse to domestic violence by all social housing landlords across the borough.Older people’s services – assisting the vulnerable to remain in their homesIn recognition of the fact that the majority of older people wish to remainindependent and in their own homes for as long as possible, the council:- offers disabled facilities grants (over 150 were provided in 2009/10,exceeding £800,000 in expenditure);- jointly commissioned a Home Improvement Agency providing advice andsupport to older people across the north of Hampshire (which is nowworking positively with Hampshire County Council to develop moreseamless services across the county);- will continue to jointly commission Handyperson services; and- engages in the commissioning of a specialist floating support service gearedspecifically towards the needs of older people.An emerging need has also been identified for ‘extra care’ housing services in theborough. To this end, the council has worked with the county council and SentinelHousing Association to reconfigure services in one of its sheltered housingschemes to deliver 24 hour care and support services on site. At the same time,the council and its partners will develop a new extra care scheme in the town, tooffer 64 new units of accommodation with additional day care facilities on site.PlanningIn terms of spatial planning and the Local Development Framework, an impactassessment is taking place as the framework develops. A detailed understanding ofthe borough’s communities allows their needs to be identified and all groups can betargeted appropriately to ensure that they engage with the planning system.Basingstoke and Deane produces a ‘Profile of the Borough’ on an annual basis whichprovides a significant range of information in relation to the ‘state’ of the borough. Thisincludes information on health, deprivation and educational achievements, travel andcommuting patterns.23
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Page 3 and 4: Key areasThe five main areas of the
Page 5 and 6: Unemployment is relatively low at a
Page 7 and 8: 6Basingstoke & DeaneEstimated popul
Page 9 and 10: The council’s Equality Plan has b
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Page 15 and 16: When deciding priorities or conside
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Page 19 and 20: Providing services to meet the need
Page 21: council’s appraisal system, all s
Page 25 and 26: Breakout! - blue sky thinking for a

Narative report - Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

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