Purpose

The Council works with households to prevent homelessness occurring wherever possible however, regrettably, it is not possible to prevent homelessness in cases and some households will therefore require the use of TA.

The proposed policy document sets out Thanet District Council’s approach to the placement of homeless households in TA inside and, where unavoidable, outside of the Thanet district.

The TA policy sets out the principles the Council will apply to recover some of the cost of providing TA through reasonable charging (i.e. for the use and occupation of the accommodation provided - in many cases those households will be entitled to either full or partial housing benefit payments), as provided within the legislation.

The policy takes into account the statutory requirements on local authorities to find suitable accommodation and relevant case law. It also importantly considers the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Decision

Cabinet agreed:

1. To endorse and Thanet District Council adopt the proposed Temporary Accommodation Policy;
2. That the Policy be reviewed on an annual basis by officers and be signed off by the Head of Housing and Planning in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing.

Reasons for the decision

The Council could choose not to have a specific TA policy as it is not a statutory requirement - but it is best practice to have one and it clearly shows in a transparent way to those we are serving and the Housing Ombudsman that we have a clear process in place.

Alternative options considered

The Council could choose not to have a specific TA policy as it is not a statutory requirement - but it is best practice to have one and it clearly shows in a transparent way to those we are serving and the Housing Ombudsman that we have a clear process in place.