Agenda and draft minutes

Including any notices of motion and any other items of business submitted as urgent for consideration at the meeting.

Members should declare any financial and non-financial interests they have in the items of business for consideration, identifying the relevant agenda item and the nature of their interest.

If any.

Minute of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee of 8 August 2023 – submitted for approval as a correct record

Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee Work Programme

Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee Rolling Actions Log

Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee Business Bulletin

By Councillor Flannery – Student Homelessness Response

“Committee Notes

1)       The productive meeting, as requested in Paragraph 5 of in 8.2 Student Homelessness Crisis on 7 September on Student Homelessness and Housing at the City Chambers between representatives from Council, Student Union, Housing Co-Op, Slurp and the four Edinburgh Universities to foster a strong partnership to tackle this.

2)       The positive actions from this meeting including an urgent request to the Scottish Government to publish the PBSA Findings Review, previously agreed also at the City of Edinburgh Council on 22 of June 2023.

3)       Welcomes the University of Edinburgh’s guarantee for accommodation for first year, one-year post-graduate students, but believes this should extend to Post-Graduate Research Students, also. Also requests publication of student numbers for Years 2, 3, 4, who could be at risk from homelessness.

4)       To endorse Slurp’s Request to Universities for an emergency guarantee against Student Homelessness; that still needs to tackle potential student homelessness in years two, three and four, and that this guarantee, as above, should apply equally to Post-Graduate Research Students.

Requests therefore

5)       The Convenor to write to stakeholders from this meeting to agree a partnership-direction and timeframe to support communication, data access, and early interventions to mitigate homelessness potential in the student population.

6)       Officers review edinburgh.gov.uk and particularly the ‘Report It’ page journey to ensure adequate signposting is available to report homelessness or concerns with an HMO property.”

By Councillor Parker - Temporary accommodation for asylum seekers and 'hotel maximisation' policy change

“Committee:

1.         Condemns the UK government’s “hotel maximisation policy” which will mean that unrelated, asylum-seeking adults will be forced to room share in temporary accommodation and notes that, in Edinburgh, this will be in place at the Learmonth and Piries Hotels

2.         Notes the significant safeguarding concerns associated with this policy as well as the serious negative impact it will have on the welfare of people seeking asylum

3.         Notes with significant concern the likely impact the policy will have on health and social care services, including the NHS, and condemns the UK government for failing to work with local authority partners to prepare for this before implementing this policy change

4.         Further notes the likely impact of the policy on homelessness services, with a likely increase in the number of homelessness presentations resulting from this

5.         Considers the latest policy to be yet another example of a morally bankrupt UK government demonstrating total disregard for the rights and welfare of refugees and asylum seekers, and condemns in the strongest possible terms actions by politicians and the far-right to create a “hostile environment” and stoke a culture war against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers

Therefore, requests that the Convener and Council Leader:

6.         Write to the UK Government outlining opposition to the “hotel maximisation policy” and set out the challenges the local authority will face when implementing it

7.         Write to the relevant Scottish Government ministers seeking funding to mitigate the impact of the changes and raise through the appropriate channels at CoSLA

Finally:

8.         Requests that officers provide routine updates about the impact of the policy change via the usual reporting schedules for this Committee, and to consider – in consultation with Councillors - if additional reporting about these changes and the wider provision of housing and support for refugees and asylum seekers in the city, including those with no recourse to public funds, is appropriate.”