On 14 February 2023, Cabinet:-
(i) Agreed to bid to and accept the Department
for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for Capital funding from the
Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) to support the acquisition of 20 family
sized properties from the LAHF Main Programme and 10 large family sized
properties from the LAHF Bridging Programme;
(ii) If additional funding is available beyond
the published allocation, agreed to bid for and accept grant for up to a
further 20 family sized properties from the Main Programme;
(iii) Authorised the Strategic Director for City
Housing to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with DLUHC setting out
DLUHC’s commitments and the Council’s commitments to deliver the LAHF
programme, alongside the associated monitoring arrangements;
(iv) Agreed to extend Birmingham City Council’s
pledge towards Government refugee resettlement schemes (namely, the Afghan
Citizens Resettlement Scheme) to include any individuals accommodated by
properties acquired through this funding. This cannot be specified at this
stage but could be in the region of 80-120 additional individuals;
(v) Accepted the integration funding
associated with refugee resettlement at a per capita rate of £20,520 per
individual minimum. The total value will depend on the number of bed spaces
procured by the Bridging element of the Housing Fund but based on 80-120
individuals this would be £1,641,600 to £2,462,400;
(vi) Authorised the City Solicitor (or their
delegate) to negotiate and agree all legal documents to give effect to the
above recommendations.
THE
DEADLINE FOR CALL IN IS 1600 HOURS ON MONDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2023.