Executive Director of Infrastructure & Regeneration

Richard Cairns

Council Offices, Garshake Road, DumbartonG82 3PU

Our Ref:SJS 1636 1338408

Your Ref:

Date:18th February, 2014

If calling or telephoning please ask for: - Susan Stopford, Assistant Strategy Officer

Tel No. 01389 737112Fax No. 01389 737637

Mr. William Gomes

Email:

Dear Mr. Gomes,

Freedom of Information Request

Housing Waiting Lists

Information Requested

West Dunbartonshire Council received your request for information on 20th January 2014, relating to the above topic. You requested:

1. How many people are under Council’s Housingwaiting list at present?
Would you please specify the age group, gender andthe number of minorities, BME community who are in the council's housing waiting list?
2. Would you please give specifyhow many peoplehave applied for one bedroom, two bedrooms, three bedrooms, four bedrooms, Five bedroomsin year 2012-2013?
3.Please provide number of how many people you have accommodated following the statutory duty under housing act who havebeen declared themselves as homeless and sissified the homelessness assessment process. Please give number by year starting from January 2012 to December 2013.Please also specify their gender, age group and if possible ethnic identity.
4.Please provide number the people who are in current council waiting list who are homeless.
5. Please share what are the present council policy to address homelessness. And how council is allocating budget for that.
6. Please share the total number of council house and please specify the type of the house and number and area and how many are current empty.
7. Please provide how much council had spent yearly since January 2012 to December 2013, to build new council house/flat.
8. According to the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002) all Local Authorities must have a Homelessness Strategy in place What are the homelessness strategy of the Council. Please share the yearly the yearly of starting from January 2012 to December 2013.
No question number 9
10. Under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002)Council has certain responsibilities towards people who are homeless or threatened with
homelessness. Would you please provide number, age,gender to whom you provided service following the specific law?
11. How long you take to process housing benefit claim. How many housing benefit claim has been process by the council since January 2012 to December 2013. Please provide number of each year.
12. How much council had spent to pay the employee who are working on homeless issues in council?Please give yearly details starting from January 2012 to December 2013.
13. How many people were successfully prosecuted for housing benefit fraud during year 2012 and 2013?
14. Did council appointed any third party to find out or tackle benefit fraud. If yes, Who is the company and how much council has paid them for the service.

Council’s Response

We hold the information requested and list below under the terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Question 1

How many people are under Council’s Housingwaiting list at present?
Would you please specify the age group, gender andthe number of minorities, BME community who are in the council's housing waiting list?

Current number of applicants on West Dunbartonshire Council housing list is at 28/01/14: 4494

We are unable to provide breakdown by age group or gender

We have 22 applications recorded that would fit the criteria of BME communities

Question 2

Would you please give specifyhow many peoplehave applied for one bedroom, two bedrooms, three bedrooms, four bedrooms, fivebedroomsin year 2012-2013?

In the financial year 2012/13 – 892 new applications were received requiring the following bedroom size:

1 bed – 501

2 bed – 236

3 bed – 100

4 bed – 44

5+bed - 11
Question 3

Please provide number of how many people you have accommodated following the statutory duty under housing act who havebeen declared themselves as homeless and sissified the homelessness assessment process. Please give number by year starting from January 2012 to December 2013.Please also specify their gender, age group and if possible ethnic identity.

In the Period January 2012 to December 2013

786 customers whom we had a duty for the provision of permanent accommodation were housed in a Local Authority tenancy. In addition 322 were housed by other Social housing Providers under section 5 of the 2001 Act. 1108 in total accommodated in permanent accommodation.

Report does not identify gender,age group or ethnicity

Question 4

Please provide number the people who are in current council waiting list who are homeless.

As at 31st December 2013 for those who were assessed as “duty to House” 341 are awaiting permanent accommodation.
Question 5

Please share what are the present council policy to address homelessness. And how council is allocating budget for that.

Please refer to the response to question 8
Question 6

Please share the total number of council house and please specify the type of the house and number and area and how many are currently empty.

There are 11078 current WDC properties across 3 geographical locations. Stock and void information as follows:

Alexandria : current properties 2969, current void 82

Dumbarton : current properties 2446, current void 86

Clydebank: current properties 5664, current void 350
Question 7

Please provide how much council had spent yearly since January 2012 to December 2013, to build new council house/flat.

New Build spend in the period January 2012 – 2013:

Miller Road, Haldane: £1,596,916.98

Granville St Phase 1: £ 2,536,159.00

Granville St Phase 2: £ 821,363.00

Bellsmyre: £ 152,027.00

Question 8

According to the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002) all Local Authorities must have a Homelessness Strategy in place What are the homelessness strategy of the Council council. Please share the yearly the yearly of starting from January 2012 to December 2013.

The last Homelessness strategy, Ending Homelessness in West Dunbartonshire, ran from 2008 until 2013. Last year a new Homelessness strategy was written in consultation with the homelessness service, internal and external services, service users and residents of West Dunbartonshire. This new strategy was approved in August 2013 and will run until 2016. A copy of the committee paper, the strategy and the equalities impact assessment can be seen below.

Committee paper

Homelessness strategy

Equality impact assessment

Question 10

Under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002) Council has certain responsibilities towards people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. Would you please provide number, age,gender to whom you provided service following the specific law?

In the Period January 12 to December 2013. Assessed as Homeless/ Threatened with homelessness “duty to House"

Age / Male / Female
16 to 17yrs / 34 / 45
18 to 24yrs / 256 / 292
25 to 34yrs / 289 / 275
35 to 44yrs / 194 / 148
45 to 54yrs / 140 / 88
55 to 64yrs / 53 / 31
65+ / 22 / 13

1880 Total

Question 11

How long you take to process housing benefit claim. How many housing benefit claim has been process by the council since January 2012 to December 2013. Please provide number of each year.

The average processing time for quarter 3 (October 2014 to December 2014) was 22.6 days. We processed 6451 claims for the period January 2012 to December 2012 and 5174 claims for the period January 2013 to December 2013.
Question 12

How much council had spent to pay the employee who are working on homeless issues in council?Please give yearly details starting from January 2012 to December 2013.

Homeless Staff costs :- / 2013/14 / 2012/13
to mid-Jan 2014
APT & C Staff - Salaries (inc. standby) / £768,384 / £972,371
APT & C Staff - Overtime / £7,987 / £6,837
APT & C Staff - Superannuation / £121,275 / £128,088
APT & C Staff - National Insurance / £58,152 / £76,460
£955,798 / £1,183,756

Question 13

How many people were successfully prosecuted for housing benefit fraud during year 2012 and 2013?

- Successful prosecutions for period 1/4/12-31/03/13= 14

- Successful prosecutions for period 1/4/13-27/01/14= 11
Question 14

Did council appointed any third party to find out or tackle benefit fraud. If yes, who is the company and how much council has paid them for the service.

This information has been disclosed in terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. Information disclosed to you may be subject to copyright laws. By providing this information West Dunbartonshire Council does not waive copyright nor does it create or provide a right to publish, disclose, reproduce, re-use or alter this information without consent of those parties holding the copyright.

Review Procedure

If you are dissatisfied with the way in which West Dunbartonshire Council has dealt with your request, you are entitled to require the council to review its decision. Please note that in order for a review to take place, you must:-

lodge a written “requirement for review” within 40 working days of the date of this notice
include your address for correspondence, a description of the original request and the reasons why you are dissatisfied.
address your review request to Manager, Legal Services:

Alan Douglas

Manager, Legal Services

Legal, Democratic and Regulatory Services

West Dunbartonshire Council

Council Offices

Garshake Road

Dumbarton

G82 3PU

Email:

Fax:(01389) 737870

Staff not involved in the original decision will handle the review. You will receive notice of the result of your review within 20 working days. It will explain the findings of the review as well as details of how to appeal to the Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner if you are dissatisfied with the review decision reached by West Dunbartonshire Council.

If you have any further queries about this process, please contact Susan Stopford 01389 737112

Yours sincerely,

Susan Stopford

Assistant Strategy Officer