Decisions

Bristol City Council’s Supported Housing Delivery Plan – which sits within our Affordable Housing Delivery Plan 2022-2025 (Project 1000) - has been developed to clearly outline our future supported housing priorities to our delivery partners for different cohorts over the next 5 years.
This plan provides information about the new supported housing we need in the city. It is driven by three of our service transformation programmes in Children and Families, Adult Social Care, and Temporary Accommodation, and it aims to prioritise investment, provide greater local choice of housing, care and support options, improve outcomes for citizens, and help to deliver the savings that we as a council need to make.
The Plan sets out the supported housing need of different cohorts below:
•Preparing for Adulthood (Transitions)
•Autistic people
•People with learning disabilities
•People with mental health support needs
•People experiencing multiple disadvantage
•Young people including care leavers (18+)
•Families experiencing homelessness
•Single people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping
•People experiencing domestic abuse
•People with substance use support needs.
By increasing the supply of high-quality, supported housing we can enable people to live more independently and have the support they require to succeed.

Following support at the Supported Housing Delivery Board and at joint Cabinet Member briefings, approval is given to publish and promote the Supported Housing Delivery Plan. This will ensure our future supported housing priorities are clear to our delivery partners.

To allow the disposal of Council owned sites to Goram Homes to support housing delivery so to further build the company’s development pipeline and increase the supply of high quality affordable and market sale housing for the benefit of the whole of the city and to meet corporate objectives and commitments.
The transaction will initially proceed to an exchange of contracts (targeting end of current financial year/early April) with completion on satisfaction of the Project Agreement Condition relating to viability. Both sites benefit from outline planning permission with Dovercourt (ref 22/00632/PB) providing up to 140 residential units and New Fosseway (ref 22/01990/PB) up to 200 residential units (including a 70-bed extra care home and up to 250 sqm of Class E, F1 and F2 uses).
Goram Homes Limited are currently negotiating a Development Agreement with HRA on both sites and are targeting an April completion. These negotiations are independent of the sale contract.

To approve the sale of the former Dovercourt Depot, Lockleaze and former School at New Fosseway, Hengrove to Goram Homes Limited.

The electricity supply contract for the Council’s larger sites (Half-Hourly supplies), which involves a ‘sleeving’ arrangement (using the Council’s own wind turbines and solar farm to virtually supply Council buildings) was only extended to September 2024, in anticipation of new supply arrangements coming in to effect from October 2024. These new arrangements were the ‘Sleeved Pool’, a much wider sleeving arrangement involving City Leap and other renewable energy generators. The development of these new arrangements has taken longer than anticipated, and will not now be in place by October 2024.
The renewal of the current electricity supply arrangements included an option to call off a further six months for the larger site supply (October 2024 – March 2025) as a contingency in case of delays in the Sleeved Pool development work, which it is now proposed to invoke.

To extend the electricity supply contract for the larger Council sites for a further six months, calling off an optional extension included in the last contract renewal.

To ensure compliance with grant conditions and to support those accommodated in Bristol pending resolution of their Asylum Claims.

Bristol City Council has received a series of 5 grants from the Home Office to support it to fulfil its statutory duties and to support full asylum dispersal. Just under 50% of the sum of those grants has not been spent. The decision taken is to spend the remaining funding in two phases. In phase 1, mid March 2024 to end September 2024 Voluntary Sector partners will continue to receive grants. We will also use part of the funding to support BCC staffing costs and to fund immigration advice. During phase 1 we will review needs of Asylum Seekers to ensure phase 2 (October 2024 to end May 2025), spending is aligned with developing need.

This OED follows on from the cabinet approval in September 2023 to tender a single Adult Social Care framework which gives delegated authority on framework spend. The BNSSG Learning Disability and Autism Development Team (hosted by BCC) is requesting approval to procure the model recommended within this report. This is part of the commissioning forward plan and in line with Bristol’s commissioning strategy and ASC transformation objectives.
The project will restructure the Learning Disability and Autism sector of the care market. At present, support for over 1,200 people with a learning disability and/or autism is ‘spot purchased’. That accounts for £73,337,485 p.a. or 35% of the total ASC purchasing budget. Spot purchasing care as individual needs arise has been shown to be an unsustainable method of procurement. It does not enable the availability of sufficient levels of service of adequate quality across all localities in Bristol. In addition, significant cost is built into each package to ensure provider sustainability. There is also insufficient service provision across the Care Ladder.
Adopting a more strategic approach will enable commissioners to take a proactive role in developing a sustainable local care market: a statutory requirement of councils with ASC responsibilities under the Care Act (2014). Data from the Local Government Association (LGA) and other sources suggest that due to insufficiencies of local supply, Bristol places proportionately more people with learning disabilities into residential care with no incentive for providers to step people down.
This model will bring benefits to citizens, service providers and Bristol City Council. Citizens will experience better consistency and choice in their care and support. There will be an improved incentivised approach to moving through the existing Care Ladder pathway for people with a learning disability and autistic people. Through this they will be able to access appropriate support and care at the right time, near to the place they call home. This will be achieved by the Strategic Partners working collaboratively with all key stakeholders enabling service users to seamlessly move up or down the Care Ladder when there is a change in their needs. Also, by concentrating new business through fewer key contracts that can be managed more effectively.
A Strategic Partner model was a key recommendation that 31Ten consultancy made in 2022 when they were commissioned to consider strategic commissioning approaches. This model aims to reduce the number of providers overall and work towards better value for money and a more sustainable market by commissioning at more sustainable rates than can be achieved through spot purchase. This will enable closer collaborative relationships between Strategic Partners and Bristol City Council. Partners will also have opportunities to expand their provision further and to develop place-based approaches locally.

Approval to procure the Strategic Partner model recommended on the Officer Executive Decision.

Project 1000 Affordable Housing Delivery Plan, and New Council Homes Development Programme (HRA Business Plan).
This decision is made in accordance with The Project 1000 Affordable Housing Delivery Plan 2022-25 which outlines how the council will focus its land, time, money, and influence to improve the way affordable housing is delivered in Bristol.
This decision is also in accordance with the New Council Homes Development Programme (HRA Business Plan) approved by Cabinet and Full Council.

That the Executive Director of Growth and Regeneration, the Section 151 Officer and the Cabinet Member for Housing (with appropriate legal and procurement advice) approves entering into contract with One Dovercourt LLP (`direct’ award) for the development of 70 affordable homes.