Request for Information - 2015/11045 - Emergency/Temporary Accommodation

 

Thank you for your request for information received on 07/04/2015.

 

This will be processed in accordance with the appropriate access to
information regime.

 

Regards

 

Corporate Support and Information Team

[1][Wandsworth Council request email]

[2]Building an even stronger Wandsworth

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Request for Information - 2015/11045 - Emergency/Temporary Accommodation

 

I refer to your request for information received on 07/04/2015.  Please
see the information below in response to your request: -

 

Can you please provide me with information on the following category of
service (a category of service would be classed as an area of business
within the Council, for example Transport or Social Care):

 

1)                  Does the Council currently operate any form of
supplier framework (a supplier framework would classed as a list of
enrolled and accredited companies or individuals that provide goods or
services to the Local Authority) for :-

a.                   Temporary Accommodation

No – all services are either spot purchased or provided in house.

b.                  Emergency Accommodation

As above.

 

2)                  If the Council does operate a supplier framework, when
do these frameworks run out? :-

a.                   Temporary Accommodation

N/a

b.                  Emergency Accommodation

N/a

 

3)                  If the Council does operate a supplier framework, how
many suppliers are listed on the framework?:-

a.                   Temporary Accommodation

N/a

b.                  Emergency Accommodation

N/a

 

4)                  During the financial year of 2014/15, what has been
the actual spend of:-

Temporary Accommodation: -     

£1,921,683.67

Emergency Accommodation: -   

£6,560,668.72

 

5)                  During the financial year of 2014/15, what has been
the actual spend of “spot purchases” or housing placements that were not
purchased on the supplier framework (if one does exist):-

a.                   Temporary Accommodation

N/a

b.                  Emergency Accommodation

N/a

 

6)                  What has been the number of placements in the
financial year of 2014/15 broken down into temporary and emergency
accommodation?

a.                   Temporary Accommodation

537

b.                  Emergency Accommodation

1346

 

7)                  During the financial year of 2014/15 how many
placements were above the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate and what was
the value of the net losses?

a)      Temporary Accommodation –

In accordance with the provisions defined under section 12 of the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 we are not obliged to comply with your request as
the process of identifying, locating, retrieving and, where appropriate,
extracting the information would exceed the 'appropriate limit' as defined
by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and
Fees) Regulations 2004.

Our Housing and Community Services Department estimate that to process
your request and to identify how many Temporary Accommodation placements
were above the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate, and the value of the
net losses, would take significantly in excess of 18 hours.  They do not
hold LHA rates on the system which means that there is no way in which
they can readily extract the requested information automatically,
therefore the only way to identify this would be to manually examine
documentation in each file.  To find out if rates are above the LHA rate
they would need to find the postcode and the property size and look up
each booking.  The number of bookings, as per Question 6, is 537 and they
estimate that each one would take approximately 10 minutes, equating to a
total of 89.5 hours.  You may wish to narrow the scope of your request in
order to try and bring it within the cost limit.

 

b)      Emergency Accommodation –

In accordance with the provisions defined under section 12 of the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 we are not obliged to comply with your request as
the process of identifying, locating, retrieving and, where appropriate,
extracting the information would exceed the 'appropriate limit' as defined
by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and
Fees) Regulations 2004.

As described above, to find out if rates are above the LHA rate they would
need to find the postcode and the property size and look up each booking. 
The number of bookings, as per Question 6, is 1346 and they estimate that
each one would take approximately 10 minutes, equating to a total of over
224 hours.  You may wish to narrow the scope of your request in order to
try and bring it within the cost limit.

 

8)                  Does the Council utilise a technology (this could be
either a piece of software or computer programme) to help commission
Temporary/Emergency Accommodation for a citizen or to management the
current stock of social housing?

No

 

9)                  If so, when does the contract for these services
expire and what has been the cost for the contract?

a.                   Expiration date

N/a

b.                  Cost

N/a

 

10)               What is the size of the team that works within the
Housing Department of the Council?

88 FTEs in Housing Services.

 

11)               Please can you provide me with a hierarchy of the team
that comprises the Housing Department with names and job roles?

Please see PDFs attached of the Housing Services Section.

 

I hope this information meets your needs.  If you do not understand the
information provided or wish to discuss anything further please feel free
to contact me and I, or another member of the team, will be able to assist
you.

 

Please note that all material provided by Wandsworth Council in response
to your request for information is for your personal, non-commercial use.
 Wandsworth Council reserves all rights in the copyright of the
information provided.  Any unauthorised copying or adaptation of the
information without express written confirmation from Wandsworth Council
may constitute an infringement of copyright.  Any intention to re-use this
information commercially may require consent.  Please forward any requests
for re-use of information to the FOI officer.

 

If you are dissatisfied with the information provided in relation to your
request you may make representations to the Chief Executive. 
Correspondence should be addressed to: 

 

Corporate Support and Information Team, Room 149, Wandsworth Town Hall,
Wandsworth High Street, London, SW18 2PU.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: 

 

Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

 

Regards

Sue Murray

Corporate Support and Information Team

[1][Wandsworth Council request email]

 

 

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