MORE than 67 per cent of a pooled sum of £240,000 for tackling homelessness as part of a partnership with Cotswold, West Oxfordshire and the Forest of Dean district councils will go towards paying the salaries of two newly created officer roles.

Following the removal of the Temporary Accommodation Management Fee, the government’s new Flexible Homelessness Support Grant came into effect on April 1.

It will see £80,000 given to CDC over 2017/18 and 2018/19.

124 homelessness applications have been made to Cotswold District Council in 2016/17 while 1,499 households are currently on the social housing waiting list.

The council’s cabinet agreed last week to set up a partnership with West Oxfordshire and the Forest of Dean district councils, meaning a pooled budget of £120,000 per annum.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Stephen Hirst, CDC cabinet member for housing, health and leisure, said the council had a “very small minimal expenditure” in the area of housing benefit.

Therefore this additional funding will mean “we will now once again be able to address homelessness”, with the partnership done “in order to maximise the impact of the available funds”.

The pooled money will aim at addressing the lack of available accommodation in the three districts, including the appointment of two dedicated joint officers and the creation of a joint Private Sector Rental Fund.

392 housing allocations were made by CDC in 2016/17 up to August 23, with four families in emergency accommodation in June, costing the council £42,430 in emergency accommodation costs over the last tax year.

According to the council, there are limited options and significant costs associated with the provision of emergency accommodation within the districts, as well as a shortage of longer-term accommodation, particularly within the private rented sector.

The two new officers will, according to CDC, help to secure this, while the fund provision will help households make their new accommodation liveable.

The joint housing property manager will be paid £43,500 per year while the joint private rented sector liaison manager will be paid £37,500, both over a two-year fixed term contract.

Their combined salaries will total £162,000 leaving just £78,000 of the pooled sum, with £39,000 to be used for the Private Rented Sector Fund.

There are currently 296 long-term empty domestic dwellings in the Cotswolds.

A CDC spokesman said: "These proposals are aimed at addressing the lack of available accommodation in the three partner Districts.

"There are limited options and significant costs associated with the provision of emergency accommodation within the Districts, as well as a shortage of longer-term accommodation; particularly within the private rented sector.

"The Partner Projects are therefore to put in place two dedicated joint Officers (on two-year fixed term contracts) and a joint Private Sector Rental Fund."

Writing on Facebook last Thursday, Cllr Joe Harris, ward member for Cirencester Park on CDC, said: “Astonishing figures relating to housing in [the] Cotswold [district].

“I imagine that the housing waiting list figure is much lower than the reality as people know there's no point in enrolling on the waiting list.”

“Much more social rented housing is needed across the Cotswolds,” he added.

The number of homeless applications has gone down since 2015/16 when there were 161, while 22 homeless households were living in emergency accommodation.

An outline planning application for up 2,350 homes in Chesterton, which will be voted on by district councillors next Tuesday, includes 30 per cent affordable housing, which works out to be 705 homes.

This application was submitted by Bathurst Development Ltd and has been developed in line with CDC’s draft local plan for housing.