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Senior councillors have approved plans to spend £9 million on temporary accommodation to address existing pressures on housing.
On Monday, September 26, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet approved the Transitional Accommodation Capital Programme (TACP) which aims to deliver 75 homes.
What is Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet?
A council’s cabinet is made up of councillors in charge of different policy areas – such as education, environment, local economy, etc – and a leader.
It is separate to the council’s corporate management structure, which is headed up by its chief executive and various directors. Cabinet is made up of councillors, who are elected and have the ultimate say.
Typically, cabinet members are councillors from the party with the most elected council members.
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet is made up of:
- Cllr Sean Morgan (Nelson) – Leader
- Cllr Jamie Pritchard (Morgan Jones) – Deputy Leader; Prosperity, Regeneration and Climate Change
- Cllr Nigel George (Risca East) – Corporate Services and Property
- Cllr Eluned Stenner (New Tredegar) – Finance and Performance
- Cllr Carol Andrews (Gilfach) – Education and Communities
- Cllr Shayne Cook (Morgan Jones) – Housing
- Cllr Julian Simmonds (Crosskeys) – Highways and Transportation
- Cllr Elaine Forehead (Van) – Social Care
- Cllr Philippa Leonard (Risca East) – Planning and Public Protection
- Cllr Chris Morgan (Machen and Rudry) – Waste, Leisure and Green Spaces
Corporate management is made up of unelected employees of the council and has responsibility for day-to-day management of services, such as making sure the bins are collected. Corporate directors work with cabinet members to come up with policy which is then agreed upon by the cabinet.
Last updated June 29, 2022
The scheme hopes to address current and future temporary accommodation pressures, by providing homes for those facing homelessness.
At the meeting, head of housing, Nick Taylor-Williams, said: “It will increase our stock and our ability to house that cohort.”
The temporary accommodation scheme includes the development of 40 modular homes. It is expected these will be split up into five sites across the county borough.
Mr Taylor-Williams told the councillors: “You have to get the idea of a shipping container out of your heads.”
Empty properties and private homes are also going to be utilised under the TACP.
The report presented to Cabinet stated: “These homes should provide a solid basis for people to ‘get on with their lives’, support development or extension of cohesive, balanced communities, provide for access to services and plan for longer term homes for residents within those communities.”
The council is proposing to contribute £3,427,031, which is 36% of the cost of the scheme. The money will come from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget, and the remainder is proposed to be funded by the Welsh Government.
Councillor Shayne Cook, who is the council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Within the report there are a number of projects and schemes from the purchasing of empty properties, bringing voids back in to use, remodelling of sheltered accommodation and building of Modular Homes – which will add over 70 homes to our housing stock.
“These transitional homes will be good quality and help house those individuals who are facing homelessness.”
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