Issue - meetings

Report of Corporate Director of Resident Services

Due to apologies being received from the author of the report, Steve Oakley, Head of Contracting and Procurement, presented the report, detailing refugee resettlement work being carried out in partnership with registered charities Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum and Enable, on the basis of grant awards and Service Level Agreements.

Mr Oakley stated that, as of 2020, previous resettlement schemes (the ‘Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme’ and the ‘Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme’) had wound down, and new schemes, including the ‘United Kingdom Resettlement Scheme’, ‘Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme’, and ‘Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy’ had been established.

Furthermore, following the emergency evacuation of Afghanistan during summer 2021, the Home Office had established several hotels nationally as temporary ‘bridging’ accommodation for Afghan evacuees, with associated funding of £28 per person per day available to claim in arrears. This funding already amounted to over £100,000, and the value may reach £1,000,000 should the contingency remain in place for a year (as suggested by Home Office estimates). It should be further noted that this arrangement was imposed on a no-choice basis. Therefore, the report sought approval for the continued participation in grant-funded refugee resettlement schemes operated by the Home Office, to the end of the financial year 2026-27, and acceptance and spend of the money associated with the schemes, as detailed in the report.

The Committee stated that, in light of the author not being present, therefore members being unable to receive answers to the questions they had, they were of the opinion that deferral of the item to a future meeting should be considered. However, in light of the timescale involved, and to enable the refugee resettlement work to continue, the following resolutions would be made.

Resolved

(1)  to approve extension of participation in refugee resettlement schemes to the end of the financial year 2026-27, and authorise acceptance and drawdown of relevant grant monies;

(2)  to approve continuation of Accountable Body duties in support of neighbouring first-tier authorities to deliver resettlement;

(3)  to delegate authority to the Head of Service, Community Partnerships, to award a contract worth up to:

(a)  £284,000 to Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum to deliver casework, orientation and integration services to qualifying residents until September 2022, and to approve the associated spend;

(b)  £112,000 from existing grant reserves to Enable to deliver English language tuition services to qualifying residents until September 2022;

(4)   to approve commencement of a tender process for services contracts beyond September 2022, for a period to be determined, and grant delegated authority to the Corporate Director for Resident Services to award the contracts to the successful bidder;

(5)  that the Committee did not approve recommendations 6 and 8 of the report and:

(a)  the Corporate Director for Resident Services be requested to submit a further report to a future meeting, detailing the reasons for those recommendations;

(b)  that should there be operational difficulties prior to submission of the report, the Corporate Director should consult with the Chair, who has been delegated authority in the interim  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33