Decision Maker: Director of Finance
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Decision:
That the fees and
charges as outlined in the Temporary Accommodation Charging
Procedure be agreed and adjusted in year for 2026/2027, as set out
in Appendix 1 to the submitted report.
Reasons for the decision:
To ensure that service
charges applied to households placed in temporary accommodation by
Torbay Council are set and recovered in accordance with Housing
Benefit Regulations, enabling the recovery of ineligible housing
costs and, where households are not entitled to Housing Benefit or
have failed to submit a claim, allowing recovery of housing costs
up to the applicable Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate. The
proposed charges reflect the Local
Housing Allowance rates for March 2026.
The decision is
required as the associated charges have only recently been agreed
with the Housing Benefit service.
Alternative options considered:
The option of
retaining charges at the current 2025/26 levels was considered;
however, this would not enable the Council to maximise the Housing
Benefit subsidy available.
Implementation:
This decision will
come into force immediately.
Information:
A review of service
charges for households in temporary accommodation provided by
Torbay Council has been completed. This allows the Council to
recover housing costs that are not eligible for Housing Benefit
and, where a household is not entitled to Housing Benefit or has
not submitted a claim, to charge housing costs up to the Local
Housing Allowance (LHA) rate.
The proposed changes
reflect both Housing Benefit Regulations and the Local Housing
Allowance rates for March 2026.
Further information
and the Equality Impact Assessment is attached to this Record of
Decision.
Interests and Nature of Interests Declared:
Publication date: 20/04/2026
Date of decision: 16/04/2026
Accompanying Documents:
