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.

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.

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.

This decision will come into force immediately.

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.

None