FOI request (FOIR-108025080)

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information from Hastings Borough Council.

I would be grateful for information regarding the authority's use of the Government's funding provided under the Government's Rough Sleeping Initiative and additional funds provided under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. Specifically, I would like a month by month breakdown of spending from each fund for the financial year 2018/19 so far.

I would also be grateful if you could inform me which method Hasting Borough Council used to count or estimate the number of rough sleepers when reporting to the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government in Autumn 2018. Specifically, I would like to be advised whether the council used a street count, and if so over how many days, or whether an estimate was calculated.

Finally, I would like to know whether this method was changed from the previous reporting period in 2017 and if so what the council's reasoning for this change was.

A report on the council's spend for Flexible Homelessness Support Grant for 2018/19 can be found online at https://hastings.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=130&MId=3067&Ver=4

The council used an informed estimate for it's official count. This is based on a street count on a particular night, but also takes into account intelligence about known rough sleepers in the town, who may not have been verified on the night. The same methodology was used in 2017.

A monthly breakdown of the spend of the RSI so far is attached. It should be noted that a number of invoices for salary costs, accommodation and services by contractors are still outstanding and will be paid at year-end.

There will also be a £14,000 carry over from 2018/19 to 2019/20.

Please note: Salary information has been removed from the attached spreadsheet as this falls under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 'personal data' this is an absolute exemption and will not be provided.