York council's handling of Salvation Army contract slammed

Cllr Danny Myers, the chair of City of York Council’s housing, health and adult social care scrutiny committee, said the intention had been to grant the charity a one-month extension on its £95,000-a-year contract after it officially came to an end in September.

“(But) we were told that they (the Salvation Army) were given the contract to sign with just five minutes to go before close of play on the Friday,” Cllr Myers said. “They could not get it signed with such short notice.

“That was for a one month extension of the contract. I understand that they could have been given another month beyond that as well, in which case they would still have been running.”

Cllr Myers said his scrutiny committee, which met earlier this week, had been told there had been a ‘breakdown in the relationship between the council and the Salvation Army because of an HR issue’. “I’m concerned about that,” he admitted.

He said the scrutiny committee had decided that he should now write to the chair of the council’s audit and governance committee asking for the way the contract had been handled since March to be reviewed.

York council announced in September that, after 17 years, it had  decided not to renew the Salvation Army’s £95,000-a-year contract to deliver homelessness services in York.

The Salvation Army's Charlie Malarkey checking on rough sleepers in York (Image: Stephen Lewis)

Instead, the council will bring the services in-house to achieve its goal of eradicating rough sleeping by the next set of council elections in 2027. 

The Salvation Army contract had initially expired at the end of March, but had been extended until September 30. It was attempts to grant a further one-month extension that failed.

READ MORE:

• YORK: Council ‘badly managed’ Salvation Army’s contract end
• Salvation Army continues to work with rough sleepers in York
• Council bosses should reverse decision on homeless service, says MP

The council’s corporate director of economy and place Neil Ferris admitted this week that the ‘conclusion of the contract was not carried out as smoothly as we would have hoped’.

But he insisted that a further lengthy extension of the contract would not have been possible without a ‘full re-procurement process’.

“Our housing specialist officers advised that their work with the navigator service provides appropriate support for the council to fulfil our statutory role, so there was no need to re-procure additional support services,” he said.

Cllr Myers stressed that it was now vital the authority produced its new rough sleepers strategy, which is under development, as soon as possible.

But he stressed that he had ‘real faith’ in the council’s executive member for housing, planning and safer communities, Cllr Michael Pavlovic, to deliver on his pledge to end rough sleeping in York.

Cllr Pavlovic said: “The council and Salvation Army are considering their ongoing relationship and how the latter’s expertise in supporting rough sleepers can positively contribute to the city in the future.

“My focus is to work to tackle homelessness and to end rough sleeping in York. I’d welcome the involvement and support of all councillors who share that ambition.”

Cllr Michael Pavlovic (Image: Supplied)

But Cllr Darryl Smalley, a Liberal Democrat member of the health, housing and adult social care scrutiny committee, said: “It’s beggars belief that City of York Council’s sheer administrative incompetence has meant that the Salvation Army’s contract to support the homeless ended a month earlier than it needed to. 

“This is a service that should never have been under threat in the first place. 

“The city’s Labour MP has called on the Labour council bosses to rethink, as have all opposition parties. 

“It’s blindingly obvious to everyone in York that Labour’s cancelling of the Salvation Army support is the wrong decision, taken at the worst possible time as winter sets in. 

“A U-turn is well overdue.”