Decision details

Home Assistance Policy

Decision Maker: Executive

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Decisions:

The Executive was informed that the Department for Communities and Local Government allocated Local Housing Authorities funding to deliver a capital Disabled Facilities Grant Programme. The funding was placed into the Better Care Fund and the Clinical Commissioning Groups and Adult Social Care then made decisions on how the funding would be allocated.

 

The allocation for this Council had increased from approximately £300,000 in 2016/17 to £660,000 in 2017/18.  A similar sum was expected in 2018/19

 

In order to protect funding from the Better Care Fund it was essential that the Council could deliver fast and flexible services to residents in a way that met the health and social care agenda, and that services were embedded in the local health and social care offer.  The Home Assistance Policy identified the assistance which the Council could offer vulnerable homeowners, owners and tenants of privately and socially rented accommodation, and disabled adults and children to repair, improve or adapt their homes.  It outlined the eligibility criteria and the terms on which assistance may be provided.

 

Priority funding would be offered to applicants of mandatory Disabled Facilities Grants.  All other forms of assistance were discretionary and were therefore subject to the availability of funding.

 

Members referred to the eligibility criteria where under occupancy might exclude applicants from attracting grant funding.  Whilst it was accepted that a framework was necessary, Members asked that the criteria be interpreted leniently in order to ensure the best possible outcome for the applicant.

 

RESOLVED that the Home Assistance Policy, as set out at Annex A to the agenda report, be adopted.

 

 

Report author: Clive Jinman

Publication date: 21/02/2018

Date of decision: 06/02/2018

Decided at meeting: 06/02/2018 - Executive

Accompanying Documents: