Issue - meetings

The Private Sector Housing Manager presented the Housing Assistance Policy for Members’ consideration.

The Housing Assistance Policy detailed assistance that could be provided by the Council to fund adaptations to properties.  The particular focus was on assisting residents with disabilities and there were statutory duties to be met in respect of use of Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding.  In addition, the Council was in a position to distribute a number of discretionary grants to assist residents with their housing.

The policy had been developed jointly with colleagues at other Councils in Worcestershire.  This would ensure a consistent approach was applied across the county.  The application of the policy and use of grant funding would enable the Council to meet statutory duties in respect of keeping people in their homes and providing quality housing.

Once the report had been presented, Members discussed the following points in detail:

·             The extent to which the recent pause on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) might impact on the policy.  Officers confirmed that no impact was anticipated and that the co-ordinated approach across the county was simply designed to align processes.

·             The approach to providing housing assistance that had been adopted in other parts of the country and whether any benchmarking had been undertaken to compare practices in Worcestershire to other areas.  Cabinet was informed that benchmarking had not been undertaken, although it was suggested that this would be a useful exercise to undertake in the future.

·             The adoption of an approach that aligned with national best practice and the fact that this was likely to compare favourably to some other counties.

·             The level of flexibility available to Councils in respect of use of discretionary grant funding.

·             The specific requirements that local authorities needed to meet when utilising DFGs to fund adaptations to properties.

·             The sensitivities surrounding the use of DFG funding and the casework that this could generate for Councillors.

RESOLVED that

1)          The Housing Assistance Policy be approved and adopted; and

2)          Delegated authority be granted to the Assistant Director of Community and Housing Services, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing, to agree any revisions to the Housing Assistance Policy and in line with any legislative or government guidance updates.