Agenda item

To receive a report of the Strategic Director for Adult Care, Housing and Public Health recommending the adoption of a new Aids and Adaptations Assistance Policy. The proposed Policy sets out how the Council intends to exercise its powers under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) Order 2002 by consolidating the traditional assistance for aids and adaptations with a range of new discretionary grants.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1.             Approve the adoption of the new Aids and Adaptations Assistance Policy (Appendix 1) and note the new scheme of delegation for authorising grants.

2.             Approve the proposed increase in Disabled Facilities Grant fees from 10% to 15% in order to pay for additional administrative and technical services costs associated with the new Policy and note that the Council is permitted to include necessary and reasonable fees associated with Disabled Facilities Grant applications within the overall cost of the eligible works.

3.             Delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Adult Care Housing and Public Health who can subdelegate to the Assistant Director of Housing in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing to prioritise or withdraw discretionary assistance in accordance with the Aids and Adaptations Assistance Policy and in line with the available budget.

4.             Delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Adult Care Housing and Public Health to make minor amendments to the Policy when the need is identified.

The Chair invited the Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health to introduce the report. It was anticipated that the proposals would have a positive impact on the health and social care system. It provided a platform to access support and make significant changes, perhaps at speed, to enable people to have a higher quality of life.

It was outlined that aids and adaptations ranged from low-cost solutions such as grab rails to more complex and costly adaptations such as installation of level-access showers or in some instances, extensions. The Chair welcomed the Assistant Director of Housing and the Operational Manager - Housing Options to the meeting.

The current Aids and Adaptation Policy was adopted in April 2015. In July 2023, the Cabinet agreed to review the policy and put in place some temporary delegations to facilitate continued delivery of the service. The review took place between July and October 2023. In addition to considering the latest best practice, the review also compared access from residents living in different housing tenure, the most common types of adaptations needed and associated costs and budgets. Views and feedback from stakeholders, partners and service users were gathered.

Following the review’s conclusion, it was recommended that a new Aids and Adaptations Assistance Policy (attached as Appendix 1) be adopted, alongside revised financial delegations. The proposed policy set out how the Council intended to exercise its powers under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) Order 2002 by consolidating the traditional assistance for aids and adaptations with a range of new discretionary grants.

Legislation required all local authorities to have a published document in place setting out the Council’s policy on the local grant assistance related to aids and adaptations. The proposed policy therefore set out the types of assistance available to qualifying homeowners, Council tenants, private tenants and housing association tenants. The proposed policy supported disabled residents, older people, children and their families, with adaptations that supported independence whilst also enabling carers to continue to support residents safely. The policy included details of how to apply, eligibility and related conditions apply to the assistance available.

It was noted that funding for aids and adaptations was complex. For residents who are not council tenants, Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) were funded by the Government as part of the Better Care Fund. For council tenants, aids and adaptations were funded from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA).

The Council’s Housing and Social Care Services and the National Health Service (NHS) had responsibility for the delivery of integrated services and recognised the benefits of enabling people to stay in their homes wherever possible. The development of preventative services could help to avoid more costly interventions at a later stage. The review highlighted that the current policy did not fully reflect the principles of an integrated approach and could benefit from strong alignment with the better care priorities. The new policy included updated principles and objectives that reflected a collaborative, multi-agency approach to assess people especially in relation to high-cost adaptations, in order to ensure the most cost-effective solution met the needs of individuals, family and/or carer.

Further details were provided in the report on the following issues:

·       Objectives and principles.

·       Discretionary grants and means testing.

·       Managing demand more effectively.

·       Role of private and housing association landlords.

·       Accessibility of the policy.

·       DFG fees and charges.

·       Making the best use of adapted council homes.

·       Decision-making.

Under the Regulatory Reform Order 2002 (RRO) the Council had a general power to assist households with the improvement of living conditions and allowed for more flexibility in the use of DFGs. It was proposed that the Council adopted the new Policy under the RRO.

It was proposed that new discretionary grants would be introduced while maintaining and updating the existing top-up grant. The new grants would enhance the range and flexibility of grants on offer to residents across different housing tenure, while supporting wider objectives including avoiding costs in the social care and health systems. The grants would be subject to financial resources being available and could be withdrawn in circumstances of budgetary constraints. It was proposed that means testing for the new discretionary grants was not applied, with a lighter touch assessment of financial resources introduced to meet the qualifying conditions of the grant.

The Council was permitted to include costs incurred for necessary fees associated with the application process, including technical services and administration costs. It was outlined that a benchmarking exercise had established that most local authorities charge between 12% and 15%, with Rotherham charging a lower fee of 10%. It was proposed that there should be an increase to 15%, incorporated into the grant award to cover additional costs in relation to the delivery of the service.

The report outlined proposals for decision-making, with thresholds clarified for financial approval limits. It was noted that any decision above £250,000 would require an Officer Decision Notice. Delegation was also given to the Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health and Assistant Director of Housing to make minor changes to the policy in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing. The policy would be reviewed annually, with significant changes reported to Cabinet for approval.

The Chair invited questions and comments from Board Members and a discussion on the following issues ensued:

·      The proposals outlined in the report were welcomed. Clarification was sought about the number of applications from private tenants being significantly lower and the reasons behind this. In response, it was highlighted that it was assumed that private residents were not aware of this assistance being available. It was felt that means testing could act as a disincentive and there was evidence that some disabled people had withdrawn their application as they were reluctant to go through the means testing process.

·      It was noted that work was underway with third sector organisations to publicise the change in policy should it be approved. A communications plan had also been developed.

·      Clarification was sought on how private landlords could access the support for tenants and if adaptations would be made by approved contractors and inspected. It was confirmed that the Council would sign off any work.

·      It was highlighted that officers had worked with Foundations Independent Living Trust to identify best practice and engage with stakeholders to identify what improvements could be made to the policy and how these could be communicated.

·      Assurance was sought that members would receive a briefing prior to the changes being made in April 2024 and following the Council elections for any newly elected councillors. It was confirmed that this would be actioned.

·      Details were sought about how the expected rise in applications would be managed to ensure adaptations were made on a timely basis. It was anticipated that applications would be more straightforward to process. The proposal to increase the fees would cover staffing costs. Written details would be provided on staffing numbers. Discussions had also taken place with contractors.

·      It was noted that Rotherfed Tenants’ Scrutiny Panel undertook a review on aids and adaptations and if this had been referenced as part of the policy’s development. It was outlined that all recommendations from their report had been accepted and actioned. It was confirmed that Rotherfed had been consulted on the proposals and if approved, would be involved in developing a customer friendly version.

·      Clarification was sought on how the register of adapted properties would work in practice. It was noted that details of adaptations were available but there was not a separate register or the ability to make direct lets to people who required specific adaptations. It was outlined that moving to a dedicated register was a significant undertaking. This would require a change to the Housing Allocations Policy which would be subject to a separate review in 2024.

·       Details were sought about how the policy compared with local and national best practice. It was outlined that benchmarking had taken place with other local authorities, and the learning applied to the policy proposals.

Resolved:

1)    That Cabinet be advised that the recommendations be supported.

That Cabinet:

1.         Approve the adoption of the new Aids and Adaptations Assistance Policy (Appendix 1) and note the new scheme of delegation for authorising grants.

2.         Approve the proposed increase in Disabled Facilities Grant fees from 10% to 15% in order to pay for additional administrative and technical services costs associated with the new Policy and note that the Council is permitted to include necessary and reasonable fees associated with Disabled Facilities Grant applications within the overall cost of the eligible works.

3.         Delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Adult Care Housing and Public Health who can subdelegate to the Assistant Director of Housing in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing to prioritise or withdraw discretionary assistance in accordance with the Aids and Adaptations Assistance Policy and in line with the available budget.

4.         Delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Adult Care Housing and Public Health to make minor amendments to the Policy when the need is identified.

2)    That an update be provided to OSMB (or nominated Select Commission) on the impact of the policy, 12 months after its implementation.