Agenda item - Current and Future Pressures in Disabled Facilities Grant Delivery

The report of the Director – Neighbourhoods is attached.

It was RESOLVED that Cabinet:

a) calls upon partner authorities in the County to explore transformational change to support a more equitable distribution of the BCF, which will assist in meeting local need and align with the aspirations to progress a County deal project with pooled resources;

b) transfers £500,000 from the Support for Registered Housing Providers (RHP) budget (funded through the receipts set-aside from Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT) of housing stock) to support DFG costs;

c) develops and implements an operational waiting list to prioritise applications in line with budget provision;

d) amends the current Council DFG Policy to suspend the use of discretionary DFG funding until a review of the national formula is undertaken, or the adoption of an alternative county model to administer DFG applications;

e) ensures an assessment is undertaken to consider the likely future demand and impact on the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and capital resources. The MTFS to be updated for 2023/24; and

f) makes representations to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUC) to review the Better Care Fund and national DFG formula to achieve a more equitable distribution of resources based on updated health and social care needs to achieve better health and wellbeing outcomes.

The Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing, Councillor Upton presented the report of the Director – Neighbourhoods outlining the current and future pressures in Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) Delivery.

Councillor Upton advised that this issue was close to his heart and stated that this Conservative administration strove to improve the lives of all of its residents, as people with disabilities were often hidden from the public gaze. Cabinet was reminded that the Council had a fine record in providing adaptations; however, a financial watershed had now been reached.

Councillor Upton referred to an emerging financial problem concerning a legal requirement to give means tested grants towards essential adaptations. Cabinet noted that the budget for those grants in 2022/23 was £853k, which comprised of an allocation from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUC) towards the cost, which was calculated on a set formula, and the Council’s own contribution. Councillor Upton confirmed that the allocation from the DLUC was only intended to contribute, and not to cover the entire cost.

Cabinet was advised that until 2020/21 the Council had been able to keep within its budget; however, a combination of events, including an ageing demographic, increased demand and rising costs had meant that this was no longer possible, and immediate, short-term action was required, to ensure that the Council could comply with its legal duty to keep within budget this financial year. Of the six recommendations in the report, Councillor Upton stated that perhaps the key ones related to a one-off transfer of £500k from the Support for Registered Housing Providers Budget into this year’s DFG budget, the suspension of the discretionary funding and asking the DLUC to have a more equitable distribution of the Better Care Fund.

In conclusion, Councillor Upton advised that going forward a more permanent solution to the increasing demands on the Council’s DFG budget would be required.

In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Brennan agreed that disability could happen to anyone, too often people were hidden away from public consciousness, and it was important that the Council did all that it could to provide the best facilities possible for those residents. Although the issue was becoming increasingly challenging, it was pleasing to note that the Council was continuing to prioritise this provision, as could be seen in the very innovative and creative recommendations outlined in this detailed report.

Councillor Moore confirmed that the budget would not be altering, money was being transferred over, which was a sensible use of an existing budget and the Finance team was already looking at next year and future budgets and the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

The Leader referred to Table 1 in the report, which set out the allocation and underspend for each district/borough and was staggered to see the level of underspend, particularly in one district of over £1m. Cabinet was reminded that Rushcliffe’s allocation was also substantially less than many other areas, which was difficult to accept, when as had been mentioned, disability could happen to anyone and transcended everything.

Councillor Upton agreed with those sentiments and advised that officers had been in preliminary talks with other districts/boroughs in the county regarding the possible pooling of resources; however, those had not been particularly positive up to now.