Agenda item

To recommend adoption of the policy and enable eligible clients to be more consistently assisted across the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership (report of the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership which recommended adoption of the Policy, to enable eligible clients to be more consistently assisted across the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership.

The Portfolio Holder for Strategic Housing, Leisure Centre Delivery and Spalding Town Improvement presented the report.

The following points were raised:

·       Similar schemes had been introduced in the past however, they had been very bureaucratic – would application for this scheme be more straightforward for those eligible to apply? 

o   Officers responded that there would always be an element of bureaucracy, but that this would only be applied where appropriate.  Every effort was being made to speed up the process as much as possible.

DECISION:

1)    That the Policy and Explanatory Notes attached at Appendices A and B  be adopted with effect from 1 April 2024

2)    That authority is delegated to:

a.     the relevant Assistant Director to make minor and inconsequential variations to the Policy in consultation with the Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Housing, if agreed on a countywide basis. This delegation would not be used to make changes to the Policy that substantively changed the purpose of the Policy;

b.     the relevant Assistant Director to:

                          i.         make amendments to the local variations detailed within the Explanatory Notes in consultation with the Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Housing. This delegation would not be used to make amendments to the Explanatory Notes that impacted other districts, unless agreed on a countywide basis and

                         ii.         update and remove any superseded policy provisions relating to discretionary housing assistance contained within the relevant existing council policy in consultation with the Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Housing;

c.     the Chief Executive Officer to suspend the awarding of new discretionary assistance under this policy in consultation with the relevant Assistant Director and Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Housing.

3)    That, in addition to the minor and inconsequential variations permitted within the Policy, authority is delegated to:

a.     the relevant Assistant Director to make initial amendments to the Policy in consultation with the Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Housing; to enable any appropriate recommendations from other Lincolnshire district councils’ scrutiny of the Policy to be considered and incorporated, if agreed on a countywide basis.

4)    That the delegations to SHDC officers set out within section 3 of the Explanatory notes be approved; and to the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership, Communities & Operations, and the Portfolio Holder with responsibility for housing, as set out within section 6 of in the Explanatory Notes (Appendix B).

(Other options considered:

·       To continue to operate three independent discretionary housing assistance policies across the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership and up to seven different policies across the county, with significant variation in the assistance available and processes for awarding discretionary housing financial assistance;

Reasons for decision:

·       To allow a more consistent approach across Lincolnshire to be taken in relation to discretionary housing financial assistance in order to assist vulnerable households in need to live in a safe home. This will significantly help organisations that work on a countywide basis (e.g. Health and Lincolnshire County Council occupational therapy services) to have a clearer picture of the assistance districts are able to offer.

·       To allow for the relevant provisions relating to discretionary housing assistance contained within the council’s existing policy to be updated as superseded on adoption of the Policy, and to avoid duplicate policy provisions being in operation (Appendix C).

·       To allow for appropriate amendment of the Policy, if necessary, as Lincolnshire district councils have differing approaches to policy adoption and differing timelines.

·       For information, the Policy, Explanatory Notes and associated recommendations have been considered and approved for adoption without amendment by:

• ELDC on 29 November 2023
• WLDC on 5 December 2023
• BBC on 13 December 2023.)