To consider the adoption of the Lincolnshire Discretionary Housing Financial Assistance Policy.

1)       That the Policy and Explanatory Notes attached at Appendices A and B be approved for adoption with effect from 01/04/2024;

2)       That authority be delegated to:

a.       the relevant Assistant Director to make minor and inconsequential variations to the Policy in consultation Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Housing, if agreed on a countywide basis. This delegation will not be used to make changes to the Policy that substantively change 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 will not be used to make amendments to the Explanatory Notes that impact other districts, unless agreed on a countywide basis and

ii.        remove and update any superseded policy provisions relating to discretionary housing assistance contained within the relevant existing council policy in consultation with the Portfolio Holder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 be 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 approval be given for the ELDC delegations to officers as set in the Explanatory Notes.

A report was presented to recommend the adoption of the Lincolnshire Discretionary Housing Financial Assistance Policy.  The Discretionary Housing Financial Assistance (DHFA) policy (the Policy) (Appendix A) had been developed by all seven Lincolnshire district councils working collaboratively with Lincolnshire County Council, to:

•         create a level of consistency across the county and maximise the contribution that DFG / BCF can make;

•         enable vulnerable people to live independently in a home of their own; and

•         reduce the need for more expensive health and social care service interventions.

District councils had in many cases already adopted discretionary policies under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 (the "RRO") using Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) / Better Care Funding (BCF) from the Government to support works above the mandatory DFG limit of £30,000. These policies allowed home repairs, improvements and other forms of assistance to be funded to assist eligible vulnerable clients where necessary and appropriate. However, this had led to a postcode lottery for Lincolnshire residents with financial support available for different things, with different eligibility criteria in different areas.

The Policy and accompanying Explanatory Notes (Appendix B) had been recommended by the Lincolnshire Housing, Heath and Care Delivery Group to all district councils for adoption as part of the overall vision of the Lincolnshire Homes for Independence blueprint for people to live independently, stay connected and have greater choice in where and how they lived.

During discussion Members supported the detailed recommendations contained within the report as highlighted by the Portfolio Holder for Communities and Better Ageing.  The preparation work undertaken by Officers was also acknowledged.

RESOLVED

1)       That the Policy and Explanatory Notes attached at Appendices A and B be approved for adoption with effect from 01/04/2024;

2)       That authority be delegated to:

a.       the relevant Assistant Director to make minor and inconsequential variations to the Policy in consultation Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Housing, if agreed on a countywide basis. This delegation will not be used to make changes to the Policy that substantively change 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 will not be used to make amendments to the Explanatory Notes that impact other districts, unless agreed on a countywide basis and

ii.  remove and update 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 be 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 approval be given for the ELDC delegations to officers as set in the Explanatory Notes.

Reasons:

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.

Other options:

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.