Members received the report of the Head of Service Housing and Community which outlined a revised Financial Assistance Policy that set out the tools for providing housing renewal assistance as required by the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) England and Wales Order 2002. The Council was required to adopt a Financial Assistance Policy to be able to provide Disabled Facilities Grant funding through the Better Care Fund (BCF). The proposed Financial Assistance Policy was attached at Appendix A to the report.  Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) were also included in the policy and were given to vulnerable clients to allow them to remain in their own home and remain independent. 

It was also proposed that a new Discretionary Disabled Project Grant (DDPG) be introduced as part of the Policy to enable the Council to spend its full complement of BCF allocation and identified needs within the community be met. The use of the Council’s annual DFG allocation would remain prioritised to meet the identified needs of individuals through mandatory and discretionary grant awards; however, the DFG grant was regularly underspent, and the Council could therefore have regard for wider local needs.

The DDPG would invite applications from residents of Rother to improve and update disabled facilities for community-based buildings and groups. In addition, the Policy would allow the Council to make improvements to its own community assets, parks and open spaces where a need was identified and facilitate greater access to disabled residents and visitors to the district.

The increased allocation of central Government DFG funding presented an opportunity to make better use of the discretionary powers granted to the Council by the Regulatory Reform Order and support innovative projects that could improve the lives of disabled residents.

DFGs were essential for improving the health and wellbeing of residents who experienced disability and mobility impairments. The proposed Policy would allow the Council to continue to support residents by funding adaptations that improved access to their homes through the mandatory DFGs.  In addition, the new DDPG would allow the Council to maximise the use of its BCF allocation through more flexible use of the funds and the Policy would allow the Council to harness these funds to make adaptations to its own estate and those public realm locations for which it is responsible.

Members were given the opportunity to ask questions and the following points were noted in the discussion:

•           to avoid any confusion, the application pack sent out for the DDPG should be clear that applications made were to be for the benefit of community-based buildings and groups, rather than private residences or individuals; and

•           the Councillor named in support of the application to be amended to state the Ward Councillor.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet be requested to agree that:

1)         the Financial Assistance Policy 2021-2025, as amended, be recommended to Council for adoption; and

2)         initially, £200,000 be allocated to the DDPG from the balance of DFG funds held in earmarked reserves.

(Councillor Maynard declared a Personal Interest in this matter as an Executive Member of East Sussex County Council and in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct remained in the meeting during the consideration thereof).