Decision Taken By: CABINET MEMBER FOR Housing
Decision No: D080005MEM
Date: 7th January 2008
Decision(s) and Reason(s)
Disabled Facilities Grant/Housing Assistance Grant Update
Minutes
The report provided an update on the current spend for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) budget and the Housing Assistance budget. The report gave details of a recent request to the Government Office for the South East for additional DFG subsidy together with an update on the recent bid for private sector renewal funding (2008-2011) to the Regional Housing Board. It was noted that the Regional Housing Board had recommended that £9.75 million be allocated to this bid and that this equated to approximately £1.62 million over three years for private sector renewal within Tonbridge and Malling. Congratulations were recorded to the officers of Housing Services who had led the bid submission on behalf of eight local authorities within Kent.
Concern was expressed about the growing mis-match between the demand for assistance and the level of government subsidy received by the Council to support this expenditure. The anticipated further growth in demand due to planned service improvements and an aging population was highlighted. The importance was acknowledged of continued lobbying of central Government for additional resources in order to maintain the current high quality services provided to the residents of the Borough.
Following consideration by the Strategic Housing Advisory Board, the Cabinet Member for Housing resolved that:
1) the predicted overspend on Disabled Facilities Grants and the request to the Government Office for the South East for additional subsidy in this respect be noted;
2) the changes in the way Disabled Facilities Grants are handled by Russet Homes and the potential impact this may have on the Disabled Facilities Grant budget from 2008/09 be noted; and
3) the Director of Health and Housing be invited to submit a further report on the outcome of the bid for future private sector renewal resources together with further details on how such funds will assist with implementing the Housing Strategy and Housing Assistance policies.
Reasons: As set out in the report submitted to the Strategic Housing Advisory Board of 7 January 2008.
Signed J Anderson (Cabinet Member for Housing)
Signed Leader: M Worrall
Signed Chief Executive: D Hughes
Date of Publication: 11 January 2008
This decision will come into force and may then be implemented on the expiry of 5 working days after publication unless it is called in.