Agenda and decisions

Salford City Council - Record of Decision

I, Councillor Tracy Kelly, Statutory Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Housing, in exercise of the powers contained within the Council Constitution, do hereby:

·         Note the content of this report with specific regard being given to the legal and finance sections, which are based on information provided by Shared Legal Services as follows:

The paper outlines the proposal for Mr B to be granted a discretionary DFG without the requirement for means testing. Legal Services have confirmed this is in accordance within current government guidance. Should this be approved the full cost estimated to be in the region of £17K-£20K (subject to reassessment) will be met from the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) and sufficient funds are available to meet this cost;

·         Note the content of the letter provided by Mr B in respect of the impact of the current situation on himself and his daughter;

·         Agree to the request for discretionary assistance in the form of direct financial assistant (grant) without a charge for an adaptation at Mr B property to cover the reasonable costs of the works specified following the DFG assessment as necessary and appropriate to support him in the provision of safe and dignified care of his daughter; therefore removing the requirement for Mr B to provide financial information to the Council.

·         Note any issues arising from this case to be taken in account when the Private Sector Housing Assistance Policy is next reviewed.

The Reasons are:

To meet the Council’s statutory obligations in order to support assessed need and promote independence and wellbeing.

Options considered and rejected were:

Not to provide the Disabled Facilities Grant.

Assessment of Risk:

The risk is considered to be medium in terms of the financial and reputational risks faced by Salford City Council and Salford Care Organisation.

The source of funding is: Disabled Facilities Grant.

Legal Advice obtained: Provided by Hugo Hollingswoth, Principal Solicitor, Shared Legal Service:

The proposal that Mr B be granted a discretionary DFG without the requirement for means testing is in accordance with current government guidance.

Financial Advice obtained: Provided by Stephen Thynne, Strategic Finance Manager.

The paper outlines the proposal for Mr B to be granted a discretionary DFG without the requirement for means testing. Legal Services have confirmed this is in accordance within current government guidance. Should this be approved the full cost estimated to be in the region of £17K-£20K (subject to reassessment) will be met from the DFG and sufficient funds are available to meet this cost.

Procurement Advice obtained: N/a

HR Advice obtained: N/a

Climate Change Advice obtained: N/a

The following documents have been used to assist the decision process:

The relevant documents contain exempt or confidential information and are not available for public inspection.

Contact Officer: Paul Walsh, Assistant Director Joint Commissioning          Tel. 0161 793 2202    

This decision is not subject to consideration by another Lead Member.

The appropriate scrutiny panel to call-in the decision is the Health  ...  view the full decision text for item 5a