Agenda and minutes

No declarations of interest were made.

RESOLVED

that the minutes of the meeting of the Committee, held on 25 July 2024, be received and approved as a correct record.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and advised that the Committee was being asked to review Part B of the draft Aids and Adaptations Policy and provide feedback and direction to officers as required.

The Council’s Assistant Director for Strategic Housing gave Members a brief overview of the Policy’s intended purpose and how it helps and supports local residents who are in need of aids and adaptations, in order to help them remain independent and cared for in their homes.  The Policy had been in place for some time and had been reviewed and updated over the years to ensure it remained fit for purpose and reflected good practice.

Members were only being asked to review Part B of the Policy which covered adaptations to Council properties.

Adaptations fell into three categories:

Minor (handrails etc.)

Large Scale (access ramps, stairlifts, door widening works etc.)

Major (ground floor extensions.)

Members acknowledged that demand currently far outweighed budget availability, so officers were always striving to strike a balance and assist as many residents with the funding as possible.  Minor works were carried out fairly quickly but completion of any major adaptations took time with many key elements having to be satisfied before any work could commence.

Occupational Therapists would initially make referrals to the Council and all cases were dealt with in strict chronological order.  The maximum contribution the Council could make to any major works was £50k with any costs above this amount having to be met by the tenant.  This additional contribution element was currently means tested but only for adult recipients and not children.

The additional contribution would be required to be paid before works commenced and if the works could be carried out to an alternative vacant Council home, at a cheaper cost, the tenant would be asked to move to the alternative accommodation.  This was often met with reluctance (which was fully understood) but officers were always mindful to ensure the best possible use of the already stretched budget.

Committee was advised that all the Council’s new builds were designed with bedrooms and wet rooms on the ground floor to ensure the homes were future proofed to accommodate tenants requiring support if required. 

The Assistant Director for Housing Operations then spoke to Members and commented that facilitating aids and adaptation works was always an emotive and difficult process for officers as the tenants (or family members) were already facing very challenging times trying to live with oftentimes progressive illnesses or disabilities.  However, officers were completely committed to offering support throughout the process.

To conclude, Members acknowledged that the Aids and Adaptations budget had not been increased significantly over the past few years (currently £450k), yet the cost of building materials and associated items were skyrocketing.  Officers always endeavoured to obtain competitive quotes for works through proper procurement processes but this rise in costs was having an impact on the number of adaptations being completed.  There was also a backlog on some of the larger works that  ...  view the full minutes text for item PI.6