Purpose

Approval of the revised Private Sector Housing
Policy for Disabled Facilities Grants and other housing assistance
measures

Content

RESOLVED
 
KEY DECISION
 
That
the Executive approved the proposals detailed within the report at
a) - m) to be incorporated into North Northamptonshire Council’s revised
Private Sector Housing Assistance Policy:
 
 
Proposal 1: Discretionary DFG Grant (Top-Up)
 
The current maximum Mandatory
Disabled Facilities Grant is £30,000. The current maximum
Discretionary Disabled Facilities Grant (Top-Up) is
£10,000.                                                                                                                 
 
It is
recommended that the Discretionary DFG Grant (Top-Up) is increased
from £10,000 to £20,000.
 
Reasons for recommendation
-                                                                                                                         
This proposal will:

·      
Provide extra funding for those cases that have
increased labour and materials costs.

·      
Provide extra funding for those complex cases with
extensive scope of works.

·      
Reduce Officer time of involvement (Surveyor and OT)
and reduce MP complaints by frustrated applicants.

·      
Reduce timescales required from start to project
completion.
 
Alternative recommendation
considered: According to Foundations (The National Body for
Disabled Facilities Grants and Home Improvement Agencies in
England), the Discretionary Disabled Facilities Grant (Top-Up)
should be £30,000. This figure has been considered and
assessed against data based on research on various recently
published Housing Assistance Policies from several Councils,
including Unitary Authorities from various geographical areas -
excluding London Boroughs - with similar or lower Annual Disabled
Facilities Grants Funding Allocations for 2023/2024 – in
addition to the £30,000 mandatory grant funding. The proposal
of £20,000 is in line with the figure implemented by other
Unitary Councils and it is proposed that this will be annually
reviewed and always subject to funding availability.
 
 
Proposal 2: Means Test Equipment
 
According to the current
policy, all DFG works are means tested, excluding children’s
applications and applicants with passporting benefits.   
 
It is
recommended that there be no means test for equipment cases
(installation of a stair-lift, or a ceiling track hoist (CTH), not
associated with any other DFG funded building works), up to a
maximum cost of £10,000 is introduced.
 
 
Reasons for recommendation
-    
                                                                                                              
This proposal will:

·      
Reduce Officer time (approx. 45 minutes - 1 ½
hours) and benefit the applicant.

·      
Assist the applicant by removing the requirement for
paperwork/evidence submission (bank statements etc.).

·      
Reduce timescales required from start to project
completion (4-8 weeks).
 
Alternative recommendation
considered – At EAP, members suggested that the original
figure of £8,000 is increased to £10,000. When the
initial figure to be put forward (£8,000) was considered,
this was on the basis that a curved stair-lift or an H-shaped
ceiling track hoist (which are the most expensive types of
equipment included in this proposal) can be fully covered. It has
since been reconsidered and the revised proposal for this is
£10,000.
 
                                               
Proposal 3: Means Test (Discretionary Top up - Children’s
cases)         
 
The current policy does not
allow for all means tested applicants with a confirmed
client’s contribution to be eligible for a Discretionary DFG
Grant (Top-Up). Applicants with passporting benefits and
children’s applications are eligible for a Discretionary DFG
(Top-Up), as the parents are not means tested.            
 
This proposal is no longer
going forward, i.e. to means test parents for children’s
applications with regards to the Discretionary DFG Grant (Top-Up)
only, so it is now disregarded.
 
 
Proposal 4: Land Charges
 
The current policy stipulates
for the following land charges to apply:
 

·      
Mandatory £30K grant: Maximum land charge
£10,000 (from £5,000K to £15,000)

·      
Same terms apply on the Discretionary Grant of
£10,000: Maximum land charge £5,000.
 
The two grants are treated as
separate awards with a total maximum land charge of £15,000
(£10,000 on mandatory and £5,000 on
discretionary)
No land charge on
tenant’s applications (private Landlords or Housing
Associations)
 
It is
recommended that Executive approve the following:
No
land charge placed on Through Floor Lift (TFL) cases, including
enabling works.
No
land charge placed on stair-lifts.
No
land charge placed for any amount below £200.
No
land charged placed for a child applicant on long-term
foster   placement.
Land
charge waived due to financial hardship and/or if moving properties
is to receive care from others.
 
Reasons for
recommendation   -
                                                                              
It is recommended that land
charges do not apply on the above works because they do not add
financial value to the property and/or the proposals are
reasonable.
 
Alternative recommendation
considered –  
                                        
At EAP, members felt that the
amount of £200 – mentioned under item 3 above –
was too low to justify the expense of registering a land charge. It
was suggested that a higher amount of £1,000 could be
considered.
 
 
Proposal 5: Fast Track
Adaptations
 
Under the
current policy, there is a single North
Northamptonshire Waiting List for
DFGs. The cases are prioritised based on the priority grading
system set by the Occupational Therapist (OT) - standard, urgent or
critical - and the date on the OT recommendation.
       
It is
recommended that a “Fast Tracking” process is
introduced, outside of the OT priority grading system mentioned
above, to assist with hospital discharge cases, terminally ill
applicants and
palliative care.
 
 
Reasons for recommendation
-
                                                                                          
Bureaucracy will be minimised
where possible and alternative equipment / construction solutions
will be explored.
 
Alternative recommendation
considered –                                                       
 
At EAP, members were satisfied
with the above proposal and made no further
recommendations. 
 
 
Proposal 6: Dementia Grants
 
Dementia Grants are not covered
by the current policy.                                            
 
It is proposed that these
grants are based on the initial dementia diagnosis and prior to the
disease escalating to the stage when major DFG adaptations are
recommended. The following adaptations would be covered:

·      
Safer flooring.

·      
Labels and signs on doors and cupboards.

·      
Contrasting colour decorations between walls and
floors.

·      
Installation of contrasting coloured fixtures such
as grab rails and toilet seats.

·      
Task focused lighting in bathrooms and
kitchens.

·      
Assistive technology for monitoring activity or to
inform if it is day or night.
 
It is recommended that the
dementia grants are covered by the policy as proposed above with
works with a cost value of over £1000. Note that any works
below this amount can be covered by the Minor Adaptations budget
held by Community Occupational Therapy.
 
 
Reasons for
recommendation
 
This proposal will:
Postpone or eliminate the need
for more costly adaptations, re-housing, social care due to its
preventative nature. 
Promote independent and safe
living.
 
Alternative recommendation
considered - At EAP, members were satisfied with the above proposal
and made no further recommendations.
 
                                            
Proposal 7: Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Grants
 
Motor Neurone Disease Grants
are not covered by the current policy. Applicants with an early MND
diagnosis can continue and will choose to carry on working until no
longer able to work. Applying for a DFG at this stage will most likely deem them as
non-eligible for the grant through the means testing process due to
their earnings.
 
It is
recommended to introduce this grant on the basis of disregarding their earnings.
This will ensure the adaptations can be in place for when they no
longer work and are unable to manage daily activities.
 
 
Reasons for
recommendation
 
This proposal will:

·      
Provide a fast-track process.

·      
Ensure no means test is carried out for cost of
works up to £5K.

·      
Ignore the applicant’s earnings when means
testing is carried out at an early stage.

·      
Enable major adaptations before the disease
escalates rapidly.
 
Alternative recommendation
considered –                                                       
At EAP, members were satisfied
with the above proposal and made no further
recommendations.
 
 
Proposal 8: Independent Panel
 
The current policy, subject to
eligibility, allows for applicants to be entitled to a
£30,000 mandatory grant and a £10,000 discretionary
grant. If the cost of work exceeds the maximum £40,000 grant,
the applicant is required to meet the shortfall, or the works
cannot progress.        
 
It is
recommended for the introduction of an independent member/officer
Panel to review cases on an ad-hoc basis, understand needs and
approve further discretionary grants to meet the cost difference
over the approved mandatory and discretionary limits, subject to
evidence that the applicant is unable to raise the necessary funds
themselves.
 
Reasons for recommendation
-
 
This proposal will:

·      
Enable major adaptations to proceed.

·      
Potentially provide some savings on Adult Social
Care budgets as residents remain in their homes.

·      
Eliminate cases being put on hold until a resolution
to the financial shortfall is found.

·      
Prevent time consuming conversations on alternative
solutions.

·      
Ensure adaptations are completed for the benefit of
the applicant.
 
This recommendation needs to be
formalised by including it in the revised policy. At EAP, members
were satisfied with the above proposal and agreed that there will
be no need for a monthly set date for the panel members to meet.
Instead, these meetings will be called on an ad-hoc basis, and the
conversations/decisions can be made over Teams.
 
Alternative recommendation
considered – The current arrangement of exceptional approval
via the Assistant Director for Regulatory Services and Executive
Member for Housing, Communities and Levelling Up has been
informally in place for a while and to maintain this status quo
could be considered as an alternative to the proposed Independent
Panel.
 
 
Proposal 9: Equipment Maintenance
 
The current policy stipulates
that all equipment is covered by the standard 12-month warranty
offered by the supplier. After completion of the work, any ongoing
maintenance, servicing, repairs, or warranties are the
responsibility of the grant recipient. The grant recipient can
request a quote for extending the manufacturer’s warranty
(normally up to 5 years) and purchase this service at their own
cost. 
 
It is
recommended that all extended warranties are covered by the grant
for all equipment for 5 years. Additionally, it is proposed that
the grant covers the call out fees, if contacted by the applicant,
including any repairs up to £500.
 
Reasons for recommendation
-
 
This proposal will:                                                                                            

·      
Provide a better service.

·      
Assist old applicants with broken equipment up to
value of £500.

·      
Reduce the need for an OT recommendation for new
equipment, which will be a saving to the DFG budget.
 
Alternative recommendation
considered –   
At EAP, members were keen to
ensure the clients’ statutory rights are safeguarded.
Consideration will be, therefore, given in training the
Council’s relevant Officers on consumer rights. This training
would enable the Council to provide the necessary advice to the
applicants.
         
 
Proposal 10: Private Landlords (LL) and Housing Associations
(HA)
 
The current policy does not
allow for any special provisions for private or social housing
tenants. The same DFG eligibility criteria and conditions apply to
tenants as owner / occupiers.   
 
It is
recommended that the policy will allow to expediate the grant
application process for private and social tenants, if: the private
LL or HA make the application and manage the works, including
provision of drawings / specification for Council’s approval
and / or carrying out the works.
 
Reasons for recommendation
-                                                 
 
This proposal will:                                                                                                                                                                        

·      
Provide a positive change for tenants –
shorter waiting times.

·      
Assist with Officer time being able to be spent on
other cases.

·      
Support landlords to make their portfolios more
accessible for current and future disabled tenants.
 
Alternative recommendation
considered –                                                      
 At
EAP, members were satisfied with the above proposal and
made
no further
recommendations.
 
 
Proposal 11: Non-mandatory works
 
The current policy makes no
special provisions for non-mandatory DFG works not covered by the
legislation e.g. safe play space and/or play equipment, sensory
space, or study space. There are several variables to set a fixed
policy on awards for non-mandatory works.
 
It is
recommended that the following changes are approved with respect to
non-mandatory work:
 
All
proposed non-mandatory work will be reviewed between the Lead
Officer for DFGs, Surveyor, OT, carers, special support, GP etc.
before confirming them as reasonable, practicable and required by
the applicant.
All
non-mandatory work up to an estimated cost value of £1,000
will be approved by the Disabled Facilities Grants
Manager.
All
non-mandatory work, of a more extensive design proposal, will be
subject to a feasibility visit by a surveyor to identify the
estimated cost of works. If in excess of £1,000 and subject to the
approval in principle by the Disabled Facilities Grants Manager,
the case will be reviewed by the Independent Panel before approval
or rejection can be confirmed.
 
 
Reasons for recommendation
-
 
To assist more people, even
those not necessarily covered by the legislation.
 
Alternative recommendation
considered -
At EAP, members wished to know
whether the above proposal will affect different groups of people differently,
and if social housing tenants or leaseholders for flats or communal
areas would be excluded. This proposal will apply to all groups of
people deemed as eligible for a DFG in line with the relevant
legislation. It is confirmed that the following applies:
Leaseholders are eligible for
DFGs, provided they meet the grant's criteria related to disability
and income assessment.
The remaining lease term is not
less than a period of five years.
Communal areas are included,
subject to receipt of the owner’s permission.
 
 
Proposal 12: Unchanged Policy: HomeMove Grants
 
It is
recommended that there is no change to the following grant
conditions:
To
fund more cost-effective alternatives to providing a mandatory
Disabled Facilities Grant.
Maximum grant £6,000.
Cost
of adaptations (maximum £5,000).
Relocation costs (maximum £1,000).
 
Alternative recommendation
considered – At EAP, members questioned whether the cost of
moving properties has risen due to inflation and whether
£6,000 is still adequate assistance. The following has since
been determined:
A person who lives in England
or Wales and is in receipt of Housing Benefits, could apply for a
Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) to help with moving
costs. 
The Department for Work and
Pensions (DWP) Moving House Grant amounts vary based on an
individual's circumstances and are generally intended to cover moving-related
costs like removal charges, rent deposits, and related
expenses. The maximum grant available is £5,000 but
could be as low as £500.
Given that the Government
provides this £5,000 for eligible residents, it has been
deemed unnecessary to increase the Council’s HomeMove
grant.
 
 
Proposal 13: Other Policies: Home Repair Grant  
 
It is
recommended that all grants included in the current policy, namely
Renovation Grants (maximum grant £10,000), Landlord
Renovation Grants (maximum grant £10,000) and Home Repair
Assistance Grants (maximum grant £5,000) are replaced with
one Home Repair Grant.
 
This grant will offer a maximum
£15,000 assistance to eligible owner-occupied residents, on a
means tested benefit and/or low income. This grant aims to prevent
Category 1 hazards in the property, address safety improvements,
electrical works, thermal insulation, affordable warmth, energy
efficiency or lack of a heating system.