Decision

(a)     To approve the ‘Addressing Health Inequality (Mental Health)’ subsidy control scheme for 2025/26 and to authorise that it be published on the Government website; and

(b)     To authorise the Head of Health & Community to enter into the grant agreement on behalf of the Council and to allocate the agreed £23,000 to the mental health hub.

Reasons for the decision

To allocate £23,000 funding to the Mental Health Hub as part of three other organisations jointly funding the Hub to ensure continued provision of holistic assessment and intervention for vulnerable residents who have poor mental health.

To allocate the funding a subsidy control scheme is required and this has been developed as the Addressing Health Inequality (Mental Health) subsidy scheme for 2025/26 which must be published on the Government website and prior to allocating the funding the grant agreement will be signed.

Alternative options considered

The Council could choose not to allocate the funding, but this would make the Mental Health Hub unsustainable and therefore would reduce service provision for a single point of access for holistic assessment and intervention for vulnerable residents who have poor mental health.