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RESOLVED: That
Cabinet:
Authorised the Assistant
Director Assets & Environment to purchase the property in
question, or if that should prove impractical, another property
which delivers similar outcomes, in each case within the approved
budget.
 
REASONS RESOLVED:
·        
To increase sufficiency of placements for children
in line with the NCT Sufficiency Strategy.
·        
To help control the costs of providing suitable
places for children.
·        
To help prevent the use of unregulated provision for
children.
·        
To ensure the Council can act swiftly if required to
secure the desired benefits.
 
ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS:
Option 1: Do nothing. The
Council could leave the current situation as is. This would mean
that the children in Arnold House stay where they are, and more
complex children may have to be accommodated in unregistered
accommodation if no other provision was available. This option
would not help control costs.
Option 2: Care provider
purchases alternative property. The Council could work with a care
provider, and they could provide the property. As shown in Table 1,
this is typically a much more expensive solution. It has also been
concluded that developing a service that belongs to NCT is the best
way to ensure more responsive and cost-effective provision and will
lead to better outcomes for children. It allows NCT to change
provider without having to change property as well.
Option 3: Leasing alternative
property. The Council could lease a property from the open market
from a private landlord. There are currently not many larger
properties available for rent. Additionally, the property would
need to be adapted to allow children with high support needs to
live there safely. This may be difficult to achieve with a limited
term lease. It would be achievable under a long lease, but a long
lease would restrict the Council’s options if the property
was no longer required for this purpose.
Option 4: Purchase the
identified property. This would enable better provision for
children, help avoid risk of the use of unregistered accommodation,
and reduce overall costs as detailed in this report. Additionally,
over time, growth in the capital value of the property would accrue
to the benefit of the Council (and NNC).
Option 5: Look for an
alternative property to purchase. There is no obvious reason to do
this. Suitable properties are relatively rare and accordingly, it
is likely to take some time for one to come to the market. It is
unlikely a materially cheaper property would perform the intended
function.
 
It is suggested that Option 4
is clearly the preferable option. It delivers identified savings,
provides better options for children, and helps avoid use of
unregistered accommodation.