Decision Maker: Cabinet

Outcome:

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: No

Date of Decision: May 27, 2025

Purpose:

Content: Salford City Council - Record of Decision (Cabinet)   I Paul Dennett, City Mayor, in exercise of the powers contained within the City Council Constitution do hereby approve: The allocation of the Homelessness Prevention Grant and uplift in the grant. The Reasons are: The grant funding is agreed and allocated annually from Government for the beginning of the financial year, and used to fund the housing services. This grant is therefore already allocated. Options considered and rejected were: Option considered to delay the approval by Cabinet, this was not deemed to be an appropriate option as the funding is already being used to deliver statutory housing duties. Assessment of Risk: Not applicable. The source of funding is: Government Homeless Prevention Grant Legal Advice obtained: Supplied by: Tony Hatton, Legal Services The Council proposes to allocate grant funding to support the continued delivery of the Homelessness Prevention Programme to the organisations set out in the report. Grant funding is a different type of legal arrangement to a services contract with different implications. Contracts for goods and services (and works) are subject to public procurement legislation, but grants are not contracts for provision of services so are not subject to the procurement rules. Grants are also not subject to VAT., whereas services contracts are.   The Council has successfully secured grant funding from MHCLG for the Homelessness Prevention programme which it intends to flow down to achieve the objectives set out in section 1 of the report and deliver the services required.   As always, it is important that the Council complies with the terms of the grant funding agreement with MHCLGH, in particular ensuring that the funding is only used for eligible expenditure and any timescales around expenditure and reporting. If not, the Council may be at risk of MHCLG seeking clawback of the funding for failure to comply.  Financial Advice obtained: Supplied by:  Gemma Singleton, Senior Accountant ·      For 2025-2026 Salford City Council has been awarded the sum of £2,708,451 in Homelessness Prevention Grant. This is an increase of £1,283,821 from the 2024/25 allocation of £1,424,630. ·      Homeless Prevention Grant is ring-fenced and can only be spent in accordance with grant conditions noted in the report. ·      There is sufficient grant to cover the costs of £2,610,454. The costs are made up of Staffing/ TA costs already committed from 2024/25 of £1,117,530. There is also a requirement of £537,924 made up of pay awards and covering staffing costs where previous funding has now ended. £300,000 allocated to Prevention and £655,000 to Temporary Accommodation pressures. There is a unallocated balance of £97,997 for which proposals are currently being worked up.   Procurement Advice obtained: Not applicable HR Advice obtained: Supplied by: Kate Story Strategic HR and OD Manager 16.05.25 A piece of work was undertaken in 2024 to ensure stability in the staffing element of our Housing Services.  This changing in funding stream does not affect the nature of the contracts we have in place.  We will however have to be aware that should funding in it’s entirety be affected by reduction in any grants in the future that this would impact on how we deliver the services.  This could potentially trigger consideration on how we deliver services which could have an impact upon staff.  Should a reduction in staff numbers be required formal consultation would be required.  If staff are displaced then the organisation has a redeployment policy to mitigate against any redundancy situation however any redundancy would have a financial impact too which is not likely to be covered by grants.   Climate Change Advice obtained: Not applicable. The following documents have been used to assist the decision process: Not applicable. Contact Officer:  Jane Anderson (Head of Housing Options)                                    Telephone number: 0161 793 2078 -     This document records a key decision which was not included in the Council’s Forward Plan and has been dealt with under the emergency procedure. -     The decision is urgent and is not subject to call-in, in accordance with the Decision Making Procedure Rules.       Signed:          Paul Dennett                                     Dated:    27th May 2025                         City Mayor   For Democratic Services use only This decision was published on  28.05.25.                                      This decision is not subject to call-in and will come in force with immediate effect.