Agenda item

Report attached.

The Cabinet considered a report of Councillor Kath Pratt, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Regeneration, outlining the Affordable Warmth Funding being made available to District Councils, including Hyndburn Borough Council, by Lancashire County Council (“LCC”) to deliver affordable warmth interventions to households who were most vulnerable to harm from cold or damp homes.  The report sought approval to enter into a grant agreement with Lancashire County Council to receive a grant allocation of £84,285 for 2023-24.

Councillor Pratt introduced the report and highlighted the intended beneficiaries of the funding, which included the following people:

• Those on low income;
• Those living in thermally inefficient homes;
• Those having higher heating needs; and
• Those experiencing high fuel costs.

A more detailed list of beneficiaries and vulnerable groups was set out at Appendix 1 to the report.

Councillor Munsif Dad BEM JP enquired about the timeframe for spending the funding given that the end of the 2023/24 financial year was fast approaching.  It was noted that Paragraph 3.5.1 of the report stated that the funding had to be spent or committed by the end of May 2024.

Approval of the report was not considered to be a key decision.

Reasons for Decision

The funding aimed to reduce levels of death and illness over the winter months and to improve people's wellbeing, through affordable warmth interventions to individuals who were the most vulnerable to harm from cold or damp homes.  As a consequence, it was hoped to see a reduction in hospital admissions and reduced pressure on health and social care services.

Being on a low income, living in a thermally inefficient home, having higher heating needs and high fuel costs could all increase the risks of living in a cold home.  The funding was aimed at those most vulnerable to harm from cold or damp homes.  This could include a wide range of individuals who either were, or were at serious risk of, experiencing poor health and wellbeing due to a cold home.

Lancashire County Council’s eligibility criteria, detailed intervention guidance and tenure criteria were shown at Appendix 1 of the report.

The funding available could be used for capital or revenue expenditure.  The spend limit of Lancashire Affordable Warmth funding per household was £8,000.

It was expected that the funding should be spent or committed before the end of May 2024.

It was proposed that this programme would be delivered by the Council’s existing contractor for affordable warmth measures, Rhea Projects Ltd.  As per 2022/23, the Council proposed to use the agreement with Rhea Projects Ltd to deliver the Lancashire Affordable Warmth programme.

The role of Rhea, as service provider, was to provide an end to end service from receipt of a referral to installation:

This included:

• Promoting the Lancashire County Council affordable warmth grant programme;
• Receiving and assessing  applications from residents and any agency referrals;
• Offering advice on eligibility and identifying eligible households (those with a vulnerability and low income or energy efficiency issue and low income) for survey;
• Providing HBC with quotations for energy measures and applications for approval;
• Organising and overseeing installation works through approved CHiL contractors;
• Undertaking post-works completion surveys; and
• Responding to any complaints.

The LCC Affordable Warmth Grant programme would operate in a way which limited expenditure to the amount of grant provided by LCC and, gave the Council the ability to flex the scheme to maximise the use of grant and also the flexibility to end the scheme once the funding had all been used, even if other applicants had an equally valid claim.

Alternative Options considered and Reasons for Rejection

The Council could have decided not to submit a proposal for securing this grant funding, but this would not have maximised the funding opportunities available to the Council to support fuel poverty interventions in Hyndburn.

This funding plus other energy funding schemes supported the Council’s ambition to reduce fuel poverty and improve the energy efficiency and running costs of homes in Hyndburn.

Resolved                                    -    That Cabinet:

(1)   Notes that Lancashire County Council has awarded the Council £84,285 for 2023-24 to support eligible households with affordable warmth interventions and assistance.

(2)   Agrees to accept the grant and delegates authority to the Head of Regeneration and Housing, in consultation with the Executive Director (Legal and Democratic Services) to draw up, finalise and execute a grant agreement with Lancashire County Council in respect of this funding.

(3)   Notes that the Council will appoint a contractor to deliver this programme and that this will be done by extending the current appointment of Rhea Projects Ltd pursuant to Paragraph 2.2.1 of the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules, which allows for contract extensions.