Agenda item

Report attached.

The Cabinet considered a report of Councillor Kath Pratt, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Health and Wellbeing, which outlined the Affordable Warmth Grant funding being made available to district councils by Lancashire County Council (LCC) to deliver affordable warmth interventions to individuals who were most vulnerable to harm from cold or damp homes.  The report sought approval to enter into a grant agreement with LCC to receive a grant allocation of £76,409 for winter 2022-23.

 

Councillor Pratt highlighted the key issues within the report.

 

Councillor Peter Britcliffe asked whether the Council would be in a position to spend all of the grant allocation.  He noted that advice from various official agencies was that homes should ideally be heated to at least 18°C.  Councillor Munsif Dad commented that the timescales were short and that any money would need to be distributed quickly.  The Leader of the Council responded that there was sufficient demand to enable all of the grant to be used and this would need to be targeted quickly at the most vulnerable.

 

Approval of the report was not deemed a key decision.

 

Reasons for Decision

 

This funding aimed to reduce levels of death and illness over the winter months and to improve peoples’ wellbeing.  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 thermal 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 in Lancashire.  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.

 

Households would be eligible for funding if they met at least one of the following vulnerabilities and had a low income, as follows:

 

Vulnerabilities:

 

·           people with a diagnosed cardiovascular conditions;

·           people with a diagnosed respiratory conditions (in particular, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and childhood asthma);

·           people with diagnosed mental health conditions

·           people with diagnosed disabilities;

·           older people (65 and older);

·           households with young children (up to the age of 5);

·           pregnant women;

·           people who were terminally ill;

·           people with suppressed immune systems (e.g. from cancer treatment or HIV); and

·           people who had attended hospital due to a fall.

 

The following vulnerable groups would be considered on referral from a professional organisation:

 

·           people who moved in and out of homelessness;

·           people with addictions; and

·           Recent immigrants and refugees.

 

Low income

 

Low income could be confirmed in one of the following three ways:

 

·           Someone being in receipt of means tested benefits;

·           Having a total household income not in excess of £31,000; or

·           A 'declaration' by the Local Authority or health / social care professional that affordability issues were present.

 

Districts had the further option to support people that did not have a specific vulnerability, but did have a significant low income and an affordable warmth energy efficiency issue.  This option was to be used at the District’s discretion.

 

LCC expected Districts to prioritise properties that had an energy efficiency need such as properties that were likely to be EPC rating D or below, although a formal EPC rating and assessment was not required.

 

The Council would be expected to provide interventions where an affordable warmth need had been identified.  Managing demand to direct the resource at those most in need was important.  The Council might choose not to open up all categories to self-referrals, instead restricting interventions for some groups to referrals from social care and health partners or where its own services had identified a health and affordability vulnerability.

 

Where possible Districts were expected to be flexible when responding to referrals from health and social care.  Confirmation of the health and affordability need should be recorded in the monitoring returns, with any evidence being retained locally.

 

The funding available could be used for capital or revenue expenditure.  However this funding-stream was not expected to be repeated, and where possible, interventions should make a long-term contribution to helping people keep their homes warm.

 

An award limit per household had not been set to allow Districts to use discretion based on need.  Appropriate intervention measures could either be fully funded (in the case of any match funding not being available) or as a contribution towards costs made at a level deemed appropriate by the District.

 

LCC expected targeting to focus on owner occupied housing.  However, where there was an identified need, other tenures might be included.  In the case of private rented dwellings/ households all reasonable enforcement options must have been shown to have been pursued to seek a landlord’s contribution.  For social housing interventions, contributions from housing associations and/ or other partners would be sought in the first instance. 

 

It was expected that the majority of the funding would be spent this winter and before the end of March 2023.

 

Delivery of this programme would be through Rhea Projects Ltd. who were the Council’s existing Service Provider for accessing grants, advice and support on energy measures to help heat and insulate homes through the Cosy Homes in Lancashire (CHiL) initiative of Lancashire local authorities.

 

Hyndburn Council had entered into a contract with Rhea Projects Ltd for the provision of a Cosy Homes in Lancashire (CHiL) delivery partner.  Legal Services advice was that the Council could use the CHiL agreement with Rhea Projects Ltd to deliver the Lancashire Affordable Warmth Grant programme.

 

Rhea’s administrative fee as the Service Provider for the LCC AWG programme was 10% of cost of works approved.

 

Cosy Homes in Lancashire (CHiL) currently had a register of 63 applications from Hyndburn residents who were seeking grant funding for a range of measures including insulation, doors and windows, first time central heating systems and replacement central heating boilers.  The LCC Affordable Warmth Grant funding could fund energy measures for those applicants on the CHIL register who met the eligibility criteria and to-date had been unable to secure grant funding.  Rhea were well placed to deliver interventions through their approved contractors who had the capacity to deliver a range of energy interventions.  Promoting the LCC affordable grant programme would be a key priority to generate further applications from Hyndburn residents and referrals from professionals working with vulnerable groups.

 

The role of Rhea Projects as the Service Provider would be to provide an end to end service from receipt of a referral to installation.  This would include:

 

·           Promoting the LCC 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 the Council 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 complaints.

 

The type of interventions that the grant would fund would be agreed with LCC and signed off by them.

 

LCC Affordable Warmth Grant programme would operate in a way which limited expenditure to the sum of grant provided by the LCC programme, give 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.

 

The Council would be required to submit monitoring reports to LCC.

 

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 support the Council’s ambition to reduce fuel poverty improve the energy efficiency and running costs of homes in Hyndburn.

 

Resolved                               (1)     That Cabinet notes that the Council’s grant allocation of £76,409 for 2022-23 is from the £1,000,000 total amount available across all 12 Districts in Lancashire.

 

(2)     That Cabinet notes this funding aims to be used to support energy interventions and to be used solely for interventions detailed in Lancashire County Council’s grant guidance including an agreed element to cover administration costs of the scheme.

 

(3)     That Cabinet 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.

 

(4)     That Cabinet notes this programme of grant funding from Lancashire County Council will be delivered through   Rhea Projects Ltd who are the Council’s existing Service Provider for accessing grants, advice and support on energy measures to help heat and insulate homes through the Cosy Homes in Lancashire (CHiL) initiative of 15 Lancashire local authorities.  Delivery of the LCC Affordable Warmth Fund grant programme will be carried out by Rhea under paragraph 2.2.1 of the Council’s contract procedure rules, which allows for contract extensions.

 

The Leader concluded the meeting by referring to the on-going success of Accrington Stanley FC, in beating Boreham Wood FC in the FA Cup 3^rd Round Replay recently, leading to the club hosting Premier League opposition Leeds United FC this coming weekend in the FA Cup 4^th Round.  The success of the club was an inspiration for residents and a key driver for bringing visitors into the Borough.  The Club’s Community Trust venture was also important to the town.  The Council was pleased to support both organisations.

 

The Leader reiterated the good news that overall investment in Hyndburn was accelerating with some £55m in grants for regeneration projects already received or announced.