To seek approval for an updated Housing
Assistance Policy to offer wider financial support to older and
disabled people to enable them to live independently at home for as
long as possible.
Decision type: Key
Reason Key: Affects more than 1 ward;
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Notice of proposed decision first published: 10/02/2021
Decision due: 14 Dec 2021 by Executive Member for Adult Services, Health and Housing
Lead member: Executive Member for Adult Services, Health and Housing
Lead director: Executive Director: People
Department: People
Contact: Sarah Gee, Assistant Director: Early Help and Communities Email: sarah.gee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk Tel: 01344 351447.
Consultation process
Housing have worked collaboratively with Adult
Social Care and a specialist OT seconded to the DFG Team to develop
the policy
Consultees
None externally
Making Representations: In writing to the Executive Director of People
Financial Impact: There are no additional resource implications arising from this report. The new policy framework enables more flexible use of the Disabled Facility Grant budget. Funding is received annually in the form of a government grant (the disabled facilities capital grant determination 2020-21 was £853,469). All grants within the policy will be funded from this allocation plus ‘underspend’ carried forward from previous years capital awards. The mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is seen as one of the main support packages that eligible older people and people with long-term health conditions are able to access to support them to remain living independently in the community, but it is also acknowledged that the DFG is an ‘old’ grant based on legislation which is over 30 years old and which in modern society can be limiting in terms of the support it can offer. Therefore, the Policy utilises the powers available to the Council to extend the support it offers using the DFG funding to en