Agenda item

To submit a report by the Head of Housing Services.

The report of the Head of Housing Services seeking the Executive’s approval for the Supporting People Programme Commissioning Strategy and Grant Expenditure Scheme 2019/20 was presented for consideration.

The Portfolio Member for Housing and Supporting Communities reported that the Supporting People Programme is a policy framework and funding initiative by the Welsh Government which provides Housing-related support for a variety of groups of people who are equally vulnerable. The services do not include the funding of accommodation costs or the provision of health or care costs. Following the Welsh Government’s decision to combine the Supporting People Programme Grant, the Homelessness Prevention Grant and the Rent Smart Wales (Enforcement) Grant, all three grants will be provided under the name of the Housing related Support grant from April, 2019 onwards. The Welsh Government has also combined another 7 individual grants under the name Children and Communities Grant Programme which from 1 April, 2019 will combine the individual grants listed in paragraph 1.4 of the report.

The Portfolio Member emphasised the importance of this grant continuing at the same, if not increased level in order to maintain support for some of the most vulnerable individuals and families within the Island’s society.

The Principal Development Officer (Housing) said that the current climate is challenging financially, and there is also uncertainty regarding the formula for redistributing Supporting People funding. When the formula was reviewed in 2012/13 and 2013/14 the funding for the North Wales authorities subsequently decreased by 23% over the course of the following 6 years. The Welsh Government is again considering revising the formula and Anglesey has to be alert to a potential loss of funding. For Anglesey the grant is essential to the Council’s preventative programme enabling it to provide for the needs of 650 individuals on the Island on a weekly basis. Any further reduction in the grant funding would have a serious impact potentially putting the future of some schemes within the Supporting People Programme at risk.

The Head of Function (Resources)/Section 15 1 Officer said that Welsh Government Officials addressed a recent meeting of Local Government Treasurers in Wales  on changes in the way the grant is distributed across Wales. A sub-group of Local Government Treasurers in Wales is being set up to look at the issue in tandem with Welsh Government in order to find a way of protecting authorities that will be affected the most by changes in the funding formula. As these are more likely to be in North Wales, one Treasurer from the six North Wales authorities will be a member of the sub-group.

The Executive was agreed that Supporting People funded services are vitally important in helping provide support for a variety of groups of vulnerable people over a wide range of programmes whose needs would otherwise have to be met from the Council’s own core budget. The Executive noted that any further reduction in funding as a result of changes to the funding formula could have an adverse impact on provision where ideally, stability in the form of funding assurance over the long-term is required.

It was resolved to approve the following –

•           The recommendations of the Supporting People Commissioning Plan 2019-20.

•           The funding allocation for every Service area as outlined on Page 13 of the Supporting People Commissioning Plan.