Agenda item

            The Sub-Committee was advised that in 2003, Halton received a £8.5m ring-fenced grant for the provision of Supporting People (SP) Services. The grant had since been reduced each financial year. The Department of Communities and Local Government had confirmed the Council’s levels grant up to 2007/08 and had confirmed that as an Excellent Authority, the Council retained the right to roll-forward any underspend.

            However, the level of funding committed to the SP Programme on a national level had been the subject of considerable review since the programme was introduced in 2003. In October 2006 the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was expected to publish its plans for the long term funding arrangements for the programme. In addition to the risk to Halton of loss of funding, all Excellent Authorities faced the risk of loss of flexibility to roll-forward any underspend. DCLG had indicated an intention to require the return of underspend from 2008 onwards.

            The on-going reduction in funding, coupled with concerns over the government’s intention to introduce an SP distribution formula within the first two years of the programme, had lead to an effective freeze on the commissioning of any SP services. This restriction on the commissioning of new services and delays in the completion of on-going developments had lead to a year on year underspend on Halton’s SP Programme Grant and subsequent concerns that Halton was failing to meet gaps in service identified in the SP Five-year Strategy and in meeting the Government’s new preventative agenda for adults social care.

            It was proposed that in order to maximise use of the grant and to ensure best use of resources for vulnerable members of the community, an expansion of services on a temporary basis, within the confirmed grant allocation up to the end of March 2008 be agreed.

            Halton’s SP underspend in 2005/06 was approximately £1.4m. This was rolled-forward into the 2006/07 budget which was also currently projected to underspend by £1.4m. Bids had been invited for short-term funding of services to support vulnerable members of the community. Under the flexibility afforded to the Authority after achieving Excellent Status, bids were also invited for the provision of welfare services, which were only eligible for funding within the SP Grant conditions for Excellent Authorities. All services were to be viewed as pilots, attracting funding up to the end of March 2008. An outline of the services approved by Supporting People Boards and the indicative costs were set out in the report.

            RESOLVED: That

(1)       in the exceptional circumstances detailed below, for the purpose of Standing Order 1.6, Standing Orders 3.3 – 3.6 be waived on this occasion. Compliance is not practicable for reasons of urgency, in that undertaking tender exercises would reduce the time available to spend the time limited funding on vulnerable members of our community and  compliance would result in the Council having to forego a clearfinancial benefit, in that the Council could be required to return any under spent Supporting People Programme Grant from April 2008 onwards;

(2)            delegated powers be approved to enable the Strategic Director, Health and Community, in conjunction with the Portfolio Holder for Community, to award short-term contracts to the parties listed in the report, at a cost not exceeding that listed and subject to the conditions set out in the report; and

(3)       the Strategic Director, Health and Community, in conjunction with the Portfolio Holder for Community, be authorised to take such action as may be necessary to implement the recommendations as set out in the report; subject to further information on how the proposals regarding the appointment of the proposed three additional temporary Support Time and Recovery Workers could be developed without long term implications for the Council.