-
Issue - meetings
Financial Monitoring Quarterly Reports for 2019/20 - Quarter 3
Meeting: 05/03/2020 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 44)
44 Financial Monitoring Quarterly Reports for 2019/20 - Quarter 3 PDF 154 KB
Additional documents:
- Appendix 1 - Operational Services (combined) - Revenue Summary Qtr 3, item 44 PDF 37 KB
- Appendix 1 - Corporate Resources - Revenue Summary Qtr 3, item 44 PDF 19 KB
- Appendix 2 - Operational Services and Corporate Resources - Revenue Summary Qtr 3, item 44 PDF 17 KB
Minutes:
The Assistant Director Financial Services and Revenues presented a report that provided a financial summary of service expenditure at the end of December 2019 (excluding capital financing charges and recharges). Report highlights were given, and Councillors were advised that the projections could change further based on factors such as the impact of Coronavirus on income generation from visitors and staff absence.
Councillors were concerned by the levels of expenditure for homelessness. The council has been buying temporary accommodation and are looking at buying housing through the Housing Company. The length of time that we can borrow from the Public Works Loan Board is limited to 40 years when used to purchase housing. Recently their rates went up which have limited its financial viability.
Councillors also spoke about having a Housing Revenue Account in order to build housing. There were concerns about ‘Right to Buy’ and how this would affect housing we brought through the Housing Company or housing built through a potential Housing Revenue Account. Bought properties would not be subject to right to buy but built properties would.
Councillors discussed the Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG). There had been an increase to this fund but there was still a significant underspend. The Leader, Deputy Leader and the Assistant of Financial Services and Revenues indicated that they had been in discussions to look at how to increase the number of people successfully applying.
Councillors raised ward issues they have experienced in relation to DFG. Some of the social housing is unable to be adapted and Councillors would like to see this taken into consideration when new social housing is designed and approved. Other residents are having their housing successfully adapted to meet their needs, but the surrounding landscape can leave residents trapped in their homes due to accessibility issues.
Councillors were also unsure of Social Housing Associations responsibilities towards adapting residents’ homes. It was suggested that a more joint way of working was needed. The Lead member would clarify the working arrangements and responsibilities of social housing for DFGs and report back to the Overview and Scrutiny Quarter 4 meeting.
DFG had been traditionally used to make adaptations in people’s homes to allow patients to return home from hospital. Patients would then have the adaptations to help aid their recovery and enable them to live their day to day life’s. Councillors felt that some patients were being sent home too soon as adaptations were not in place.
Others felt that delays to these works were significant and had contributed to continued ill health. Sometimes delays to adaptations meant that no works had been carried out before the resident’s death. A pattern of slippage was causing risks to resident’s well-being, and councillors wanted assurances that the council had the skills and capacity to deliver DFG.
Councillors continued to discuss the report included how funds have been allocated to the Bohemia development project through reserves rather than revenue. They also discussed the profit share the Council should be receiving from Blue Reef management. ... view the full minutes text for item 44
-
My council
Contact
Contact us if you have a question about democratic services.
Content
The content on this page is the responsibility of our Democratic Services team.