HOUSING RELATED SUPPORT FOR OLDER

PEOPLE – DECISION TO ENTER INTO NEW

CONTRACT

Decision of:

Councillor Price, Executive Councillor for Housing

Reference:

17/URGENCY/HS/8

Date of decision:            

Recorded on: 

Decision Type:

Non Key Decision

Matter for Decision:

Cambridge City Council provides housing related support for older people on a tenure neutral basis across the district. Historically, the council only provided support to tenants living in its own sheltered schemes.  From May 2014 the County Council expanded the breadth of the service delivered by the City Council to make it tenure neutral.

Since May 2014 the County Council have paid the City Council £180,000 per annum for the delivery of this wider service.

The County Council had approached the City with a proposal for a new partnership agreement to be affective from April 2018 for a 3 year period with an option to extend for a further year.  This agreement would be on the basis of a fixed fee of £180,000 per annum for the life of the new arrangement.

If we were to decide against the proposal, the County would need to go out to full tender for the service, which would take them up to 6 months, ie October 2017 to March 2018, to be ready for a new contractor to step in from 1^st April 2018, so they are keen for a decision from the City urgently to enable them to proceed as appropriate.

Why the decision had to be made (and any alternative options):

The City Council is keen to continue to provide these valuable support services to residents in the City, recognising the benefit not only to its sheltered tenants but also its ageing general needs tenants and other residents of the City.

The Executive Councillor’s decision(s):

Approved that the authority enter into a new partnership agreement for the provision of housing related support for older people on a tenure neutral basis across the district for up to 4 years from April 2018. 

Reasons for the decision:

The benefits to the Council of continuing to deliver housing related support for older people include the ability to continue to deliver joined up services for older people in council accommodation, giving them 1 point of contact for a variety of services and enabling them to sustain their tenancies. 

Scrutiny consideration:

The Chair and Spokesperson of Housing Scrutiny Committee were consulted prior to the action being authorised.

Report:

A report detailing the background and financial considerations is attached.

Conflicts of interest:

None

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