Agenda item

            (Mr. I. Harper, Building Control Manager, attended in connection with this item).

           

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

 

1.1       Belfast City Council has been engaged in a partnership with the Department for Communities (DfC) and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) in the delivery of the Affordable Warmth Scheme (AWS) since 2014.

 

1.2       The scheme aims to address fuel poverty for the most vulnerable households in the city by targeting those households that meet certain criteria, as identified by Ulster University to provide home improvement measures such as loft and cavity wall insulation, replacement boilers and new double glazed windows. While it is a targeted scheme, self-referrals are also considered. To qualify for the scheme occupant’s income must be below £20,000 (gross).

 

1.3       The purpose of this report is to give Members an update on the AWS, including the ongoing engagement with DfC at SOLACE level, and outline a request from DfC regarding the Service Level Agreement for 2020-2021.

 

1.4       In September, Members confirmed their commitment to the scheme but also the need for adequate funding to be provided. The Director of Planning and Building Control wrote to DfC confirming the level of surveys that could be provided with the current staffing resource.

 

1.5       Members also agreed to write to the Department requesting a meeting with the Minister for Communities to discuss the scheme.  Following written request, DfC have replied confirming the ministers diary commitments mean  it is not possible to arrange a meeting, but that David Polley, Director of Housing Supply Policy can meet with Members to discuss the scheme.

 

1.6       There have been ongoing communications between DfC and councils, both at SOLACE and senior management level. 

 

1.7       DfC have requested that councils sign the Service Level Agreement (SLA) for 2020-2021 and have confirmed that further engagement will take place to finalise the SLA for 2021-2022.

 

2.0       Recommendations

 

2.1       The Committee is asked to consider:

 

1.     The offer from DfC for David Polley to address the Committee

2.     The request from DfC to sign the Service Level Agreement for (in year) 2020-2021 and

 

a)     – agree to sign the SLA with a caveat outlining the concerns around targeted ratio and funding or

b)     - decline to sign the SLA and wait for a revised version for the next financial year 2021-2022 in which the outstanding issues are addressed to the satisfaction of the council, and

 

3.     Note the ongoing work to agree a suitable Service Level Agreement for 2021-2022.

 

3.0       Main report

 

            Key Issues and current position

 

            Current position

 

3.1       An update report was provided to Members in September, at which point the DfC had set the target number of referrals at 44. The Service continues to work with only one member of AWS staff, supported by Building Control Business support staff to help with the workload, in particular the customer contact.  The BC Service is not in a position to continue to subsidise the scheme with its own Business support staff moving forward given the workload related to their normal duties.

 

3.2       Approval was granted to recruit an AWS site officer post, although this will take a number of months to recruit and train.  It is hoped that with two members of AWS staff, the suggested target of 30 referrals outlined by the DfC for 2021-2022 will be met.

 

3.3       Interviews with residents continue to be conducted remotely where possible by electronic means and on phones. Risk assessments have been carried out for any essential on-site work, including the requirement for PPE and maintaining social distancing. This is not easy with some of the most vulnerable and can mean additional engagement with family members or other contacts to establish if they meet the scheme criteria.

 

3.4       Below are the referrals submitted to NIHE (urgent only being provided up to 1st August)

 

Month	Applications sent to NIHE
April	1
May	9
June	8
July	6
August	11
September	26
October	24
November	24
December	17
January - up to 14/1/21	13
Total	139

 

3.5       In addition, 127 onward referrals have been made to other agencies and an increasing number of emails and calls about the scheme at this time of year are being handled. The service will continue to provide as many referrals as possible up to the target of 32.

 

            Communications from DfC

 

3.6       On 11 December, DfC wrote to councils outlining a number of changes to the scheme.  This included:

 

·        Scheme eligibility criteria is increasing from £20,000 to £23,000, which is welcomed.

 

·        Targeted approach: this is being discussed with DoF to look at a refreshed approach. The current 80/20 ratio is to be continue at this stage. Officers continue to inform DfC that this ratio is not achievable for BCC given the levels of self-referrals and needs identified, and needs to be altered in the future SLA.  DfC and NIHE are accepting referrals provided within the current working arrangements and this will continue, pending further review work being carried out on the targeted approach. However, this is not reflected within the proposed SLA for 2020-2021.

 

·        Referrals – the referral target has changed from the 44 confirmed in August, to 32 through to yearend. Continued in year changes to the referral targets make resourcing the scheme very difficult, and should be reconsidered as part of any future SLA. This new change would result in a reduction of income for councils on the payment per referral model.  Following feedback from Councils DfC wrote a further letter on 22nd December outlining a method by which councils could request access for Covid related funding where their staffing costs were not met by the AWS funding. This does not affect BCC given the current resourcing level. 

 

·        While councils had requested additional flexibility in month-by-month referral provision, none was agreed.

 

·        Budget for 2021-2022 – the planned budget is between £12m and £16m, with a suggested target referral rate of about 30.  Again, stability in relation to referral targets is needed for resourcing.

 

            SOLACE

 

3.7       Representatives of SOLACE met with the Deputy Permanent Secretary before Christmas to discuss the AWS and SOLACE discussed the matter further on 7th January 2021.  As a result DfC have confirmed the following:

 

·        A review of the targeted methodology is being carried out with Department of Finance (DoF), commissioning a study and engaging with councils.

 

·        DfC are to undertake a study with DoF to look at the funding model, evaluate the value for money and consider alternatives. The potential for a 50/50 referral and flat rate basis is being considered.

 

·        Commitment to consult with Councils on the proposed SLA for 2021-2022, with a meeting set up for early February.

 

3.8       SOLACE have emphasised that the grant support is the greatest difficulty for councils and must be adequate to cover the staffing costs incurred. Given we are nearing the new financial year, they have asked for the work to be undertaken with urgency.

 

3.9       The DfC also requested that BCC sign a Service Level Agreement for the last quarter of 2020-2021, based on a target referral rate of 32 for January – March. They have confirmed that discussions would take place to finalise the revised version for 2021-2022. The AW team is working to provide as many referrals as possible to 31st March 2021 in relation to the target. However, officers have concerns that the targeted ratio contained within the Agreement cannot be met, which has been communicated to DfC. The SLA does not deal with the funding issues previously raised. Given the work to be undertaken to revise the SLA for 2021-2022 it is suggested that, if members are minded to agree the 2020-2021 SLA,  the response includes a caveat for those areas of concern.  Alternatively, given this SLA is being proposed late in the financial year, consideration could be given to wait for the revised SLA for 2021-2022, which must ensure that the key areas outlined in the report are revised to the satisfaction of the Council.

 

3.10     The proposed SLA for 2021-2022 will be brought before members once it is provided by DfC, following the engagement with council officers and SOLACE.

 

            Financial and Resource Implications

 

3.11     The AWS continues to operate the payment per referral model, but we await the review of the funding model.  The referrals sent since 1st August are sufficient to cover the cost of the AWS Coordinator. 

 

3.12     Confirmation of funding and referral rate for 2021-2022 is to be finalised, but officers will seek to ensure that the funding for 2021-2022 will be adequate to cover the staffing costs incurred, including the proposed new staff member.

 

            Equality or Good Relations Implications/

            Rural Needs Assessment

 

3.13     There are no equality, good relations or rural needs issues.”

 

            The Committee confirmed its ongoing commitment to the Affordable Warmth Scheme and commended the officers for continuing to deliver this scheme during the ongoing pandemic.     

 

            The Committee:

 

·        agreed to invite the Director of Housing Supply Policy, Mr. D. Polley, from the DfC to a future meeting of the Committee to discuss the scheme;

·        agreed to sign the Service Level Agreement with a caveat outlining the concerns around targeted ratio and funding; and

·        noted the ongoing work to agree a suitable Service Level Agreement for 2021-2022 and that further engagement would take place.