Decision details

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Growth, presented the report which advised that Urban Renewal Officers have reviewed the existing Council Procedure with regards to adaptations to Council properties.

This existing procedure enforces rehousing should the grant maximum exceed £15,000, however, a recent high court case, R (on the application of Glynis McKeown) v Islington LBC (2020) has ruled that this is discriminatory, since a local authority has no more reason to force a social-housing tenant to move home than they could with an owner occupier. This report proposes replacing the Procedure with a new Procedure that is in line with the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 legislation and this High Court ruling.

Members discussed the grants alongside the objectives of the housing strategy, and it was noted that both adaptations and purpose-built accessible homes were needed.

Decision:

·       To repeal the existing Council Procedure in relation to Disabled Adaptations for Council tenants.

·       To approve and implement the proposed new Procedure

·       The cost be managed within the overall HRA budget that forms part of the capital programme and that consideration be given to increasing the budget in future years should there be an ongoing cost pressure.

Reasons for the decision:

The High Court Ruling means it is no longer appropriate to have a Rehousing Procedure specifically in relation to Disabled Adaptations of Council properties. A new procedure is therefore proposed.

Other options considered and rejected:

None.