Purpose

To seek approval to extend the allocated grant-funding from 1 July 2026 to 31 March 2027 for the following Voluntary, Community and Faith (VCF) sector initiative:

Community Housing & Re-enablement Team (CHART) service
delivered by Crosby Housing Association (CHA) £0.069m grant funding has been allocated but not committed for this initiative.

Decision

Decision(s):

1. The authorised extension of grant funding for a maximum 9-month period from 1 July 2026 to 31 March 2027, be noted and;
2. The internal report and recommendations were presented to the Strategic Commissioning Board (SCB) in May 2026, at which meeting the decision was taken to extend the funding, subject to the completion of a Subsidy Control Risk Assessment, which has subsequently been completed, be noted

Reasons for the recommendation:

The Cabinet Member is asked to note the contents of the report and approve the extension of existing grant-funded arrangements for the CHART service for a further 9-month period, commencing 1 July 2026.

Alternative options considered and rejected:

Not extending funding – this option was presented in a report to the Strategic Commissioning Board and was deemed not viable due to the potential impact that decommissioning these services would have on Sefton residents.

Part-extending funding - this option was also presented in a report to the Strategic Commissioning Board. By extending grant funding by a further 3 or 6 months, this would potentially impact the current provider in providing financial sustainability to deliver the services (e.g. capacity and resources).