Purpose

Approval of a published document which
outlines the policies and procedures for the allocation of
Equipment and Adaptation to enable the council to meet its
statutory obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

Content

8.1

The Committee considered a report of the
Director of Housing which summarised the new Equipment and
Adaptations Policy.

 

 

8.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the
Housing Policy Committee approves the Equipment and Adaptations
Policy, in the form set out at Appendix A attached to the
report.

 

 

 

 

8.3

Reasons for
Decision

 

 

8.3.1

The Council have a statutory duty to provide
adaptations to support tenants with disabilities. The Policy will
enable the Council to offer support transparently, while
prioritising the efficacy of the HRA budget and supporting
tenants.

 

 

 

 

8.4

Alternatives
Considered and Rejected

 

 

8.4.1

Alternative Option 1: Do nothing.
There is a risk of indirect and direct
discrimination from a lack of uniform and informal approaches.
There is a risk that the HRA Capital programme budget allocated to
this workstream will not be sufficient as demand grows across SCC
tenancies and that rehousing is not utilised sufficiently as an
approach instead of expensive and time-consuming adaptations, such
as extensions

 

 

8.4.2

Alternative Option 2:
Adopt a uniform policy across social and
private housing. Given the different funding models between private
sector and social housing sectors, a single policy which covers
both private and social housing may confuse tenants. Specifically,
there is a concern that social tenants would think their support is
means-tested, as with the DFG, and therefore, believe that they are
being put at a disadvantage, or would be receiving less funding
than they need. Moreover, the DFG is not the only source of funding
for the private sector, and therefore, the eligibility requirements
change depending on the source of funding. The aim is to be as
clear as possible for our tenants.