To consider any decisions made by the Cabinet at its last meeting that have been called-in.
Minutes:
The Chairman informed the Committee that there had been a Call In regarding the Aids and Adaptations Policy which had been approved by Cabinet on 29th September 2016.
The Monitoring Officer outlined the Call In process, explaining that in correspondence with Councillor Mrs Roach she had explained that in this instance the correct decision making process had been followed and that in her opinion she did not consider there to be a valid reason for Call In, however the Constitution permitted Members to Call In against her advice.
Cllr Mrs J Roach had called in the matter and was supported by Cllrs R M Deed, J L Smith, N A Way and R Wright.
Cllr Roach gave the grounds for Call In as:
· The Council does not appear to have considered the option of seeking to make all bungalows (whenever possible) in the council's ownership accessible for future tenants or their visitors who use wheelchairs or mobility aids. This could be part of a programme of works when the council has a void.
· The council has shown a lack of vision in preparing for the challenges that will happen as the population lives longer than any previous generations.
· Para 12, the Council does not appear to have considered the possibility that some people might not be able to cope with the requirements of this section, either because they do not feel able to cope with the actual filling in of forms etc. or do not have the money to fund the requirements.
Cllr Mrs Roach explained that her concerns were with regard to the policy not being very visionary. She considered that with an aging population more and more people would require mobility scooters and that properties would need adaptation to accommodate them. Cllr Roach would like the Authority to look at this matter in a more positive manner and when dealing with void properties, or undertaking modifications consider installing wider doorways or hard standings.
Cllr J L Smith had supported the Call In and he suggested that when developing property it would be financially viable to undertake works when properties were empty rather than undertaking retrospective adaptations on occupied properties. He suggested that it would cost more in the long run and that adapting each void as it occurred would be cost effective.
Cllr N A Way, who supported the Call In, suggested that it, would be short-sighted not to adapt bungalows as and when they became vacant.
Cllr B Wright, in support of the Call In, suggested that adopting suitable properties such as bungalows could mean someone being mobile and not suffering from isolation in the future.
The Head of Housing and Property Services explained that the Aids and Adaptions Policy did not say that adaptations would not be undertaken but that they would only be done for free if there was an Occupational Therapist report confirming need. He informed the Committee that the Housing Service spent in the region of £300k per annum on adapting its housing stock. He further explained that works with a cost of over £1000 needed to be approved by an Occupational Therapist and that work would be carried out within three months of the agreement. The Occupational Therapist’s report would need to indicate that the use of a mobility scooter was a necessity and not just a preference. He explained that housing stock was upgraded when it became empty but it was not practical to provide facilities in properties where they may not be required.
Cllr Mrs Roach said that there were visions to make the country accessible to everyone, even those in wheelchairs. The adaptations would help if a disabled person visited the property and that every property should be able to accommodate a mobility scooter even if the householders did not meet the criteria. She suggested looking at access points to a property when it was a void as this would cost less in the long run.
Discussion took place regarding the possibility of a tenant moving to a suitable property should one become available, the fact that some properties could not be adapted and the need to consider budgets.
It was RECOMMENDED that Council accept the Aids and Adaptations Policy with the exception of 12.5 which should be looked at in greater detail by the Homes Policy Development Group
(Proposed by Cllr Mrs J Roach and seconded by Cllr J L Smith)
Note: - The Chairman informed the Committee that he considered Call In should be used for exceptional circumstances only and that on this occasion he did not consider the matter to be appropriate for Call In as the correct decision making process had been carried out.