Agenda item

Report of the Director of Neighbourhoods and Development attached.

Decision made (Unanimously):

1.    That Cabinet approves the decision to develop, own and manage an Extra Care Scheme within South Ribble in line with the need for Extra Care Housing as outlined within the LCC Housing Care and Support Strategy 2018-2025.

2.    That Cabinet grants authority to the Director (Planning and Property) to identify sites within the Councils ownership of which the Council can acquire in order to build and extra care scheme within South Ribble.

3.    That Cabinet request the Director (Planning and Property) to establish an officer working group with agreed terms of reference to drive forward identification of a site, review procurement options and identify sources of funding to build and manage the scheme with details of the preferred site, procurement route and funding options being reported back to Cabinet in June 2020.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member (Health, Wellbeing and Leisure), presented a report of the Director of Neighbourhoods and Development that provided an update on plans to develop an extra care scheme within South Ribble and sought approval to progress, with the establishment of an officer working group to identify a suitable site, review procurement options and identify funding sources for the scheme.

With South Ribble being one of a number of authorities which have yet to develop an Extra Care scheme in Lancashire, there is now pressing demand. Lancashire County Council’s Housing with Care and Support Strategy 2018-2025 indicates that South Ribble has a current need to provide for at least 204 Extra Care apartments in the borough by 2025 and officers have been working with the County to progress this issue.

In response to a question raise by Councillor Colin Clark, it was explained that all management costs of such a scheme would need to be contained with the Business Plan but that the Council was confident that the development of the scheme would be cost neutral to the Council and could provide a sustainable income in the years to come. The Leader added that there was funding available from Lancashire County Council, along with other grant support that the Council could access to finance its development.

Councillor Alan Ogilvie queried if the scheme would only be available for South Ribble residents. The Cabinet Member confirmed that this would be the main criteria for applicants but that there would be some exceptions. For example, veterans that had a local connection to the area, would be able to apply. The Cabinet Member also confirmed that the administration would be looking to implement more affordable rents for its occupants.

The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Margaret Smith informed that her group were very much in favour of such a scheme and thought that a visit to one of the Extra Care schemes at either Chorley or Ormskirk would be beneficial for Members.

Decision made (Unanimously):

1.    That Cabinet approves the decision to develop, own and manage an Extra Care Scheme within South Ribble in line with the need for Extra Care Housing as outlined within the LCC Housing Care and Support Strategy 2018-2025.

2.    That Cabinet grants authority to the Director (Planning and Property) to identify sites within the Councils ownership of which the Council can acquire in order to build an extra care scheme within South Ribble.

3.    That Cabinet request the Director (Planning and Property) to establish an officer working group with agreed terms of reference to drive forward identification of a site, review procurement options and identify sources of funding to build and manage the scheme with details of the preferred site, procurement route and funding options being reported back to Cabinet in June 2020.

Reason(s) for the decision:

1.     South Ribble Borough Council are one of a number of authorities within Lancashire that presently do not have an Extra Care Scheme, and this is an issue that both the Borough Council and County Council are keen to address. Officers have been working with Lancashire County Council to consider plans for extra care however discussions have now reached the stage where it is not possible to progress the scheme until a strategic decision has been reached by the Council, namely does the Council want to own and manage an extra care scheme or does it want to partner with a Registered Provider to deliver the scheme?

2.     The Lancashire County Council Housing with Care and Support Strategy 2018-2025 indicates there will be a need for at least 204 Extra Care apartments in South Ribble by 2025. The need for Extra Care will only increase thereafter due to an ageing population and a number of authorities in Lancashire are currently exploring the potential to build additional extra care schemes due to demand in their area.

3.     Once a strategic decision has been made in relation to the ownership and management of the Extra Care Scheme then plans can be worked up to move the scheme onto a formal project footing and to give this work the priority it deserves.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

1.     The Council has a choice. It could decide to develop, own and manage an Extra Care scheme itself or it could choose to partner with a Registered Provider to develop the scheme.

2.     Should the Council develop, own and manage the scheme it shall provide the Council with a valuable financial asset for which grant funding could be secured to help with build costs and the scheme would provide a positive financial surplus for the Council to reinvest in the scheme or in other Housing and Care priorities.

3.     Alternatively, the Council could choose not to develop an Extra Care scheme within South Ribble. This is not recommended as there is clearly an unmet demand for such a facility and failure to provide an Extra Care scheme would result in elderly residents with support needs receiving a lesser service than residents in neighbouring boroughs.