To allow the Council to deliver the scheme and meet the policies and objectives for the site.

(1)          To proceed with option negotiations for the land as per section 1.4 of the Officer Decision report.

(2)          To work in liaison with the local business to design and cost the scheme and develop the business case.

(3)          To bring a further report to Cabinet on the outcome of the option negotiations and the business case.

To assist the Council in meeting its duty to help tackle modern slavery within the District.

The Chief Executive approved the adoption of the Modern Slavery Policy and Procedure.

To enable the Council to spend commuted sums income in accordance with legal requirements and increase the provision of affordable housing.

To agree the expenditure proposals, in relation to current and future commuted sums (affordable housing) received as shown at paragraph 1.4 of the attached report.

To assist the Council in delivering the intended facilities at the Sowerby Sports Village.

(1)          To phase the approach and delivery of the scheme as detailed within the report;

(2)          To provide £61,000 from the Capital Fund to add to the previously allocated Section 106 funds and the access road contribution provided by the Department of Education, in order to deliver Phase 3 of the project;

(3)          To provide community access to clubs and the public as highlighted within the report and to delegate future decisions on community access and operational matters to the Director of Leisure & Communities in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Leader, and

(4)          To provide an operational budget of £25,000 for 2020/21 only.

The changes to the Housing Assistance Policy are to improve support for vulnerable households to enable healthy and long term occupation of their homes and maximise the effectiveness and access to grant funding; and also to reduce fuel poverty, winter deaths and improve energy efficiency.

To approve changes to the Housing Assistance Policy.

Changes are required to the Housing Assistance Policy in particular:

·        Increase in the threshold for non-means tested Disabled Facilities Grants from £5,000 to £6,000.

·        Applications for discretionary non-means tested Disabled Facilities are limited to one grant in any three year period.

·        Clarification is given to applications for assistance made on behalf of a disabled person under the age of 18 years old being non-means tested.

·        Prioritisation of interventions to facilitate hospital discharge based on advice from Occupational Therapists.

·        Provision of discretionary assistance to fund the cost of aids and adaptations to help people with dementia continue to live in their own homes.

·        Provision of further discretion for top up funding where the required works for a Disabled Facilities Grant are over £30,000.

·        Provision (pending approval from Management Team) of a discretionary fund to be available to support energy efficiency measures.

·        Energy Repayment loans have been removed.