Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Adult Social Care

Forward Plan Ref: 2016/084

Contact: Natalia Lachkou, Commissioning Manager Tel: 07881 500344

Report by Director for Adult Social Services (CA9).

The County Council together with the five city/district councils and the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group has developed under the Health Improvement Board umbrella a new commissioning plan for housing related support services in light of the County Council’s £1.5m budget reduction by 2019/20.

The partners have reached a unanimous agreement to create a new joint governance structure to procure and manage services and accommodation for single homeless people. The project will be delivered over a three year period starting from 1 April 2017. This requires all partners to enter into a new partnering agreement. The Cabinet is required to decide whether the County Council should enter into this new partnering agreement.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to agree to contribute to a pooled budget for housing related support between the County Council, the District and City Councils and Clinical Commissioning Group, under the terms of the proposed partnering agreement, the final version of which would be signed in due course by the relevant senior officer under the delegated decision making authority scheme.

Recommendations agreed.

The County Council together with the five city/district councils and the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group has developed under the Health Improvement Board umbrella a new commissioning plan for housing related support services in light of the County Council’s £1.5m budget reduction by 2019/20.

Cabinet had before them a report seeking approval to enter into this new partnering agreement.

Councillor Glynis Phillips, Shadow Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care welcomed the spirit of co-operation evidenced by the report but queried why District Councils were not increasing their funding year on year.

Councillor Hudspeth, Leader of the Council, confirmed that housing and homelessness was a City /District Council function and referred to the historic basis of County Council funding through the supporting people funding from Government. This funding had been cut by a previous government and the County Council had subsidised services over a number of years. Cabinet welcomed the proposals to work together.

Councillor Heathcoat, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, in moving the recommendations, thanked Natalia Lachkou for her work in looking after the services over a number of years. The funding agreement was the final piece in the jigsaw.

RESOLVED:             to agree to contribute to a pooled budget for housing related support between the County Council, the District and City Councils and Clinical Commissioning Group, under the terms of the proposed partnering agreement; the final version of which would be signed in due course by the relevant senior officer under the delegated decision making authority scheme.