Disability grant cut worries

Monmouthshire councillors have raised concerns over a proposal to cut grants which help disabled people stay in their own homes.

The idea is to cut the budget for disabled facilities grants (DFG) from £900,000 to £600,000.

The  grant aims to support residents to remain living safely and independently.

In 2017/18 Monmouthshire County Council increased the budget for DFGs to £900,000, which has been maintained since.

The budget increase intended to get rid of a backlog of applications that had been put on hold due to a lack of funding.

There is currently no backlog of applications.

However, councillors and officers raised concerns in an adult select committee that a reduction in the funding to the proposed £600,000 could see applications falling behind again.

Cllr Roger Harris asked if it was proposed to cut the DFG to £600,000.

The council’s housing and regeneration manager Ian Bakewell said: “It’s a conversation that cabinet has raised, and we have been asked to provide evidence.

“I personally am of the view that the additional funding we put in two years ago has made a massive difference.

“On the basis of the current demand it makes me wonder if we would go back to having a backlog.”

Cllr Harris said: “To think about cutting back when we are not evening reaching the target in my mind is incomprehensible.”

DFGs have a target completion time of  180 days, or six months, but Monmouthshire’s average is 187 days.

The council’s cabinet member for resources Cllr Phil Murphy said: “This £600,000 is the amount in the base budget.

“When we review the capital proposals for the current year we did ask Ian and his team for a progress report as to how that had alleviated the situation.

“We will consider that report, it’s a case of reviewing the capital budget.

“This is what we wanted to make this decision.”

The committee chairwoman Cllr Frances Taylor said: “The projection in the medium-term financial plan to return to £600,000 is a significant concern for this committee.

“We would recommend to the cabinet member and cabinet that they reassess that in line with the demand and the detail we have been able to see in this report.”

Cabinet will now consider the report and will be asked to take note of the concerns raised by the committee in relation to the proposed cut in funding.