Agenda item

(Director of Communities) To consider the attached report (FPM-017-2015/16).

The Assistant Director of Housing Operations presented a report on the funding of two Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) Debt Advisors following the CAB District Manager making a presentation to the Grant Aid Review Task and Finish Panel on 29 October 2015.

The Assistant Director of Housing Operations advised that the Cabinet Committee had agreed to a moratorium on spending from the HRA’s Housing Improvements and Service Enhancements Fund for 2016/2017 and agreed in principle that £42,000 could be used in 2016/2017 to extend the funding of the Citizens Advice Bureau’s (CAB) two existing Debt Advisors for a further year from 1 April 2016 subject to the CAB Manager attending an appropriate meeting, in order to explain the use and outcomes of all the Council’s grant funding received by the CAB.

The CAB had provided the Grant Aid Review Task and Finish Panel with a report setting out the work of the two Debt advisors, which showed that during the first 6 months of the financial year(2015/16) that the advisors had managed debts of around £713,000 and assisted 304 clients to date with around 32% (97) of these clients being Council tenants.  The CAB was required under the agreement to have one Debt Advisor based at the Limes Centre, Chigwell for one half day each week, which had been extended to 2 half days per week.  The CAB had reported that around 120 (40%) of the clients assisted were first seen at the Limes Centre during the 6 month period and had made repeat visits. There were also other drop-in clients that could not be predicted or controlled, which were seen for a much lesser period of time.  

The Cabinet Committee commented on the responsibilities that were now falling upon the Council and that the Council was the largest contributor of funding to the CAB. The Cabinet Committee agreed that future funding would be reviewed and that another presentation would be required in 2016.

Recommended:

1.         That an exception (already agreed in principle by the Cabinet Committee) be made to the moratorium for 2016/17 on the HRA service improvements and service enhancements fund and £42,000 be used from the Fund in order to extend the funding of the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) two existing Debt Advisors for a further year from 1 April 2016 subject to the following conditions;

(a)  that the CAB’s District Manager attends an appropriate meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in order to make a presentation on the use and outcomes of all of the Council’s Grant Funding to the CAB in 2016/17; and

(b)  That a review of the funding be undertaken in 2016.

Reasons for Decision:

To agree to extend the funding of the CAB’s two existing Debt Advisors for a further year from 1 April 2016, in order to provide support to residents with personal budgeting and debt advice  

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

(a) Not to agree to extend the funding of the CAB’s two existing Debt Advisors for a further year from 1 April 2016;

(b) To only extend the funding for one CAB Debt Advisor; or

(c) To provide funding for more than two CAB Debt Advisors.