Issue - meetings

Property Level Resilience Grants, Lune Square and The Millrace

 

 

Meeting: 21/03/2017 - Cabinet (Item 70)

70 Property Level Resilience Grants, Lune Square and The Millrace pdf icon PDF 220 KB

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Hanson)

 

Report of Chief Officer (Regeneration & Planning)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Hanson)

 

Having previously declared an interest, Councillor Hughes did not participate in the discussions or vote on this item.

 

Cabinet received a report from the Chief Officer (Regeneration & Planning) to approve Property Level Resilience Grant allocations to Lune Square and the Millrace.

 

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

 

 

Option 1: To approve the discretionary grant allocations for these properties

Option 2: Not to approve the discretionary grant allocations for these properties

Advantages

Property resilience put in place.  Future events should not result in residents being displaced. 

No property resilience in place. Residents at risk of being displaced in future events. 

Disadvantages

None

Additional public expenditure may take place to support residents in the event of future flooding. 

Risks

Firstly, scheme could be deemed to be ineligible by DCLG.  Although the guidance is not clear and is open to interpretation, DCLG stress that LA’s have the discretion to apply grants as they see fit.  DCLG have been asked to confirm it has no objections to the proposed course of action and they have re-iterated that LA’s have flexibility to approve community schemes provided it protects the properties of all of the claimants and that we’re satisfied the application meets the eligibility criteria.

 

Secondly, deadline for submitting applications is 31 March 2017 and if a decision is not made at this time there is a risk that we will miss the deadline.

 

 

Reputational damage to the local authority. 

 

Option 1 is the preferred option.   Cabinet are asked to authorise payment in these circumstances to ensure that these vulnerable properties are provided with an appropriate level of property resilience in line with the spirit of the Governments scheme.

 

Councillor Hanson proposed, seconded by Councillor Clifford:-

 

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”

 

Councillors then voted:-

 

Resolved:

 

(7 Members (Councillors Blamire, Clifford, Hanson, Leyshon, Leytham, Pattison and Whitehead) voted in favour.  Councillor Hughes, having declared an interest, did not vote.)

 

(1)             That a Property Level Resilience Grant of £96,240 be paid in relation to works to protect Lune Square, to be funded from Government grant.

(2)             That a Property Level Resilience Grant of £104,000 be paid in relation to works to protect The Millrace, to be funded from Government grant.

Officer responsible for effecting the decision:

 

Chief Officer (Regeneration & Planning

 

Reasons for making the decision:

 

The City Council takes an active role in protecting its residents and property from flood risk in line with national flooding policy and its duty to cooperate with the Lead Flood Authority.  The decision will provide future protection for 109 households from flooding events, reducing the risk of any need for rehousing.