Issue - meetings

Acceptance of External Funding, Scheme Expenditure Approvals, Delegations in relation to future External Covid funding and Review of Financial Procedure Rules

Meeting: 24/06/2020 - Council (Item 13)

13 Acceptance of External Funding, Scheme Expenditure Approvals, Delegations in relation to future External Covid funding and Review of Financial Procedure Rules pdf icon PDF 332 KB

Report of the Executive Director of Finance and Commercialisation seeking Acceptance of External Funding, Scheme Expenditure Approvals, Delegations in relation to future External Covid Funding and Review of Financial Procedure Rules, attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report of the Executive Director of Finance and Commercialisation seeking Acceptance of External Funding, Scheme Expenditure Approvals, Delegations in relation to future External Covid Funding and Review of Financial Procedure Rules

 

RESOLVED that:

 

(i)  That in relation to Covid matters Council is recommended to approve the acceptance of funding and spend in respect of:

1.  Discretionary grants for business (acceptance and spend of £2.186M on the basis set out in Appendix A)

 

2.  Control of infection in care homes (acceptance and spend of £2.025M on the basis set out in Appendix B)

75% (£1.519M) of the funding is passported through the council and allocated as required by Government, but 25% (£0.506M) is allocated at the council’s discretion. Delegated approval is sought for the 25% element of the funding to be allocated at the discretion of the Executive Director Wellbeing (Health & Adults), following consultation with the Cabinet Member (Health and Adults), after consideration of the local market conditions at this time.

 

3.  Infection Control (acceptance and spend of £1.571M on the basis set out in Appendix C)

 

4.  Local Welfare Assistance Scheme Funding (the sum has not yet been notified by Government. Council is asked to accept the sum in principle, and spend on the basis set out in Appendix D).

 

(ii)  A decision has previously been made, via an Emergency delegated decision, in relation to the Adults Social Care provider market that:

1.  The Council agrees to a 10% price uplift for a fixed period 19th March 2020 to 30th June 2020. This will apply to current social care providers with existing clients and community-based support providers procured via a block contract.

2.  The additional cost of £2.5m is a call down against the £7.4m additional funding provided to the Council for this purpose.

3.  The payment will be in the form of a one-off payment paid in May 2020 to cover the period 19th March to 30th June 2020.

4.  This temporary uplift up to 10% is not evidenced based but made as a flat payment scheme based on the provider’s commissioned activity or contract value as at February 2020.

5.  Through their delegated authority after consultation with the Leader, Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Chair of OSMC, the Executive Director of Health & Adults and Executive Director for Finance, can agree to urgent decisions to uplift above 10% for some providers or segments of the market where the risk is assessed as critical and the need can be evidenced via open book accounting. Such decisions will be made within the £2.5m cost envelope.

 

Council is now recommended to approve a time extension to make additional payments to the end of July 2020, but with spend limited to the existing £2.5M agreed allocation.

 

(iii)  Council is recommended to accept the Transforming Cities Fund grant of £56.90M and approve the revision to the capital programme and spend for Connected Southampton and to approve associated match funding spend from the council as per the details provided in paragraph 9  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13