Decision details

Payment of Additional Waking Watch Relief Fund Grant

Decision Maker: Director of Housing and Neighbourhoods Service

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Purpose:

The report seeks approval for the Council to administer payment of additional grant funding of £25,350 to two of the successful applicants to the Waking Watch Relief Fund (WWRF), following the decision by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) (formerly the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government) that these payments should be made.

 

Decision:

That the Director of Housing and Neighbourhood Services:

 

  • Exercises the delegated authority provided to them under the Individual Member report from March 2021 ‘..to approve applications to this fund, enter into grant agreements and make grant payments to successful third party applicants up to the Council’s allocation of up to £1m’ and approves the issuing of and entering into variations to existing grant funding agreements relating to Royal Plaza (£9,922) and Mandale House (£15,428) to allow for the payment of additional WWRF grant as outlined in the report.

 

Reasons for the decision:

Fire safety is a high priority for Sheffield and nationally.  The approval to make these variations will mean the Council can provide funds for the full installation of appropriate fire alarms for these two developments, ensuring the immediate fire safety of over 270 dwellings, and remove the costly burden of Waking Watch from leaseholders.

 

Alternative options considered:

1.    This is Government funding, and there is no alternative Council funding available for this work.

 

2.    Doing nothing would mean either the alarm systems for these buildings could not be completed to the required specification, or the additional costs would be passed on to leaseholders.

 

Publication date: 23/11/2021

Date of decision: 18/11/2021

Accompanying Documents: