The Head of Housing and Propertyhas submitted a report which details the proposed arrangements for a Home Improvement Agency that is part funded through a contract with Oxfordshire County Council. The Home Improvement Agency provides services to enable disabled and elderly people to remain living in their own homes. The value of the contract to the Council will be in excess of £500k over the 5 years of the contract and as a result City Executive Board approval is required to sign the contract.

Officer Recommendations: That the City Executive Board

1.    GRANTS delegated authority to the Executive Director of Regeneration and Housing, in consultation with the Head of Financial Services and Head of Law and Governance to enter into an appropriate contract for the provision of a Home Improvement Agency.

The Head of Housing and Property submitted a report (previously circulated now appended) which detailed the proposed arrangements for a Home Improvement Agency that is part funded through a contract with Oxfordshire County Council.

Cllr Seamons, Board Member for Housing introduced the report.  He explained that the Home Improvement Agency provides services to enable disabled and elderly people to remain living in their own homes. He said that he was pleased to report that the County Council had asked to extend the scope of the contract to include a minor works element previously undertaken by a private contractor.

The Board suggested that there was scope for the Council to do more to publicise the work of the Home Improvement Agency, in terms of the range of valuable services that it provided to allow people to live in their own homes.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.        GRANT delegated authority to the Executive Director of Regeneration and Housing, in consultation with the Head of Financial Services and Head of Law and Governance to enter into an appropriate contract for the provision of a Home Improvement Agency.