Issue - decisions

It was agreed that SCC would allocate funding to providers as set out in Annex 1.

This means that:

·         Providers who do not provide services to any residents whose care is funded by the Council will be excluded from funding allocations.

·         Providers will receive 75% of their claims for the cost of staff sickness in April 2022.

·         Providers will receive 100% of their claims for retrospective hardship payments to pass onto staff who have suffered loss of earnings due to sickness/self-isolation.

·         Providers will receive 75% of their claims for the cost of supporting safe visiting in April 2022.

·         Providers will receive 50% of their claims for other pandemic related cost pressures in April 2022.

·         Claims relating to the cost of supporting safe visiting and other pandemic related cost pressures in the period May – June 2022 could not be included in funding allocations due to lack of funds once the above measures have been paid.

A letter will be sent to all providers notifying them of the outcome of their application and explaining the basis of the funding allocations.  This will include those providers who will not receive any funding as they do not provide care to any SCC funded residents.

It was agreed in the delegated decision report “Use of Local Authority Framework/ Practical Support for those Self isolating grant funding” 26th July 2021, that SCC would make the full value Practical Support grant available to Surrey’s 11 District & Borough (D&Bs) Councils subject to D&Bs confirming the value of funding required and the actual amount spent to support people self-isolating in their local areas within the terms of grant conditions, and this delegated decision confirms that in the first instance D&Bs will continue to be offered funding up to March 2022, and any carry forward of grant into 2022/23.

SCC will initially reimburse each D&B for the value of actual eligible expenditure they report to SCC as spent in the period 1^st March 2021 – 30^th June 2021.  SCC will ask D&Bs to then submit a budget plan for the period 1^st July 2021 – 31^st March 2022 and will reimburse each D&B for actual eligible expenditure

reported to SCC as spent against the submitted budget plan on a quarterly basis within this period. SCC will not make any reimbursements to D&Bs unless they provide an actual expenditure return.

If applications for funding received from D&Bs exceed the total value of grant funding remaining after initial reimbursements for the period 1^st March 2021 – 30^th June 2021, then the budget plans submitted for the period 1^st July 2021 – 31^st March 2022 will be adjusted based on each D&B’s population weighted by the Index of Multiple Deprivation for each local authority area to ensure each D&B receives an equitable allocation of grant funding.

Currently the initial £830,856 received has not been fully spent due to low numbers of self-isolating residents coming forward for support and the very specific grant conditions, and it is unlikely D&Bs will need much, if any, of the additional grant received per month since July, based on latest information provided to SCC.

SCC will consider if any funding not spent by D&Bs could be used for alternative purposes to meet qualifying SCC costs within the terms of the grant and then return any unspent funding at 2021/22 year end to DHSC.

It was AGREED that:

SCC will spend its Contain Outbreak Management Fund grant as per the recommendations set out above.

Decision made:

It was AGREED that:

The following allocations would be made, to be funded by Surrey County Council’s allocation of the Household Support Grant:

It was AGREED that:

£330k would be allocated from the Household Support Grant to enable the continued provision of food vouchers to children entitled to benefit related Free School Meals at £15 per child for the October half term.  This is to include 2, 3 and 4 year old children with Funded Early Education Provision (FEEP) and EY Pupil Premium.

Proposal will be developed for the remaining allocation over the next 2-3 weeks.  The Council will work with key stakeholders and partner organisations, including Boroughs and Districts, to develop a strategic needs assessment to identify the most vulnerable households in the County.  Including options for distributions, proposed allocations and distribution mechanisms.

It was AGREED that:

The following allocations would be made, in  line with the proposals set out above:

It was agreed that SCC would utilise the £4.3m of Infection Control Fund round 3 that is due to be received as follows:

Ø  The £2.4m of funding ringfenced for care homes will be allocated to all care homes that comply with the grant conditions on a per registered bed basis.

Ø  The £0.6m of funding ringfenced for community care providers will be allocated to all community care providers that comply with the grant conditions.  Funding will be allocated to home care and extra care housing providers based on the number of FTE care workers they employ to support Surrey residents and to supported living providers based on SCC’s annual expenditure on care packages commissioned with each provider as at the 1^st April 2021.

Ø  The £1.3m of discretionary funding will be allocated to community care providers in addition to the ringfenced amounts paid, as well as to day care and supported housing provides based on applications made for funding.

It was agreed that SCC would utilise the £3.3m of Rapid Testing Fund round 3 that is due to be received as follows:

Ø  The £2.5m of funding ringfenced for care homes will be allocated to all care homes that comply with the grant conditions on a per registered bed basis.

Ø  The £0.8m of discretionary funding will be paid to community care, day care and supported housing providers who confirm they are conducting rapid lateral flow testing and/or PCR testing and apply for funding.  Funding will be allocated to home care and extra care housing providers based on the number of FTE care workers they employ to support Surrey residents and to supported living providers based on SCC’s annual expenditure on care packages commissioned with each provider as at the 1^st April 2021.  Any funds remaining based on responses from community care, day care and supported housing providers will be added to the ringfenced funding for care homes.

All providers have been asked to complete an online form to SCC to confirm they wish to apply for ICF4 and RTF3 funding and that they will comply with the grant conditions.  Funding will only be paid to those providers who complete this online form.  SCC will track compliance in terms of completion of the capacity tracker, with particular attention paid to completion of the fields in relating to levels of Covid vaccination take up amongst care staff and care home residents.  SCC will closely monitor reporting of expenditure by providers and recover funds from any providers who do not comply with grant conditions along with any funds not spent by providers by 30^th September 2021.  SCC will then either repay this funding to DHSC or as has been the case with previous grant cycles seek permission from DHSC to pay unspent monies to providers who have declared higher levels of eligible expenditure than their standard grant allocations.

It was agreed that SCC would make the full value Practical Support grant available to Surrey’s 11 District & Borough (D&Bs) Councils subject to D&Bs confirming the value of funding required and the actual amount spent to support people self-isolating in their local areas within the terms of grant conditions.

SCC will initially reimburse each D&B for the value of actual eligible expenditure they report to SCC as spent in the period 1^st March 2021 – 30^th June 2021.  SCC will ask D&Bs to then submit a budget plan for the period 1^st July 2021 – 31^st March 2022 and will reimburse each D&B for actual eligible expenditure

reported to SCC as spent against the submitted budget plan on a quarterly basis within this period.  SCC will not make any reimbursements to D&Bs unless they provide a budget return.

If applications for funding received from D&Bs exceed the total value of grant funding remaining after initial reimbursements for the period 1^st March 2021 – 30^th June 2021, then the budget plans submitted for the period 1^st July 2021 – 31^st March 2022 will be adjusted based on each D&B’s population weighted by the Index of Multiple Deprivation for each local authority area to ensure each D&B receives an equitable allocation of grant funding.

SCC will consider if any funding not spent by D&Bs could be used for alternative purposes within the terms of the grant and then return any unspent funding at 2021/22 year end to DHSC.

Decision made:

It was AGREED that the following allocations would be made from the extension to the COVID Local Support Grant announced in June 2021:

Decision made:

It was AGREED that:

1. Headley Court body storage facility will be retained until the end of March 2022, subject to continued Government support.

Decision made:

It was AGREED that:

The following allocations would be made from the COVID Winter Support Grant extension:

It was AGREED that:

The following allocations would be made from Tranches 2 & 3 of the COVID Winter Support Grant:

The following applications met the agreed criteria for financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic:

A one-off payment of £14,870.00 will be made to support the above organisations.

It was AGREED that:

The following applications met the agreed criteria for financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic:

A one-off payment of £23,000.00 will be made to support the above organisations.

Decision made:

It was agreed that SCC would distribute 75% of the Infection Control Grant funding it receives from DHSC directly onto all care homes in line with the grant conditions stipulated in the DHSC grant circular.

Reasons for Decision:

To support COVID-19 infection control in Surrey’s care homes and ensure SCC is compliant with DHSC’s grant conditions.

It was AGREED that:

1.           £100,000k is contributed to the Community Foundation for Surrey to supplement their COVID-19 Appeal Fund to offer support of up to £5000k to smaller charities and voluntary bodies.

It was AGREED that:

1. Payments would be made to 11 contractors (Arriva, Carlone, Compass, Falcon, Hallmark, London United, Metrobus, Reptons, Southdown, Stagecoach and White Bus), totalling £447,232 to be funded by the government’s Covid Bus Service Support Grant.    

It was AGREED that:

The following applications met the agreed criteria for financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic:

A one-off payment of £64,403.00 will be made to support the above organisations.

Decision made:

It was AGREED that:

The following applications met the agreed criteria for financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic:

It was AGREED that:

The following applications met the agreed criteria for financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic:

A one-off payment of £54.8k will be made to support the above organisations.

It was AGREED that:

The following applications met the agreed criteria for financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic:

A one-off payment of £74,354.00 will be made to support the above organisations.

It was AGREED that:

1.               Financial support of £0.4m be provided to highway contractors operating within the Kier partnership contract, for costs incurred while works were paused in March and April 2020.

It was AGREED that:

1.           Financial support of £450 per day (estimated at £33k) be provided to Falcon Buses to support route 461 for three months from April to June 2020.

It was AGREED that:

A total payment of £8,085 be made to Totterdown Pre School in two instalments of £4,000 and £4,085.  The second payment at the end of July 2020 will be subject to no further government announcements of funding becoming available which will be assessed by commissioning and finance officers.

It was AGREED that:

A total payment of £10,200 be made to Stables Nursery

It was AGREED that:

The amount of £942 was to be paid to Moving on Care to fund additional costs incurred as a result of their response to Covid-19.

It was AGREED that:

The costs of £4,959 would be reimbursed to Stepping Stones to reflect their costs of providing placements to SCC SEND pupils over Easter.

It was AGREED that:

A total payment of £5,044 be made to Little Angels in two instalments of £2,556 and £2,488.  The second payment in July 2020 will be subject to no further government announcements of funding becoming available which will be assessed by commissioning and finance officers.

It was AGREED that:

A total payment of £8,400 be made to Step Ahead.

It was AGREED that:

A total payment of £46,000 be made to Challengers.

Decision made:

The C19 support offer previously communicated to ASC providers would be amended as set out in Summary section above.

Reasons for Decision:

To sustain Surrey’s ASC market during the C19 crisis, taking into account national guidance and action being taken by other local authorities in the region

It was AGREED that:

ASC would make a one off payment of £18.9k to Age UK Surrey to reimburse the charity for costs incurred due to purchase of laptops and mobile phones to enable virtual operation of their information and advice service to people aged 50+ and carers across Surrey during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The payment will be outside of the normal payments made to Age UK for the information & advice service and the intention is for this payment to be funded out the COVID-19 funding SCC is receiving from government.

It was AGREED that:

The C19 support offer to Millbrook be varied as set out above.

Decision made:

It was AGREED that:

The C19 support offer previously communicated to ASC providers would be amended as set out in Summary section above.

Reasons for Decision:

To sustain Surrey’s ASC market during the C19 crisis, taking into account national guidance and action being taken by other local authorities in the region.

Decision made:

It was AGREED that:

1.           £100,000k is contributed to the Community Foundation for Surrey to supplement their Coronavirus Response Fund to offer support of up to £5000 to smaller charities and voluntary bodies.