WE NEED to protect our most vulnerable residents – those were the thoughts from all sides when councillors discussed plans to offer loans for disabled people who need to make adaptations to their homes across the borough.

Councillors on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s environment, partnerships and housing committee discussed proposed changes to the disabled facilities grants scheme at a meeting last Thursday.

The grant scheme allows people with disabilities to apply to the borough council for funding to make vital adaptations to their homes including level access showers and stair lifts.

Currently, the borough council fund adaptations which cost up to £30,000 and it is up to their discretion whether they fund the rest of the cost towards the scheme.

However, the council has always paid the full project amount.

The current year’s budget is already under pressure with the council expecting to spend £460,000 over their budget of £1.1 million, which is made up of borough council funds and a £566,000 grant from the government, delivered through Hampshire County Council.

Borough council officers came up with four options – continue with the current policy where the council funds all schemes in full, stop all discretionary grants, to cap discretionary grants at a certain level or to maintain a small discretionary budget to be used on a case-by-case basis and to offer people loans to help them pay for adaptations costing over £30,000.

Officers recommended councillors to consider an option which would see the council pay the first £30,000 but applicants would be offered low-cost loans, provided through organisations such as the Parity Trust, for the remaining cost of the project.

Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors at the meeting argued that the council should continue funding all projects for the “most vulnerable residents”.

Eastrop councillor Gavin James told the meeting: “We can talk about freezing council tax but sometimes there is a limit that we won’t go below and we won’t lead people to suffer and it costs money.

“Raising an extra £110,000 a year works out at three pence per week for a band D property. That is not a lot to ask residents for, for our most vulnerable residents.”

Labour councillor Paul Harvey added: “This is cuts from central government coming through the county council and we all know what the county council is like when it comes to cuts to vulnerable people.

“I don’t trust them as far as I could throw them and that is deeply concerning.”

Deputy leader of the borough council and cabinet member for housing and regeneration, Cllr Terri Reid, told the meeting that those who couldn’t afford low-cost loans would be helped out with a budget for the discretionary element.

Cllr Reid told the meeting: “The disabled facilities grants provide grant funding to some of the most vulnerable residents – disabled people, people with disabled children with needs and it allows them to make adaptations to their homes.”

A decision is yet to be made on the scheme.