This report seeks approval for Herefordshire Council to accept a grant offer of £490,631 from the Warm Homes Fund to install gas central heating systems at the park homes at Fayre Oaks Home Park.

This Warm Homes (Park Homes) funding will enable Herefordshire to support approximately 140 park homes on the Fayre Oaks Home Park.

That:

(a)  Herefordshire Council accepts the grant offer of £490,631 and acts as accountable body for the delivery of the Warm Homes (Park Homes) Fund Project specifically relating to Fayre Oaks Home Park site in Herefordshire.

(b)  the Acting Assistant Director for Regulatory, Environment and Waste Services be authorised to take all operational decisions necessary to implement the scheme and to prepare all necessary grant documentation (acting in consultation with Legal Services);

(c)  authority be given for the affixing of the Common Seal of the Council to the relevant grant documentation (i) to secure the offer of funding from the Warm Homes Fund and (ii) to pass the funding to ultimate recipients

1.         Not accept the grant funding.

a.    This is not recommended as this would leave residents at the site in fuel poverty as well as increasing the risk of residents being susceptible to the health risks of cold homes.

b.    This would result in an increased risk of the council not achieving strategic objectives within the Corporate Plan, Affordable Warmth Strategy as well as performance targets relating to the Keep Herefordshire Warm scheme.