Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care, and Well-Being considered the report which noted that the Council had been given early warning of an indicative grant from the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID). The grant was to support improvements in the quality and capacity of substance misuse treatment and recovery for Haringey residents. The report sought rapid approval to accept this grant, thus allowing existing contracts to be extended and planning to commence.

The Cabinet Member noted that the importance of ensuring that there was a Drug Strategy with a system-wide approach, including public health, children’s services, and the police, to ensure the best outcomes for service users and residents.

It was added that the Cabinet Member for Stronger and Safer Communities had been informed about the indicative grant. It was requested that there was an opportunity for the Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care, and Well-Being and the Cabinet Member for Stronger and Safer Communities to meet formally to discuss options for a holistic Drug Strategy.

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

1.    In accordance with Contract Standing Orders (CSO) 16.02 and 17.1, to approve the receipt of the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) grant to supplement funding for substance misuse treatment and recovery for the year 2022/23.

2.    The Grant is expected to be in the region of £850,000 for 2022/23.

Reasons for decision

Reducing the impact of drugs and alcohol misuse on adults, families and the community is a cross cutting Council priority. The Council therefore welcomes a significant uplift in funding over the next three years. We have received very late notification of the funding for the financial year 2022/23, which is still only indicative. However, some of this grant is already committed to contracts due to finish in March 2022. We wish to accept the indicative budget for 2022/23 to be able to extend our current contracts and to start planning. The plan is then to return to Cabinet to accept the confirmed budgets for subsequent years with a comprehensive plan for spend.

Alternative options considered

The Cabinet Member could refuse to receive the grant. However, as there is a clear need for this work and strong support to continue to tackle the impact of substance misuse on the community, this option has not been considered.

The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny has been informed that it was impracticable to give 28 days’ notice of the decision. Notice of the indicative allocation was given on 15 February 2022. This is a new grant, which follows on from the Universal Grant received in 2020/22. The new grant needs to be accepted so that the Council can extend the Universal contracts from April 2022. The pre-election period will be in place from 21 March 2022; therefore, normal Cabinet functions will be suspended/limited during this period.

Given the above, it is not practicable to comply with the 28-day notice requirement in Part Four, Section D, Rule 13 of the constitution. This is set out in Part Four, Section D, Rule 16, of the Constitution.