Decision details

New Burdens Funding for Statutory Domestic Abuse Duty (2023-25) - Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)

Reference: D56226

Decision Maker: Director of Communities, Housing & Environment

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

Brief Description

Under Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003, the Secretary of State for Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has awarded a total grant of £3,812,144 to Leeds City Council. The grant period is 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2025 and is split as follows:

1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024: £1,888,259

1st April 2024 – 31st March 2025: £1,923,885

The grant covers revenue expenditure relating to the functions set out in the statutory duty (within the Domestic Abuse Bill) on Tier 1 Local Authorities, relating to the provision of support to victims of domestic abuse and their children residing within safe accommodation and to work associated with servicing the multi-agency Local Partnership Board (LPB) to support the Council in performing certain specified functions. 

Approval is being sought to:

·  accept the grant allocation from DLUHC

·  award funding to a number of organisations to enhance the support to victim-survivors of domestic abuse

·  allocate an element of the grant to the Council in order to fund the administrative burden associated with the new Statutory Duty

Impact On Wards

All wards

Financial and procurement implications

This is a key decision as expenditure is over £500,000. The funding will be received as a grant from DLUHC and will be distributed as either variations to existing contracts or grants.

Partnership working

All decisions relating to the allocation of this funding will be made in consultation with the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board – a multi-agency group which was established as part of the requirements of the Statutory Duty.

The Domestic Abuse Voice and Accountability (DAVA) forum will also be consulted on funding allocations. The DAVA is made up of a wide range of organisations from the third sector.

 

 

Decision:

The Director of Communities, Housing and Environment approved:

 

i)  Receipt of the grant allocation of £3,812,144 from DLUCH for the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2025 (£1,888,259 for 2023/24 and £1,923,885 for 2024/25)

 

ii)  In accordance with PCR Regulation 72(1)(c):

·  DN194503 (Lot 1): £839,788 to Leeds Women’s Aid for the Leeds Domestic Violence Service

·  DN194503 (Lot 2): £734,076 to Leeds Women’s Aid for the Leeds Domestic Violence Service

·  DN199026: £124,689 to Turning Lives Around for the Beacon Service

 

iii)  In accordance with PCR Regulations 72(1)(f) and Regulation 72(5):

·  DN421340: £344,182 to Gipsil Limited for the Our Way Leeds Service

·  DN415655: £87,274 to Basis Yorkshire

 

iv)  Grant allocations to the following organisations

·  Up to £490,020 to Leeds Women’s Aid to provide additional support to people living in the independent LWA refuge

·  Up to £510,874 to Leeds Women’s Aid to continue developing, managing and funding the Sanctuary Support Team which includes workers from a number of community based organisations

·  Up to £106,191 to St Anne’s Community Services to provide domestic abuse support to the people they support through their accommodation based housing services

v)  An allocation of £673,426 to Leeds City Council (Safer Stronger Communities and Leeds Housing Options (LHO)) to fund the staff resource required to undertake the administrative function of the Statutory Duty and to continue the specialist domestic abuse team within LHO

 

vi)  that the remaining funding relating to this decision will be allocated via Significant Operational or Administrative Decisions as appropriate

 

Reason Key: Financial Impact>£500K;

Wards Affected: (All Wards);

Other reasons / organisations consulted

Ongoing consultation will be undertaken via:

·  the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board (DALPB)

·  the Domestic Abuse Voice and Accountability (DAVA) forum

·  conversations with people who have experienced / are experiencing domestic abuse

 

Consultees

Members of the DALPB (chaired by the Executive Member for Communities):

Members of the Domestic Abuse Voice and Accountability forum (a wide-ranging group of frontline services who support service users who are experiencing/have experienced domestic abuse).

People who have lived / are living in safe accommodation who are victims-survivors of domestic abuse.

Contact: Alison Ferguson, Commissioning and Contracts Officer 0113 378 7846 Email: alison.ferguson@leeds.gov.uk.

Publication date: 31/03/2023

Date of decision: 11/04/2023

Effective from: 19/04/2023

Accompanying Documents: