Supporting People Programme - Who is responsible?

I have just had a case referred where I rather think I will be getting into an arguement with a certain supporting people team in te near future.

Before I start I would like to be sure of what the current status of supporting people programme is.

I believe that the the funding is now via the Formula Grant and allocated via the Local Government Finance Report.

Does this make the the supporting people programme a Local Authority responsibility or is it a part of the Communities Department and i suppose subject to the pariliamentary ombudsman?

Does anyone have any idea?

Derek

Local Authority responsibility.  Interested in what are the details.

Shabir

As Shabir requests:

An 85 yr old widow living insheltered housing. There is a SP charge included in rent. This tenant qualifies for SP relief due to being in receipt of HB.

The sheltered housing tenancy commenced in mid 1990s as a joint tenancy with her husband. They were passported through to the SP programme in 2003 en-bloc with all other sheltered housing tenants.

Her husband died in 2004. Tenancy unchanged as she was survivor of jt tenancy.

Now the SP team have recovered £3500 since she was not “the SP claimant” and did not make an SP claim in her own name.

I start from a position that there are no formal regulations covering SP (unless someone knows different) - particularly for sheltered housing where the SP charge is a condition of tenancy (i.e. part of the rent). It appears that the SP team is treating her as a new claimant from 2004.

In 2003 there were some arangements published by the OoDPM (office of deputy prime minister- remember that?) I take these as effectively transitional arrangements. Since then SP teams have more or less created their own arrangments for approving SP services and local administration.

I am minded to pursue a dispute via a complaint (up to ombudsman, if neccesary) on the main ground that she is not a “new” claimant and there is no obligation for her to “apply” for SP relief since she is protected by the 2003 transitional arrangements.

who would pay the cost to a LHA. would any cost be covered unter the rent charge and paid via Housing Benefit or would the LA supporting people team pay the balance.?