A system helping Lichfield District Council to clear a backlog of applications for adaptations to help people with disabilities live independently could be sold to other authorities.
The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) administration has been moved in-house by the council in a bid to speed up the process and deal with longstanding delays.
After successfully clearing the backlog, Lichfield District Council’s cabinet was told of plans to offer out the expertise to other local authorities.
Cllr Rob Strachan, cabinet member for finance, told a meeting this week:
“This has been a success in terms of delivery where we’ve had a significant uptake.
“However, we have been hindered by a third party system that has been making things more difficult to operate.
“With a view to smoothing out and making this service a lot easier to sell to other councils or providers, I’m seeking authority to start off the procurement process of developing our own framework.
“We’ve demonstrated that we’ve grasped the operation very well, so we now need to make sure the administration is fit for purpose. This is the first step to make this as good as it can be.”
Cllr Rob Strachan
The council now uses its own private company, Lichfield West Midland Traded Services (LWMTS) to oversee the processing of DFGs across the area.
Cllr Mike Wilcox, who holds cabinet posts at both the district council and county council, said others were taking note of the new approach.
“It has certainly been noted that Lichfield has stepped up to the plate in delivering DFGs.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had a history of a number of years where we weren’t able to move quickly enough and we had a backlog, but it’s important that other local authorities have the opportunity to do what we have done as well.
“It’s a step in the right direction and is noted in other places.”
Cllr Mike Wilcox
Cllr Alex Farrell told the meeting he was pleased to back an “incredibly ambitious” proposal to sell on the council’s expertise to other local authorities.
“It is worth reminding ourselves that a couple of years ago, our DFG situation was not good because of our former provider
“But we took it in house and the first thing we did was clear the backlog very fast.
“We are now moving on to look to almost sell this excellent service we are running to other authorities as we should be doing because we’re doing a great job with the DFGs.
“It shows the direction that not just the council is going, but also LWMTS is, in constantly striving to be better and to make more money for this council – but also do positive things for our residents.”
Cllr Alex Farrell
They certainly won’t have many takers for their expertise in developing the public realm!