Housing renewal assistance policy 2026 - 2030: 1. Introduction - 7. Resources
7.1 Overview
No grant / loan will be offered until the relevant funding has been secured by the Council. Priority for funding will remain for the provision of mandatory DFGs which must be considered within a reasonable time from their valid receipt and paid within a reasonable time (both no longer than 6 months).
7.2 Maximising the benefits of limited funding
With the reducing availability and level of funds to assist residents, wherever practicable, the Council will only offer assistance as grants that are 100% recoverable through a land/property charge on owner occupied property. For Mandatory DFGs the charge can only be placed on owner’s applications where the amount of grant exceeds £5,000 and the maximum charge is £10,000. This charge will be recoverable in full on the sale or other relevant disposal of the property. In summary the following grants will be recoverable:
| Grant name | Level / conditions | Time limit on recovery | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory Disabled Facility Grants including Disabled Persons Relocation Grant | 100% of costs in excess of £5,000 up to a maximum charge of £10,000, in line with legislation. | 10 years from date of completion certified by the Council | ||
| Inflationary Allowance Awards for adaptations. | 100% of the award. The maximum award will be £5,000. | No time limit on recovery. | ||
| Exceptional Top Up Assistance for adaptations | 100% of the award. The maximum award will be £10,000 per property. | No time limit on recovery. | ||
| Funding for tackling housing enforcement matters and or hazards in the home and for use in top ups of Energy Company Obligation (ECO or ECOflex) schemes. | 100% of the award if the funding is council capital | No time limit on recovery. |
All grants / loans provided (except for statutory disabled facility grants which for a) and b) are capped at a maximum £10,000, for works in excess of £5,000, and for 10 years) will be subject to the following land charge conditions;
- The land charge will be for the full cost of the grant / loan including fees. It will be based upon the final grant / loan award paid.
- There will be no time limit on the land charge i.e. It does not expire after a set time period.
- The land charge will be repayable in full in all cases.
- The land charge will be repayable upon the sale or relevant disposal of the property (including but not limited to transfer of the property between family members / relatives)
All applicants will be advised to seek independent legal advice on the implications of a charge being placed on their property. Land charges will be applied irrespective of the age of the applicant, other than for statutory DFGs where the disabled person is 17 years old or under.
7.3 Warm Homes Local Grant (WHLG)
The Warm Homes Local Grant is a government grant funded programme which is aimed at low Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rated private homes for residents on lower incomes, and can cover insulation, air source heat pumps, solar panels and smart controls.
The scheme funded by central government through the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). It is intended to support the decarbonisation of domestic dwellings and reduce domestic fuel poverty through a new devolved model for Grant funding and delivery. The Council has been allocated the sum of £2,702,649 over 3 years to March 2028 to retrofit eligible homes.
7.4 Partnership working
External resources are also available to enhance the council programme through signposting to other schemes and partnership working. These include:
- Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide fitted by West Midlands Fire Service under the brigade’s home safety checks;
- Undertake projects to minimise bills for residents such as collective fuel switch schemes and providing advice to enable residents to maximise their benefits;
- Time limited Government projects to specifically assist micro-heat or energy generation
7.5 Council Agency Service and external advisors
The Council provides a discretionary Agency Service for the management of various grants. The decision to provide this service for any scheme or individual enquiry rests solely with the council and will be based on staffing resources, ability (as determined by the council) of applicant to manage the scheme themselves and other competing demands for the agency service. An agency service will usually be offered for adaptations for Palliative Cases, those covered by the Walsall Armed Forces Covenant, applications received via Walsall Society for the Blind or those where a diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) has been given. To help maximise the number of residents the council can help (with the resources available to it), the council for example, may choose to only provide the service for the less complex projects and advise applicants to appoint architects or other project managers / designers for the more complex.
The agency service will not be offered in cases where it’s considered not practical or it is considered unlikely to be best value for money or where an applicant proposes works that are in excess of what can be grant assisted. For example, but not limited to, where an applicant wishes to have an extension provided but a stair lift and conversion of the existing bathroom would meet the DFG requirements.
A fee is chargeable for the Agency Service and will be included within each relevant grant. It is proposed to hold the fee level at 8%. The service includes the commissioning of building contractors, architects, specialist advisors etc. The fees of architects / advisors commissioned by the Council will be included within each relevant grant.
There is no requirement for residents to use the Council’s Agency Service for mandatory DFGs.
Where an applicant uses an external ‘agent’ (architect, other designer or Occupational Therapist) to provide any element of design and supervision of their DFG the Council will only consider the fees as eligible for assistance if the ‘agent’ possesses valid / current insurances on an each and every claim basis to a minimum of £500,000 for professional and public liability.
The Council regularly reviews fees charged by third parties for services either directly to them or to members of the public. The Council in determination of all grants (including DFGs) has a duty to consider both Value for Money and what is ‘reasonable’ and ‘appropriate’ to fund.
Between 2026 and 2030 total fees (excluding statutory Planning, Building Regulation etc. fees) for a DFG that are higher than 10% will be considered excessive and funding will be ‘capped’ to a maximum of 10%. For example, where both a designer and private Occupational Therapist are employed by an applicant their total fees cannot exceed 10% for the purposes of grant assistance.
Grant payments for design will not normally be made until all of the physical adaptation works have been fully completed and completion certificates submitted for the consideration of the Council. i.e. there will not normally be interim or stage payments for fees for external professional advisors. The decision to waive this rests solely with the council.