Decision details

The Committee considered a report which sought approval to uplift the direct payment personal assistant (PA) hourly rate paid to those recipients who employ a personal assistant through a direct payment arrangement and continue to align the hourly rate for adults and children direct payments. It also sought approval to delegate authority to the Executive Director of Adults, Health and Integration to undertake annual reviews of direct payment personal assistant (PA) hourly fees that would track annual increases to the National Living Wage (NLW) as part of the council’s financial planning cycle including authority to make decisions to implement the financial uplifts.

Members were updated that the Council has a contract to support those who would be acting as employers. The money to fund the uplift had been built into the budget, and financial modelling had taken place factoring in the increase to the National Living Wage. The increased rates would be backdated to the beginning of the financial year.

When asked about the scrutiny of the direct payments, Members were advised that as part of the new policy, Cheshire East Council was implementing new technology to record and monitor how recipients of direct payments were spending the money. Recipients would be given a card to be used to make payments, which is reported to the Council. An exercise is undertaken twice a year to check and see if there has been any underspend, and why. Underspends are clawed back by Cheshire East Council. This information was also monitored via annual National Statutory Returns. Members were advised that direct payments would be incorporated into the MTFS in the future when carrying out the budget setting process, which will come back to the committee for scrutiny.

Officers committed to providing a response regarding how many people would be in receipt of direct payments.

RESOLVED: By Majority

That the Adults Health and Integration Committee:

1. Approve to set the direct payment personal assistant hourly rate fee for those residents who employ a personal assistant at £15.31 based on the current NLW.

2. Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Adults, Health and Integration to undertake annual reviews of direct payment personal assistant hourly rates, tracking increases to the NLW and to approve and implement uplifts to the rates alongside the MTFS budget setting process.