Guidance

Adult social care charging reform: grant determination for trailblazer fund (no. 31/6586)

Published 29 March 2023

Applies to England

The Minister of State for Social Care (‘the Minister of State’), in exercise of the powers conferred by section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003, makes the following determination:

Citation

This determination may be cited as the Charging Reform Trailblazer Initiative Grant Determination 2022 to 2023 for Oxfordshire County Council, the London Borough of Newham and the City of Wolverhampton Council (no. 31/6586).

Purpose of the grant

Oxfordshire County Council, the City of Wolverhampton Council, the London Borough of Newham, Cheshire East Council, Blackpool Council and North Yorkshire County Council were part of the trailblazer cohort that was established to implement the government’s reforms to the adult social care charging system earlier than other local authorities. The trailblazer cohort has been disbanded following the announcement on 17 November that the reforms have been delayed.

This grant comprises 2 strands that will be paid in March 2023.

Trailblazer funding for Oxfordshire County Council

In July 2022 it was announced that Oxfordshire County Council had joined the charging reform trailblazer initiative. This non-ringfenced grant comprises funding to cover costs that Oxfordshire County Council has incurred since joining the trailblazer initiative.

Oxfordshire County Council will receive an allocation of £1,183,804. To determine this amount Oxfordshire County Council were asked to complete a form that set out their funding requirements to DHSC. They were asked to provide evidence of the costs incurred to prepare for charging reforms, including preparing for early assessments. The department also took into account the allocations made to other trailblazers in June 2023 before Oxfordshire County Council joined, and the additional pressures the local authority faced due to joining the initiative 4 months later than other local authorities.

Residual funding for trailblazers

A non-ringfenced grant to fund the following costs:

Residual early assessments funding and care account development for other trailblazers - costs associated with stopping activity to deliver early assessments.

To determine this amount, trailblazers were asked to complete a form to evidence how existing funding had been spent, and evidence of any ongoing costs where measures or resources put in place for early assessments activity could not be immediately terminated or redeployed. DHSC then conducted due diligence for all the trailblazer funding returns we received.

The London Borough of Newham and The City of Wolverhampton Council will be paid following due diligence by DHSC, and will receive a total allocation of £159,295.93 and £38,500 respectively, for legacy work relating to preparing for charging reform.

Determination

The Minister of State determines:

• the grant is to be paid to Oxfordshire County Council, the London Borough of Newham and the City of Wolverhampton Council
• the amounts of grants to be paid

The amounts are set out in table A.

Treasury consent

Before making this determination in relation to a local authority in England, the Minister of State obtained the consent of the Treasury.

Signed by authority of the Minister of State for Social Care

Department of Health and Social Care

Table A: funding allocation in March 2023 for Oxfordshire County Council, the London Borough of Newham and the City of Wolverhampton Council

Trailblazer local authority	Funding allocation
Oxfordshire County Council	£1,183,804
The London Borough of Newham	£159,295.93
The City of Wolverhampton Council	£38,500