Home Solutions Service Review
Have your say on the proposed closure of the Handyperson Service
As part of our review of our Home Solutions Service we are proposing to close the handyperson service, where customers currently pay a nominal fee for small repairs and adaptations.
This discretionary service is much valued, but costly to provide. Although there is a charge for the service, the income from those charges do not cover the costs – with Cornwall Council making a loss of approximately £170,000 per year to provide the service.
Many other local authorities do not have or no longer offer this service or have partnered with local charities such as Age UK who can raise charitable funding to subsidise the service.
Increased demand and rising costs for statutory services are causing considerable financial pressures on local authorities across the UK. Cornwall Council is no exception. We’re working hard to protect frontline services where possible by delivering our services in different and more effective ways. But the need to balance the books means difficult choices must be made – and this includes reducing or ending some discretionary services.
The Home Solutions Service offers advice and support to individuals with disabilities, empowering them to live independently and stay safe at home. The service manages the distribution of mandatory Disabled Facility Grants (DFG) across Cornwall, facilitating vital home adaptations such as stairlifts, bathroom modifications, extensions, conversions, and specialised kitchens. These adaptations are tailored to residents’ needs based on assessments conducted by Occupational Therapists. This also encompasses support in designing plans and specifications, recommending reliable local builders and contractors, and guiding individuals through every stage of the process.
We’re currently reviewing the Home Solutions Service to ensure it aligns more closely with similar services in Adult Social Care that are targeted at older and disabled people who need support to enable them to stay in their own home for longer.
Our proposal
Our proposal is to discontinue the current handyperson service from April 1st 2025.
Ending the handyperson service would mean that people over 60 and disabled people who need support with household maintenance and minor repairs would no longer be able to access this service and would need to seek support in a different way, ie through:
- Private sector handyperson services
- Voluntary sector organisations such as Age UK
- Cornwall Council’s Adult Social Care Technical Officers continues to provide certain services free of charge, including the installation of handrails, grab rails, and other minor adaptations.
No decisions have been taken at this point and we remain open to exploring alternative, more cost-effective options for helping older and disabled people who need support with household maintenance and minor repairs.
Public consultation
We are keen to hear from anyone who is potentially affected by this proposal.
To have your say, please complete the consultation questionnaire below by Sunday 12 January 2025.
Next steps
The feedback from this consultation will be considered by the Home Solutions Programme Board, with the board making recommendations about the future of the handyperson service to Cornwall Council’s Cabinet in February 2025.
