Decision details

Date of Decision:

26th September 2022

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Jo Brown

Assistant Chief Executive

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

Management decision.

Brief Description of Decision:

To confirm provisional Cabinet decisions made on 20^th September 2022, having consulted the Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion allocating Household Support Fund grant for the period October 2022 – March 2023:

a) £899k for food vouchers to children eligible for free school meals for school holidays up to and including Easter 2023.

b) £1.4m to support applications from households for assistance with cost-of living increases through the Council’s Energy Crisis Support Scheme.

c) £45k allocation to support care leavers, being young people leaving foster or local authority care and living independently in their own accommodation who are responsible for paying their own utility bills, providing additional financial support through the cost-of-living increases.

d) £30k to support local VCS organisations to support vulnerable households over Christmas / New year through a supplement to the Crisis Support service level agreement.

e) £90k to provide additional tinned food to supplement that available for crisis food parcels provided by local food banks and Community Food Members alongside assisting with supplies to social supermarkets, a supplement to the Crisis Support service level agreement.

f) £25k to provide additional non-food products for inclusion in crisis food parcels covering personal hygiene, sanitary and household products.

Reasons for the Decision:

At its meeting on 20^th September 2022, Cabinet considered a report on allocation of Household Support Fund October 2022 – March 2023.

Whilst draft grant guidance had been provided by the Government, no details of grant amount had been made available. However, based on the method for calculation of the grant by population

weighted by a function of the English Index of Multiple Deprivation, a best estimate suggested that Rotherham would be allocated £2.489m, being the same as provided for the first half of the year.

On the basis of the draft guidance and best estimate calculation, recommendations for allocation were made for cabinet to approve provisional allocations of the Household Support Fund Grant subject to receipt of the Government grant not being substantially different from the estimate. The Government grant figure has now been confirmed at the same amount as the estimate, enabling the provisional allocations decisions to be confirmed.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

No alternatives considered because the decision is to confirm Cabinet provisional decisions. No variations from the Cabinet provisional decisions are required

Conflicts of interest declared by any Executive Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

None.

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

None

Reports or parts of reports considered

Cabinet Report, 20^th September 2022 - Household Support Fund October 2022 – March 2023