Agenda item

Report from the Assistant Chief Executive.

Recommendations

1.    Allocate the Household Support Grant of £2,489,029.87 as follows:

a)    £1.1m for food vouchers to children eligible for free school meals for school holidays through to Easter 2022.

b)    £1.3m to reduce Council Tax liability for working age households eligible for Council Tax Support on 31st October 2021.

c)    £30k to support local VCS organisations to support vulnerable households over Christmas / New year as a supplement to the Crisis Support SLA.

d)    £30,000 to be available to meet eligible need for households not passported through means.

e)    £29,029, would be held as contingency to be used as part of active management of the grant programme.

2.    Delegate authority to the Assistant Chief Executive in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, to determine revised and final allocations for the Household Support Grant including provision to include new claimants of Council Tax Support who were not eligible on 31st October 2021; the delegation to include provision for other eligible actions within the use of Household Support Fund should it not be possible to achieve full spend of the grant through the approved options.

3.    Allocate the £116,416 new Funding for Vulnerable Renters to increase prevention activity and make payments to reduce rent arrears where there is a risk of homelessness.

4.    Delegate authority to the Acting Director of Housing in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing to agree the final scheme based on the engagement with Government.

Consideration was given to the report detailed how the Government had announced two new funding packages in October 2021 to help households struggling to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; namely the Household Support Grant and the Funding for Vulnerable Renters Grant.

The Household Support Grant was expected to be used to support households in the most need with food, energy and water bills. In exceptional cases it could be used to support housing costs if existing housing support schemes did not meet the exceptional need. The eligibility criteria for use of the grant included that at least 50% of the total funding would be ring-fenced to support households with children.

It was proposed that the grant be split: £1.1m for food vouchers for those eligible for Free School Meals through to Easter 2022; £1.3m to reduce Council Tax liability for working age households eligible for Council Tax Support. This was originally expressed in the report to be for those in active receipt of support in the current financial year as of 31st October, 2021, however, for clarity this support was for working age households who have received Council Tax Support in the current financial year, as at 4^th December 2021, not only those eligible for Council Tax Support on 4^th December 2021; £30k to support local Voluntary and Community Sector organisations to support vulnerable households over Christmas; £30k for eligible households not passported through means and £29,029 as a contingency to be used for the active management of the programme.

The Funding for Vulnerable Renters Grant was also designed to support low-income earners in rent arrears and prevent homelessness for these people. The eligibility was for the funding to be used to minimise evictions from the private rented sector for single people as well as families.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the Household Support Grant of £2,489,029.87 be allocated as follows:-

a.          £1.1m for food vouchers to children eligible for Free School Meals for school holidays through to Easter 2022.

b.          £1.3m to reduce Council Tax liability for working age households eligible for Council Tax Support on 4^th December, 2021. [For the purpose of clarity, this support is for working age households who have received Council Tax Support in the current financial year, as at 4^th December 2021, not only those eligible for Council Tax Support on 4^th December 2021]

c.          £30k to support local VCS organisations to support vulnerable households over Christmas/New Year as a supplement to the Crisis Support SLA.

d.          £30,000 to be available to meet eligible need for households not passported through means.

e.          £29,029, would be held as contingency to be used as part of active management of the grant programme.

(2)  That authority be delegated to the Assistant Chief Executive, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, to determine revised and final allocations for the Household Support Grant including provision to include new claimants of Council Tax Support who were not eligible on 4^th December, 2021; the delegation to include provision for other eligible actions within the use of Household Support Fund should it not be possible to achieve full spend of the grant through the approved options.

(3)  That the £116,416 new Funding for Vulnerable Renters be allocated to increase prevention activity and make payments to reduce rent arrears where there is a risk of homelessness.

(4)  That authority be delegated to the Acting Director of Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, to agree the final scheme based on the engagement with Government.