Agenda item

Report from the Assistant Chief Executive.

Recommendations:

1.    Make provisional allocations of the Household Support Grant of £2,489,029.87 as follows:

a)    £1,421,400 for food vouchers to children eligible for free school meals for school holidays through to October half term 2022, including May/June 2022 half term approved by delegated action.

c)  £250,000 to enable applications from pensioner households for assistance with cost of living increase hardship, to be provided alongside the Council’s Covid Recovery Fund supporting households with increasing energy costs.

d)  The remaining £817,629.87 to be held in reserve, to allow the Council to assess progress with the above schemes and make further allocations in accordance with the grant conditions.

2.      A further report be presented to Cabinet in June to assess progress made and make allocations from the reserve fund.

Consideration was given to the report which sought approval for the allocation of the Household Support Fund (HSF.) The HSF had been introduced in 2021/22 but was being extended by the Government through 2022/23. The grant was being made available to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to support those most in need and struggling with the cost of living crisis. Rotherham MBC had been allocated £2,489,029.87 for the 6 months from April until September 2022. All funding had to be spent or committed by the end of September and this included provision to fund food vouchers for the October 2022 half term school holidays. There had been no indication relating to any further funding beyond that date.

The HSF had been created to provide support to households, particularly those including children and pensioners, who would otherwise struggle to buy food or pay essential utility bills or meet other essential living costs or housing costs. The conditions of the Fund had changed since the 2021/22 allocation to now include a requirement that at least 33.3% of the fund had to be allocated to households with someone over state pension age. A further 33% had to be allocated to support households that included a person under the age of 19.

An urgent officer delegated decision had been taken to enable provision of vouchers to children eligible for free school meals during the half term holidays. This practice was established under the COVID Winter Grant and Local Support Grant.

This report was considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board as part of the pre-decision scrutiny process. The Board fully supported the recommendations.

Resolved:-

1.    That Cabinet approve provisional allocation of the Household Support Grant of £2,489.029.87 as follows:

a)    £1,421,400 for food vouchers to children eligible for free school meals for school holidays through to October half term 2022, including May/June 2022 half term approved by delegated action;

b)    £250,000 to enable applications from pensioner households for assistance with cost of living increase hardship, to be provided alongside the Council’s Covid Recovery Fund supporting households with increasing energy costs; and

c)    The remaining £817,629.87 to be held in reserve, to allow the Council to assess progress with the above schemes and make further allocations in accordance with the grant conditions.

2.    That a further report be presented to Cabinet in June to assess progress made and make allocations from the reserve fund.