Agenda item

Report from the Assistant Chief Executive.

Recommendations:

1.    That the allocation of Household Support Fund grant of £2,489,030 for the first half of 2022/2023 be updated as follows:

a)    Food vouchers for children eligible for free school meals be increased to £1,433,775.

b)    £45,000 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.

c)    That the £250,000 for pensioner households to apply for support with rising household living costs be maintained at the level set in May Cabinet report.

d)    That the remaining funding is distributed equally across pensioners in receipt of Council Tax Support as at 31st August 2022.

2.    Subject to further announcement and receipt of allocations and grant conditions for HSF covering the period October 2022 to March 2023, a further report be presented to Cabinet in the Autumn to assess progress made and make allocations.

Consideration was given to a report which explained that Cabinet had received a report in May 2022 covering the extension of the Household Support Fund (HSF) for the period March to September 2022. The report provided for provisional allocation with some of the grant to be held in reserve for a further decision.

The current report made recommendations for use of the current reserved fund along with some allocations and direction for the second half of the year.

The Government had now announced a further extension of HSF covering October 2022 to March 2023. Final allocations and grant conditions had not yet been received. A further report would be presented when those provisions were known.

Rotherham has been allocated £2,489,030 but this had to be spent in line with the grant conditions set out in paragraph 2.3 of the report. At its meeting in May, Cabinet had resolved to allocate funding of £1,421,400 for food vouchers to children eligible for free school meals, and £250,000 to enable applications from pensioner households for assistance with cost-of-living hardships. The proposals for Cabinet to consider were based on the remaining fund of £805,305, taking account of increased numbers of children eligible for free school meals.

It was proposed that the allocation of the Household Support Fund grant of £2,489,030 for the first half of 2022/2023 be updated to: increase the allocation for food vouchers to £1,433,775; include an allocation of £45,000 to support care leavers; maintain the £250,000 for pensioner households to apply for support with rising household living costs at the level set in the May Cabinet report; distribute the remaining funding equally across the pensioners in receipt of Council Tax Support as at 31 August 2022.

Resolved:-

1.    That the allocation of Household Support Fund grant of £2,489,030 for the first half of 2022/2023 be updated as follows:

a)      Food vouchers for children eligible for free school meals be increased to £1,433,775.

b)      £45,000 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.

c)      That the £250,000 for pensioner households to apply for support with rising household living costs be maintained at the level set in May Cabinet report.

d)      That the remaining funding is distributed equally across pensioners in receipt of Council Tax Support as at 31st August 2022.

2.    That, subject to further announcement and receipt of allocations and grant conditions for HSF covering the period October 2022 to March 2023, a further report be presented to Cabinet in the Autumn to assess progress made and make allocations.