Issue - decisions

Date of Decision:

24^th April 2023

Title:

Household Support Fund October 2022 to March 2023, final allocations

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Jo Brown

Assistant Chief Executive

Details of Specific Cabinet Delegation

or Delegation contained in the relevant Sub-Scheme of Delegation.

At the meeting on 20^th September 2022 Cabinet considered how its allocation from the Household Support Fund (HSF) should be deployed between October 2022 and March 2023. Cabinet resolved that:

Unless the final grant is substantially different from the estimate, to 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 to include provision for other eligible actions within the use of HSF should it not be possible to achieve full spend of the grant through the approved options.

Provisional allocations of the Household Support Fund Grant of £2.489m were as follows:

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

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

·       £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.

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

·       £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.

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

Actual spend at the end of March 2023 shows that the HSF programme as a whole has fully spent the allocation. This included the following variances to the projected spend:

·       Food vouchers to children eligible for free school meals increased from £899k to £924,360.

·       Christmas food hampers increased for £30k to £44k.

·       Contribution to the Council energy grant scheme reduced from £1.4m to £1,360,670.

Decision:

Agree the following final allocations of HSF spend for the period October 2022 to March 2023:

1.     £924,360 for food vouchers to children eligible for free school meals for school holidays up to and including Easter 2023.

2.     £1,360,670 to support applications from households for assistance with cost-of living increases through the Council’s Energy Crisis Support Scheme.

3.     £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.

4.     £44,000 to support local VCS organisations to support vulnerable households over Christmas / New year through a supplement to the Crisis Support service level agreement.

5.     £90,000 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.

6.     £25,000 to provide additional non-food products for inclusion in crisis food parcels covering personal hygiene, sanitary and household products.

Reasons for the Decision:

To agree allocation of final spend of HSF funding.

 Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

This decision covers actual spend at the out-turn on the funding period. There are no alternatives.

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

No conflicts of interest.

Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion consulted.

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

None.

Reports or parts of reports considered

Household Support Fund October 2022 – March 2023, report to Cabinet, 20th September 2022.