Issue - decisions

Date of Decision:

13th November 2023

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Jo Brown, Assistant Chief Executive

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

Cabinet Minute No. 140(2) (2023/24)

Brief Description of Decision:

To approve the variation from approved allocations resolved by Cabinet at its meeting on 20^th March 2023as follows:

1.     £10k increase to support local VCS organisations to support vulnerable households to over Christmas / New year to £55k to be funded within the final allocations of HSF.

Reasons for the Decision:

At its meeting on 20^th March 2023, Cabinet resolved to make provisional allocations of Household Support Fund (HSF) April 2023 to March 2024.

The provisional allocations are as follows:

a)    £2.5m for food vouchers to children eligible for free school meals for school holidays up to and including Easter 2024.

b)    £1.2m to cover the estimated costs of the Council’s Local Council Tax Support Top Up Scheme.

c)     £0.4m additional funding to top up the Council’s Discretionary Housing Payments fund.

d)    £0.563m to support applications from households for assistance with cost-of-living increases, through the Council’s Energy Crisis Support Scheme.

e)    £180k to provide additional tinned food to supplement the supplies available for crisis food parcels provided by local food banks and Community Food Members. This sum would also assist with supplies to social supermarkets, which is a supplement to the Crisis Support service level agreement.

f)  £90k 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.

g)    £45k to support local VCS organisations to support vulnerable households over Christmas / New year through a supplement to the Crisis Support service level agreement.

h)     

Cabinet also resolved 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 Household Support Fund should it not be possible to achieve full spend of the grant through the approved provisional allocations”.

The use of provisional allocations with ability to vary by delegated decision enables the fund to be managed to maximum benefit of achieving full spend, targeting resources at agreed outcomes and variations between estimates based on best knowledge and previous experience at the time of Cabinet approval and actual demand when implemented.

The allocation of £45k to fund local VCS organisations to provide hampers to vulnerable families over the Christmas / New Year / Winter in 2023/24 was based on the £44k that was used for this purpose in 2022/23.

Following the invitation for bids to deliver this provision in 2023/24, thirteen compliant bids have been received. These request a total £50,100 in grant support and in total would deliver 506 hampers to households.

Taking into account administration costs and £600 from an external funding source, the request for funding from HSF is now £55k.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

The arrangements and scope for review of allocations are set out in Cabinet Minute No. 140(2) (2023/24)

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

Household Support Fund – report to Cabinet 20^th March 2023.