Purpose

To approve the process to distribute grant funding received as part of the Household Support Fund.

Decision

RESOLVED that the Household Support Fund (phase seven) be distributed through:

i.       purchasing supermarket vouchers, or for opted schools, to make equivalent arrangements, for children qualifying for Free School Meals in Bracknell Forest primary and secondary schools. Households will receive a £15 voucher per child per week of the holidays up until September 2025 with a review scheduled in Summer 2025 ahead of the start of the academic year in September 2025.

ii.     enhancing the Local Welfare Scheme provision, to expand the support available via applications from households in need of emergency help, where assistance cannot be accessed elsewhere.

iii.    the provision of application-based grants to voluntary, community, and faith sector organisations to build capacity and extend the reach of support to residents.

iv.    extending the incentivised debt support offer, where identified at-risk households with a housing benefit overpayment, or council tax arrears, are offered up to £2,000 to reduce their debt alongside attending at least one debt management session.

v.     providing funding to the care leaving team to support with essentials including travel and utilities.

vi.    additional discretional payment to reduce the Council Tax liability to £0 for 12 months, for those that receive 80% reduction in Council, Tax due to being on the highest rate of disability benefit.

vii.   additional financial support to pension age households who do not receive the benefits in scope for the Winter Fuel Payment in 2025.

viii.Should any funding remain unspent toward the end of the grant period, supermarket vouchers may be provided to properties identified in fuel poverty, particularly those who are in receipt of disability and/or carer benefits and/or EPC below D and the decision to amend the policy is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer.

Reasons for the decision

i.       The Household Support Fund (HSF) is provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), but local authorities must determine how it is spent within the scope of the guidance issued. The local authority is required by the DWP to create a local eligibility framework to disburse the funding.

ii.     Recommendations have been established based on learning from how the previous phases of the funding have used and continued assessment of local need and will allow a review of the scheme in Summer 2025, at which time guidance on eligibility for Free School Meals should have been confirmed by the Department for Education.

iii.    The grant spending will be closely monitored but is ringfenced, and in the event of any underspend, money must be repaid to the DWP. It is therefore possible, specifically around non redeemed vouchers, that additional options for spending, may need to be delivered at short notice. As all proposals for spending are made in consultation with the Members Welfare advisory panel, it is considered appropriate for the decision to be delegated to the Chief Executive in this regard.

Alternative options considered

Officers and the Members Welfare advisory panel have considered a number of

options. It was concluded that the other options would not be as effective as those

recommended in terms of efficiently disbursing funds to those most in need, whilst

keeping within the guidelines set out by the DWP. The proposals follow the

previously agreed mechanism in distributing preceding tranches of funding,

accounting for the learning from these.