Decision details

To approve proposed spend of next round of Household Support Grant funding

Cabinet considered the report and RESOLVED to:

1. Approve the overall approach to the delivery of the Household Support Fund extension including the spend proportions and areas of focus.

2. Delegates authority to the Executive Director for Place and Economy, in consultation with the Cabinet Members listed above, to finalise the detailed arrangements for all aspects of the scheme, upon receipt of the final grant allocation from Government

The grant was flexible, and we have targeted it at the areas that we consider to be the greatest need.

A number of options for delivery were explored:

Maintain the existing delivery and ring-fencing of amounts focusing on pensioners and families with children. As stated in the report the guidance asks us to focus on a wider range of households as well as those not eligible for other support and therefore this option was discounted.

Change our arrangements with Age UK and Citizens Advice Peterborough and bring all the operations of the Houshold Support Fund in-house. Significant work has been undertaken to set up and start to make an impact through Citizens Advice Peterborough and Age UK. The value which is added through these working relationships has meant that claimants have been able to

receive wider support from those agencies which have expertise in dealing with those cohorts. The option to deliver all support in-house has therefore been discounted.

Consider delivering all the funding through the School Holiday Voucher Scheme, recognising the efficiency of disseminating through the allocation of vouchers to those eligible for free school meals. This option would not meet either the guidance or the ethos of reaching out to a wider section of our population. Therefore, this option was discounted.