Issue - items at meetings - Local Discretionary Social Fund Review

Report of the Executive Director for Finance & Resources (copy attached).

(1)               That the Local Discretionary Social Fund Policy as amended and set out in Appendix 1 to the report, to take effect from 1^st April 2014 be agreed; and

(2)               That the planned funding approach to enable a scheme to continue beyond 2014/15 as set out in paragraphs 4.14 - 4.21 of the report be noted.

155.1    The Executive Director for Finance & Resources introduced the report which detailed the approved Local Discretionary Social Fund that had been approved by the committee in 2012 and the results of a review of the scheme as agreed after a year of its operation.  She noted that there was uncertainty about the level of funding that would be available in 2015/16 and therefore officers were looking at how it could be maintained given the success of supporting those people in need and the desire to maintain that support in the medium to long term for the acutely vulnerable.

155.2    Councillor Littman welcomed the report and stated that officers had done a tremendous job to date in supporting those people in need and enabling them access resources that they were not aware of and therefore hoped that the committee would agree to continuing with the scheme.

155.3    Councillor Morgan welcomed the report and agreed that there was a need to maintain the scheme as much as possible.

155.4    The Chair put the recommendations to the vote.

155.5    RESOLVED:

(1)         That the Local Discretionary Social Fund Policy as amended and set out in Appendix 1 to the report, to take effect from 1^st April 2014 be agreed; and

(2)         That the planned funding approach to enable a scheme to continue beyond 2014/15 as set out in paragraphs 4.14 - 4.21 of the report be noted.