Issue - items at meetings - Household Support Fund

Report of the Acting Chief Finance Officer

RESOLVED: That the Sub-Committee

(i)             Approved the allocation of funding as outlined in the table at 3.8 of the report;

(ii)             For the reasons outlined at para 3.23, the committee delegates necessary adjustments to the approved allocations to the Chief Finance Officer following consultation with the Chair of Policy & Resources Committee and Opposition Spokespersons, provided any adjustment is complaint with the council’s rules for virement as defined under Financial Regulations;

(iii)           Noted the Urgency Decision taken under officer delegations by the Chief Finance Officer and approved by the Chair of Policy & Resources Committee on 22 October 20221 regarding the allocation of funding from the Household Support Fund to provide vouchers for free school meals over the October Half-Term holiday period (see Appendix 4);

(iv)          Approved the proposed re-allocation of duplicate Contain Outbreak Management Funding (COMF) of £0.190m to homeless prevention by re-allocating funding to top up the Discretionary Housing Payments budget as set out in paragraph 3.13 of the report;

(v)           In order to ensure better decision and transparency about the delegated management of these funds - the committee receives a briefing that sets out consolidated details of funds available from:

·       the Household Support Fund;

·       COMF;

·       any unfunded costs referred to in this report and the report on Food (Item 18);

·       proposed spend in this and future financial years, and

the allocations criteria.

19.1    The Committee considered the report of the Acting Chief Finance Officer regarding the allocation of the Household Support Fund. The Revenues & Benefits Manager assisted in presenting the report.

19.2    Councillor Allcock asked how Members could be sure that the fund was allocated effectively particularly in these challenging times with an increase to national insurance and fuel prices and asked and what mechanisms were in place to monitor it. The Chief Finance Officer said that the allocation was based on experience over the last 18 months and officers had tried to come up with a balanced approach, officers had asked for a delegation in consultation with the Chair of this committee and opposition councillors to review the allocation as it did need to be tracked closely as it may be that the demand for some of the discretionary fund elements changes as the economy improved. The impact on the increase to national insurance and fuel prices wasn’t yet known. The Revenues & Benefits Manager said that there were DWP monitoring requirements, and in addition officers were developing a process were all organisations fed in the stats of who they were providing support for; this would not be names, but numbers of those who had been provided and whether they were a family of children etc.  The Head of School Organisation referred to Free School Vouchers and said that the number of vouchers utilised was 90-95%.

19.3    The Chair noted that there was an amendment from the Labour Group and asked Councillor Allcock to propose it.

19.4    Councillor Allcock said that the economic impact of the pandemic, Brexit, increase in national insurance and the fuel crisis had affected everyone and the additional reduction in universal credit had further hit the poorest families. The number of children entitled to free school meals had increased significantly over the last two years with the number now at 6568.  A healthy diet for children was important and the amendment sought to alter the allocation of the fund to increase the amount of the supermarket food voucher to those entitled to free school meals from £15 to £20. The amendment also requested that this Sub-Committee received a briefing on funding available from a number of areas so there could continue to be an overview of how the funding was allocated.

19.5    Councillor Appich formally seconded the amendment.

19.6    Councillor Clare said that she agreed with much of what had been said, but a lot of thought and engagement has gone into how the Fund would be allocated and was designed to help as many people as possible,

19.7    The Chair said that the Green Group could support the amendment to 2.5, but not to 2.1 and asked the Labour Group if they would be happy to take a vote on the changes separately. The Labour Group agreed. 

19.8    The Sub-Committee voted on the amendment and 2.1 was not agreed but 2.5 was. The amendment was therefore partially agreed.

19.9    RESOLVED: That the Sub-Committee

(i)             Approved the allocation of funding as outlined in the table at 3.8 of the report;

(ii)             For the reasons outlined at para 3.23, the committee delegates necessary adjustments to the approved allocations to the Chief Finance Officer following consultation with the Chair of Policy & Resources Committee and Opposition Spokespersons, provided any adjustment is complaint with the council’s rules for virement as defined under Financial Regulations;

(iii)           Noted the Urgency Decision taken under officer delegations by the Chief Finance Officer and approved by the Chair of Policy & Resources Committee on 22 October 20221 regarding the allocation of funding from the Household Support Fund to provide vouchers for free school meals over the October Half-Term holiday period (see Appendix 4);

(iv)          Approved the proposed re-allocation of duplicate Contain Outbreak Management Funding (COMF) of £0.190m to homeless prevention by re-allocating funding to top up the Discretionary Housing Payments budget as set out in paragraph 3.13 of the report;

(v)           In order to ensure better decision and transparency about the delegated management of these funds - the committee receives a briefing that sets out consolidated details of funds available from:

·       the Household Support Fund;

·       COMF;

·       any unfunded costs referred to in this report and the report on Food (Item 18);

·       proposed spend in this and future financial years, and

the allocations criteria.