FOI request (FOIR-413876108)

Household Support Fund expenditure

Requested Thu 07 April 2022
Responded  Wed 13 April 2022

I am requesting the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:

1. Please provide a copy of the council's Household Support Fund policy for the funding distributed to councils in October 2021. The policy should outline how the council was going to disburse the funding and by what criteria.

2. What was the value of the parts of the Household Support Fund provided to the council in October 2021 (or thereabouts) that the council made available to individual applicants (not referrals from third party organisations)?

3. Of the figure in question 2, how much did the council eventually provide to applicants?

4. If the council fully spent the figure in question 2, on what date(s) was this part(s) of the fund closed to new applicants?

5. How many applicants received funding under the parts of the Household Support Fund referred to in question 2?

6. How many applications for funding under the parts of the Household Support Fund referred to in question 2 were rejected? Please provide any data the council holds on reasons for rejection.

7. What was the value of the parts of the Household Support Fund provided to the council in October 2021 (or thereabouts) that the council made available to referrals from council services or third party organisations, for example, charities?

8. How many referrals received funding under the parts of the Household Support Fund referred to in question 7?

9. How many referrals for funding under the parts of the Household Support Fund referred to in question 7 were rejected?

10. Please provide a copy of the council's Household Support Fund policy for the funding that is to be distributed to councils for April-September 2022. The policy should outline how the council will disburse the funding and by what criteria.

Councils' Household Support Fund policies include various elements - they are rarely disbursed in one block to one group of recipients by one set of criteria. Some involve automatic funding based on eligibility details the council already holds (for example, Free School Meals status) with no requirement for application or referral. Some parts are disbursed directly to third party organisations, such as food banks. Some are based on applications by individuals, while others are based on referrals by council services or third party organisations. Questions 2 to 6 relate to those parts that were disbursed based on applications from individuals, while questions 7 to 9 relate to those parts that were disbursed on the basis of referrals. Some councils may not have disbursed any money on the basis of applications or referrals, in which case questions 2-9 do not apply.

If the council cannot provide information for questions 8 and 9 within the section 12 cost limit, please exclude these and process the remainder of the request.

If the council has not collated the requested information for any question (or part of a question), please mark that 'information not held' and process the remainder of the request.

Response

1. Please see attached document.

2. £261,600.00 has been made available to HSF applicants since October 2021.

3. £261,572.28 has been provided to applicants.

4. 14 February 2022.

5. 1,150 applications received funding.

6. 91 applications were rejected, the top five reasons for rejection were:

a. Maximum number of applications for food already reached.

b. No evidence of utility arrears.

c. Application made to wrong Local Authority.

d. Maximum amount already paid in respect of utilities.

e. Not in receipt of a qualifying benefit as set in scheme criteria.

7. No specific amount.

8. Information not held.

9. Information not held.

10. The council's HSF Policy effective from April 2022 is not available at this time.

Attachments

• FOIR-413876108_FOIR-413876108_1-FOI_413876108_-_Policy.pdf