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FOI request (FOIR-745536040)
Benefits Scheme Eligibility
Requested Mon 01 September 2025
Responded Tue 28 October 2025I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding any scheme(s) for concessions or discounts that you provide to residents on the basis of their receipt of certain benefits or other status. This request concerns additional passported benefit schemes run at the discretion of the council outside of their statutory duties.
Specifically, I would like to know:
Eligibility for schemes
Please list the full range of qualifying benefits or statuses that grant eligibility for the scheme(s) or specific goods or services within the scheme(s), including but not limited to:
· Attendance Allowance
· Asylum seekers status
· Carer’s Allowance
· Child and Working Tax Credit
· Council Tax Support
· Disability Living Allowance
· Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
· Free School Meals
· Housing Benefit
· Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance
· Income Support
· Jobseekers Allowance
· Looked after children/care leavers
· Pension Credit
· Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
· Refugee status
· Universal Credit
· Veterans
Details of schemes
Please provide full details of the discounts, concessions and benefits available via the scheme(s), including both those directly provided by the council and those available via third parties. Please specify the following:
· Any membership or administration cost to the individual for access to the scheme(s)
· Details of the goods or services available
· Price paid by the claimant and amount of the discount for each item (including if free)
· Value of the item at full price to those not eligible for the scheme(s)
Administration of schemes
Please provide details about the uptake, administration and cost of the scheme for the last five years for which information is available, including:
· Total uptake of the scheme(s) as a whole
· Uptake of individual goods and services within the scheme(s)
· Numbers for each qualifying benefit or status used to access the scheme(s)
· Eligible population within the local authority area for the scheme(s), including eligible benefit caseload numbers or numbers of those with certain statuses
· Number new applications to the scheme(s) and renewals for each year
· Total cost of scheme(s) to the council
· Cost of individual goods and services within the scheme(s) to the council, including payments to third parties for their concessions
· Administration cost of running the scheme(s)
Please provide numerical information in CSV/Excel form where possible. If some of the requested information is not held, please provide the parts that are available and confirm what is not held. If my request is likely to exceed the cost/time limit, please let me know how I could narrow it to fall within the limits.
Response
Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding.
Please see below the only concessions offered:
Active Hastings
The majority of Active Hastings sessions are not means tested, we apply a sliding scale payment system so that all participants can pay what they can afford, without a requirement for being eligible for benefits. The only programme that is means tested is our Holiday Activity and Food programme, which ran through the Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays. As stipulated by the funding, this is for children who receive benefits related free school meals.
During 24/25, 176 children took part in these sessions on one or more occasions. Total cost of the provision was £8140. 100% externally funded, so no cost to Hastings Borough Council (HBC).
Pest Control
HBC do offer concessionary rates for Pest Control for qualifying benefits however, we are unable to distinguish between the full price & concessionary bookings on our current back office system.
Prices are advertised on our website https://www.hastings.gov.uk/environmentalhealth/pestcontrol/pest_info_charges/
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Freedom of Information
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