FOI Requests on Social Fund Replacement Schemes

I have done this as a new thread. There is another discussion of information available about local schemes which replace social fund here: http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/4492/

It struck me looking at that thread that the information publicly available is very slight in many local authorities. For advisors to be able to advise confidently on what the local schemes are then we need to see all of the internal guidance etc. within the LA in question concerning the scheme.

One way to obtain this is to do a Freedom of Information Request.

Using the website https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/ is an easy way to do this and ensures that the responses will be automatically available online.

I have asked for LB Hackney to provide their details (their website as far as I can tell contains no details about the scheme). I have also asked the DWP to provide its operational guidance on short term advances (which replace crisis loans given in cases of benefit delay).

I thought we could post responses to similar requests in this thread.

Martin.

Here is the link to the FOI request for LB Hackney: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/guidance_and_rules_concerning_al

Clicking on it should show the progress of the response together with the answer when provided.

LB Hackney were supposed to have replied to this request by yesterday. I have given them a “nudge”.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/guidance_and_rules_concerning_al#outgoing-271449

I have a FOI request in for the Welsh scheme which, we were told, is points based, has an appeal system but is secret.

I’ve done a similar request for Bolton Council. They’ve tried to provide us with another document which is just the implementation and impact assessment details, not the actual criteria which they are following to make awards.

They actually uploaded the criteria to their own website a couple of weeks ago and I bookmarked it. Then, when I actually needed it, they had taken it down. :(

Now just waiting for a response!

I looked at the DWP’s response to the consultation on social fund replacement, issued in June 2011.
( http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-fund-localisation-response.pdf)

In this document they explain that they are going to give the cash that was used for the social fund to local authorities instead, but explain that they are not going to make it ring fenced, and are not going to set any standards or run any checks to make sure that the standards are being adhered to.

At para 136 they refer to a ‘settlement letter’ that they are going to send to the local authorities to explain what is to be done with the money.

I’ve just emailed the DWP to request details of the ‘settlement letter’ issued to local authorities, see :

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/local_support

Does anyone have any more info on this?