Guidance directed at County Councils and Unitary Authorities in relation to the £421 million being made available to 'support those most in need this winter during the final stages of economic recovery'
The government has published 'final guidance' on the Household Support Fund for councils in England.
Further to draft guidance issued in October 2021, the new guidance is directed at County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England in relation to the £421 million being made available to them to 'support those most in need this winter during the final stages of economic recovery.'
NB - under the Barnett formula, the devolved administrations will separately receive 'up to' £79 million made up of around £41 million for the Scottish Government, £25 million for the Welsh Government and £14 million for the Northern Ireland Executive.
Covering the period to 31 March 2022, the new guidance confirms that local authorities in England have discretion on exactly how the funding is used within the scope set out in the guidance, but adds that -
'The expectation is that it should primarily be used to support households in the most need with food, energy and water bills. It can also be used to support households with essential costs related to those items and with wider essential costs. In exceptional cases of genuine emergency it can additionally be used to support housing costs where existing housing support schemes do not meet this exceptional need.'
In addition the guidance advises that -
- local authorities must have a clear rationale or documented policy/framework outlining their approach, including how they are defining eligibility and how households access the scheme;
- at least 50 per cent of the total funding will be ring-fenced to support households with children, with up to 50 per cent of the total funding going to other households genuinely in need of support this winter, including households not currently in receipt of DWP welfare benefits;
- in addition to support with food, energy and water, the Fund can be used to support wider essential needs that may include, but are not limited to, support with other bills including broadband or phone bills, clothing, and essential transport-related costs such as repairing a car, buying a bicycle or paying for fuel;
- in relation to housing costs, the Fund cannot be used to provide mortgage support, and authorities must establish whether other forms of support are available to the household, such as discretionary housing payments, or whether the claimant is at statutory risk of homelessness and therefore owed a duty of support through the Homelessness Prevention Grant;
- authorities can provide a basic safety net support to an individual regardless of their immigration status if there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example if there are community care needs, serious health problems, or there is a risk to a child’s wellbeing;
- there is no requirement for authorities to undertake a means test or conduct a benefit check unless this specifically forms part of its local eligibility criteria;
- individual awards can be whatever type and amount is deemed appropriate by authorities for the receiving household;
- vouchers should be used instead of cash where possible to help to mitigate the risk of money being spent by the recipient on things outside of the policy intent;
- a family or individual can be supported on multiple occasions throughout the lifetime of the scheme should an authority deem it to be necessary; and
- the appeals process falls within each authority’s normal complaints and appeals process, and so authorities will be responsible for deciding how they administer any complaints or appeals.
NB - in Household Support Fund Grant Determination 2021 No 31/5787, the government also sets out the grant conditions and the final funding allocations for each County Council and Unitary Authority for the period to 31 March 2022.
For more information, see Household Support Fund: guidance for local councils from gov.uk
