Issue - meetings

The Committee heard from the Benefits Manager regarding the funding and request for Member approval for the Household Support Fund. It was explained that this was the fifth round of funding being requested, and £1.6m had been distributed to support West Lindsey residents under the previous rounds of funding. Funds for the scheme were paid to Lincolnshire County Council via the Department for Work and Pensions with guidance on how the funding should be distributed. The government had announced the Housing Support Fund on 26 March 2024 and would run for six months with funding required to have been spent by 30 September 2024. The proposal outlined that Lincolnshire County Council would distribute vouchers directly to families who received free school meals and would distribute the remainder of the funding to the District Councils. It was estimated that West Lindsey District Council would receive £245,000.

Members were asked to approve the proposal to use a Lincolnshire based charity to distribute Housing Support funding. The organisation would administer an application-based scheme for residents to apply to receive support, and was proposing to also work with East Lindsey, South Holland, Boston, and South Kesteven Councils for continuity. The Council would work closely with the charity to set the funding criteria and it was proposed that 60% of the funding received would go through to the charitable organisation to distribute, 35% to go towards food banks and third-party voluntary organisations, and 5% of the funding to remain with West Lindsey for administration and contingency costs.

The Chairman thanked the Benefits Manager and expressed that it was a significantly important scheme for the Council to continue providing support and services to residents with the ongoing cost of living crisis.

In response to questions from Committee Members it was confirmed that the application process would be open to those who had benefited from previous support funds as well as those who had not previously received support. In addition, Members voiced their concerns that the fund would be coming to an end and wished to acknowledge the hardships residents would continue to be experiencing beyond the close of the support fund. Members expressed their wish to lobby government for the continuation of such support funds or a way of supporting those in need by alternative means.

Having been proposed, seconded and voted upon, it was unanimously

            RESOLVED that

a)    the delivery of the Household Support Fund 5, which runs to 30 September 2024, be approved; and

b)    where there are relatively minor amendments made to the scheme, unless these are considered ‘significantly material’, the Benefits Manager in consultation with the Director of Change Management, ICT and Regulatory Services be delegated to implement these changes after consultation with the Committee Chairman. This ensures the scheme to adapt to requirements and need to respond promptly if required, as well as remaining consistent with principles of the Lincolnshire Districts scheme.