Agenda item

The Head of Benefits, Revenues and Customer Contact provides Overview and Scrutiny with an overview of the Household Support Fund (HSF) scheme and the Councils approach to the administration of this scheme.

Recommended                     -   That the comments and recommendations of the Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee be noted and actioned, as required.

The Head of Benefits, Revenues and Customer Contact submitted a report to provide the Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee with an overview of the Household Support Fund (HSF) scheme and the Council’s approach to the administration of this scheme. 

Councillor Dad, Leader of the Council, attended the meeting to report on the item and to answer questions submitted by the Committee.  He provided an overview of the Household Support Fund and informed the Committee of an extension to funding until March 2026.  He explained that the aim of the Fund was to provide immediate financial assistance to residents facing financial challenges and that it was open to all residents regardless of whether they were in receipt of benefits.   

The Committee had submitted questions to the Officer, in advance of the meeting, which had been responded to.  These referred to the following issues: 

·         How clear was the application process? 

·         If the Council processed all applications for funding, irrespective of how they applied? 

·         Which organisations were included in those that could refer applicants? 

·         Which organisations were included in those listed under Food Grant networks? 

·         The timeframe for applying to receive DHP? 

·         Why the administration of the Household Support Fund was taken back in house by Hyndburn Borough Council? 

·         Would the Council need to take on extra staff now that the HSF was being processed in house again and what had happened to the staff that had work for Hyndburn Leisure Trust who had processed applications previously? 

A summary of the responses included:

Hyndburn Borough Council had been approached by Hyndburn Leisure Trust to advise that, due to employee changes, they would not be able to administer HSF from 1^st April 2025, consequently, the Council had agreed to take back this responsibility.  The Council had considered the previous successful delivery of the Fund by Hyndburn Leisure Trust and taken the decision to administer the Fund in the same way, to ensure smooth transition.  The Head of Benefits, Revenues and Customer Services confirmed that all applications were processed by the Council, irrespective of how applications were submitted.  He provided a list of the Direct Referral organisations and those organisations who were listed under the Food Grant Network.  He reported that applications would be processed within two weeks of receipt and that the Council currently had enough staffing capacity to deal with the processing of applications.

Members were also provided with further opportunity to ask questions at the meeting.  Questions included: 

·         Advice on where residents were directed to, to apply for the Funding. 

·         Who decided how much a person was eligible for? 

·         How the Household Support Fund was promoted and if this could be improved? 

·         Applications for Funding were relevant to different categories, was it possible to apply for more than one category? 

·         Had there been a difference in application figures between the administrations by Hyndburn Leisure Trust and the Council? 

Responses to the above questions were given at the meeting: 

The Committee was informed that people could apply for funding directly to the Council or be referred by one of the supporting organisations.  All applications were processed by the Council.   The level of award was indicative to the application. 

In respect of ensuring that residents were aware of the availability of the Funding, the Leader of the Council informed the Committee that social media had been used to promote the Funding as well as partner organisations providing advice on its existence.  He pointed out that the aim was to maintain awareness of the scheme and that further promotion would take place through schools as a way of accessing families in need of support. 

In relation to the number of categories that applicants could apply for, Members were told that the Council would work with applicants although costs had to be kept down. 

In respect of a comparison between the administration of the Funding by Hyndburn Borough Council and Hyndburn Leisure Trust, the Committee was informed that the level of funding had reduced but comparisons were still too early to make. 

On behalf of the Committee, the Chair thanked Hyndburn Leisure Trust for their work in previously administering the Household Support Fund. 

Resolved                           (1)   That there be further promotion to increase awareness of the Household Support Fund on the Council’s social media;                                              

                                           (2)  That Committee Members be provided with details of how residents can apply for Funding; and

 (3)  That the Head of Benefits, Revenues and Customer Services provides Committee Members with data on the categories of applicants who have applied for funding.