Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement introduced a proposed policy and allocation schedule in respect of the distribution of Household Support Fund (HSF) grant funding of £2.162m awarded to the Borough for the period October 2022 to March 2023.

The Cabinet Member alluded to the general criteria set by the Government for the allocation of the funding and the specific plans for Barking and Dagenham, aimed at providing a wide range of accessible support to households in financial hardship.  The plans included £960,000 for vouchers for children in receipt of free school meals to continue to receive free meals during the school holiday periods, which was expected to benefit approximately 12,000 children, a further £150,000 set aside for local Food Banks and Community Food Hubs and an allocation of £630,000 for an open grant application process, with each application considered on its individual merits.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree the Council’s policy and intended allocation of the Household Support Grant of £2.162m, covering the period 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, as detailed in section 2 of the report; and

(ii)  Delegate authority to the Director of Support and Collections, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement, to vary the allocation of funding and scheme criteria to reflect any changes in demand, where appropriate.