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The attached report sets out how Leeds City
Council will allocate £14,197,296 funding from the Department
for Work and Pensions (DWP) Household Support Fund between 1st
April 2023 and 31st March 2024.
A Key Decision (D55289) was taken in May 2022 to accept the DWPs
Household Support Fund at that time, along with any further
extensions of funding for the Household Support Fund.

This report outlines the proposal for distributing the HSF across
the city to support vulnerable households. These proposals aim to
ensure residents most in need receive support directly. The
proposals are based on the experience of running three previous
rounds of the fund.

The Director for Communities, Housing and the Environment;
1. Accepted the proposed levels of expenditure as outlined in this
report to ensure that the funding meets the grant criteria to
support vulnerable households.
2. Agreed the amounts per expenditure type may be varied to ensure
that the funding is appropriately utilised and spent within the
allowable grant criteria provided by Government.

The HSF funding of £14,197,296 will provide support with the
costs of food, fuel and essential items to vulnerable families and
individuals in Leeds between 1st April 2023 and 31st March
2024.

Approximately 45% of the funding will support households in receipt
of Council Tax Support and those on Housing Benefit who have missed
out of the governments cost of living payments. This will ensure
that households on the lowest incomes in the city receive support
directly, without the requirement for an application process.

Funding welfare support through the existing Local Welfare Support
Scheme, applications for Discretionary Housing Payments and through
Section 17 arrangements will enable more households in financial
hardship to receive support.

Third sector support will enable local based and targeted support
to be delivered, including to people who do not wish to engage with
the Council.
Allocating funding for winter pressures will enable the Council to
address emerging and specific pressures that the winter will
bring.
Housing support via Housing Leeds and Leeds Housing options will
ensure that tenants in exceptional circumstances can receive
support in line with DWPs criteria.

Leeds City Council’s procurement and legal teams have
reviewed and commented on the attached report and agreed the
approach for funding of the third sector organisations.