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Salford City Council - Record of Decision
 
I Paul Dennett, City
Mayor, in exercise of the powers contained within the City Council
Constitution do hereby
approve:

 
That £2.817m Household
Support Fund, and available core council funding, is allocated as
follows:
 
·               
Continued provision of Holiday Food Vouchers to
eligible children at £15 per week for the remaining 6 weeks
of school holidays (up to Easter 2025), at a total cost of
£1,422,000.
 
·               
Further allocations for October 2024 to 31 March
2025 set out below to support ongoing activity:

o  
Salford Assist - £1,000,000

o  
Community Solutions - £100,000

o  
Foodbanks and foodclubs
via CVS - £100,000

o  
Adult Social Care - £25,000

o  
Housing Benefit Support - £70,000

o  
Support costs - £100,000
 
·               
The council’s £2.7m non-recurrent
revenue will be vired to the Corporate
budget to be used in 2024/25 on a one-off basis to offset pressures
identified in the Council budget at Quarter 1, specifically the
Housing Benefit Subsidy loss.
 
·               
Previous investments in 2023/24 carried into 2024/25
are likely to remain partially unspent, and could be carried into
2025/26, to partially offset demand for continued support
activities as set out in this report. 
Use of this funding will be considered as part of the
Council’s budget strategy and Medium Term Financial Planning
discussions.
The Reasons are:

Government have
recently announced a further six month extension to the Household
Support Fund up to March 2025. 
Salford’s confirmed allocation is £2.73m.  

 
Along with the council’s core investment the fund has
provided crucial support to Salford’s residents.  It has supported Salford Assist, Welfare Rights
and Debt Advice, Salford CAB, Housing support costs, Adults Social
Care, Foodbanks and foodclubs and
Holiday Food Vouchers.  Some of the
initiatives supported by Salford Assist as part of the HSF scheme
include Housing Options, Supported Tenancies, Hospital Discharge
Team, Public Health, GPs and the VCFSE’s  with  these partners
also ensuring vital support to residents in terms of support with
food, debt advice, money management, benefit advice, homelessness,
energy provider schemes, recycling programmes and money
services.
 
Proposals enable continuation of
essential support to residents for a further six months.
Options considered and rejected were:
The primary focus was to ensure
continuation of core support activities – principally to
continue with Holiday Voucher provision to support young people
and
families, and to ensure
sufficient funding through Salford Assist.
 
The extension of HSF represents
an unexpected windfall and the option was also taken to reduce the
impact on the Council’s core budget and Medium Term Financial
Plan.
 
Assessment of Risk: 
Medium.
 
The
source of funding is:  Household Support Fund, with contribution from
previously carried over core funding and GMCA Waste Levy
Investments.
 
Legal Advice obtained: not
applicable
Financial Advice obtained:  Michelle Cowley, Finance
Manager
HSF has been extended for a
further six months.  Salford’s
allocation has been confirmed at £2.73m, the same level as
previously.  With a small contribution
from carried over funds, this will be sufficient to cover the
proposed allocations. The SCC allocation of £2.7m
(non-recurring) agreed in February will be returned to ease
pressures in other areas.
 
Consideration will have to be
made regarding supporting these schemes beyond March 25 if HSF is
to then cease.
 
There was also an element of
carry forward into this year from 23/24 which at the moment is not
fully committed and it is proposed that this is carried forward
into 25/26 to continue some elements of the above if HSF is to
cease at March 25.
Procurement Advice obtained: not applicable
 
HR Advice obtained:  Samantha Betts, Director HROD,
Samantha.betts@salford.gov.uk
 
This report details that the
funding allocation currently supports additional employees employed
on fixed term contracts to deliver the HSF Discretionary Scheme
along with overtime and additional hours used to help support
demand for the service. 
 
Employees working under
fixed-term contracts are protected by the Fixed-Term Employees
(Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002, which
require that such employees are treated no less favourably than
comparable permanent employees. Expiry of a fixed term contract is
a dismissal in law.  It should be noted
that employees will accrue employment protection rights, including
unfair dismissal and redundancy, if employed continuously for two
years.  It should be noted that the
Employment Rights Bill will introduce day one protection against
unfair dismissal.
 
It is proposed that the
additional staffing will be required to March 2025, which may
result in postholders accruing more than two years’
continuous service.  Therefore, if the
contract is not renewed it would be deemed to be dismissal by
reason of redundancy, the postholder will be entitled to statutory
redundancy pay. 
 
It
should be noted that the source of funding for a role is not a fair
reason for selection for redundancy, and selection on the grounds
of fixed term contract would be in breach of the
Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable
Treatment) Regulations 2002. 
Therefore, loss of
funding requiring a reduction in workforce numbers would
potentially affect a wider pool than simply those engaged on fixed
term contracts.
 
The
costs associated with redundancy pay have not been factored into
the proposals. By means of mitigation, prior to any redundancies
being declared the council will deploy it’s voluntary schemes
and usual efforts in supporting those individuals affected with
seeking alternative employment through our well established and
successful redeployment arrangements.
 
Climate Change Advice obtained: not
applicable
 
The following documents have been used to assist the decision
process:
·        
Report to Cabinet, 8 October 2024, Household
Support Fund 2024/25
 
Contact
Officer:   Jacquie Russell, Director Policy and Performance
                  
Telephone number: 0161 793
3577
 
 
The appropriate scrutiny to
call-in the decision is the Overview and Scrutiny Panel         
 
 

Signed:         Paul
Dennett                    
  Dated: 
08.10.24                                      
.
                       
City Mayor
 

For Democratic
Services use only
 
This decision was published on  08.10.24                                           
This decision will come in force at 4.00
p.m. on 15.10.24                   
                              
unless it is called-in in
accordance with the Decision Making Process Rules.