Decision

To approve Wiltshire Council entering into a Letter of Variation with the Centre of Sustainable Energy (CSE) to vary the existing Form of Agreement to incorporate heating oil and wraparound support services in connection with the Council’s Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF).

Reasons for the decision

Wiltshire Council intends to enter into a Letter of Variation with CSE (the incumbent provider of the Warm and Safe Wiltshire Service) to provide heating oil and associated wraparound support services to eligible households who are reliant on heating oil alongside associated wraparound support. The Additional Services will be delivered by CSE from 20 April 2026 to 19 October 2026.

As part of the Variation, CSE agrees to deliver these additional services alongside the existing services set out in the Form of Agreement in accordance with the new Schedule 8 which sets out:

- The scope of the additional services and intended outcomes;
- Monitoring and reporting requirements;
- Performance measures; and
- Fraud prevention and assurance;

Wiltshire Council will pay up to £691,880 of Funding to CSE to help eligible households. The first month of Funding in April 2026 will be £69,188 and thereafter the amount of Funding payable each month will be determined by the Council following a monthly report from CSE which estimates the amount of Funding required for the following month together with information justifying such amount.

Wiltshire Council will also pay CSE an Additional Services Fee of up to £91,845 to CSE to administer the Funding. The Council will pay CSE a mobilisation fee of £30,615 in April 2026 and thereafter a monthly fee in arrears of £12,246.

General detail of the Project:
Wiltshire Council has been allocated from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) via the Crisis and Resilience Fund, £5,183,725 in year 1 (which includes £783,725 additional oil crisis payments). The allocation for year 2 and 3 is £4.4 million and £4,6 million respectively.

The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) (“The Fund”) has been made available to local authorities (LAs) in England to support low-income households who encounter a financial shock and to support activity that builds individual and community financial resilience.

This funding covers the period 01 April 2026 to 31 March 2029 inclusive. Local Authorities have discretion on exactly how this funding is used within the scope set out in the accompanying grant determination and guidance.

The primary objective of The Fund is to both provide a safety net for those on low incomes who encounter a financial shock and to invest in building local financial resilience to enable individuals and communities to better deal with crises in the long-term, reducing crisis need

The Fund will focus on three main outcomes:
• Outcome 1: Provision of effective crisis support. Delivering effective crisis support is intended to prevent the occurrence or escalation of individuals’ crises. By offering timely, needs-based assistance to those with low incomes facing financial shocks, Authorities can reduce the risk of crisis need. This includes the provision of financial support towards housing needs, to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

• Outcome 2: Improving individuals’ financial resilience. By strengthening financial resilience among individuals, Authorities empower citizens to better manage financial shocks and mitigate the occurrence, recurrence and escalation of crises.

• Outcome 3: Bolstering the local-level support landscape. A joined-up, visible local support network is key to the CRF’s approach to build financial resilience. This includes strengthening resilience networks within local communities, that in turn boost the financial resilience of individuals within these communities. This coordination enables a suitable range of Resilience Services to exist within a local area and ensures there are clear referral pathways between them and crisis support. Through this effective join-up of local support services, Authorities can expect those seeking crisis support to be appropriately referred to services that build their individual financial resilience.

Authorities should adopt the following principles to deliver CRF schemes that are:

• person-centred to ensure that people’s preferences, needs and values stay central to professional decisions, providing support that is respectful to them
• needs-based to recognise the varied circumstances that individuals may experience, seeking to meet the underlying needs, not just the crisis symptoms
• holistic to provide integrated support that helps the individual and their households, with Authorities considering the wide range of services and actions they have access to
• encompass a no wrong door approach to connect individuals to the right service and support through warm referrals, regardless of their initial point of contact
• trauma informed: Authorities should adopt a Trauma Informed Approach when working with people and families in crisis, considering the six principles of trauma-informed practice

Authorities must allocate the CRF funding across the following CRF components:

• Crisis Payment: Providing support to those in crisis
• Housing Payment: Providing financial support towards housing needs, to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs
• Resilience Services: Funding for services delivered by Authorities or external providers to improve financial resilience
• Community Coordination: Investment in activities that connect and enhance the local support landscape

The exact proportions of how The Fund is allocated between these components are at the Authority’s discretion and may vary between years. In Year 1 (the FYE March 2027) and Year 2 (the FYE March 2028), Authorities are expected to maintain existing levels of spending on Housing Payments, using the FYE March 2026 allocations for DHPs as a guide.

Each Unitary Authority and County Council must deliver a CRF Crisis Payment scheme that offers payments to individuals in crisis. Authorities must name their schemes as ‘Crisis Payment’. Authorities should allocate their budgets accordingly to aim for Crisis Payments to be available all-year round. Crisis Payment schemes will be cash-first and operated primarily on an application-basis. Authorities must adopt a needs-based approach that seeks to address underlying needs alongside provision of immediate support.

Following the approval by the Cabinet on 17 March 2026, all applications for funding are delegated to the Corporate Director of Place and Corporate Director of Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Communities, Engagement and Corporate Services.

Applications are collated and then reviewed by the Advisory Board in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Communities, Engagement and Corporate Services.

An initial Advisory Board met on the 27 of March 2026 and provided scrutiny to all of the applications made. As a result, the recommendations will be formally included in the DWP Delivery plan which will be submitted by the 1 July 2026.

The Advisory Board will be held periodically to review any additional or amended applications which will be added as additional schedules.

I confirm that in making this decision I have considered the following in line with Wiltshire Council’s Constitution:

Key decision requirements: Yes – approved by Cabinet

Views of relevant cabinet member(s), committee chairman, area board(s): Yes

Consultation with cabinet member(s), the Leader and Scrutiny (for Executive decisions taken under Emergency Powers): Yes, consultation with Mel Jacob, Cabinet Member for Communities, Engagement and Corporate Services

Consultation in accordance with the council’s consultation guidance and the views emanating from that process: Yes. The governance process ensures that grant awards are transparent and Service Directors and Corporate Directors are involved in the decision-making process.

Implication of any council policy, initiative, strategy or procedure: Delivery of this grant supports the Council’s Business Plan (2025-2035) and principles: Working together to empower communities; providing everyone the best chance in life, tackling inequality and taking the right decisions for now and future generations; fostering a culture of transparency, accountability and collaboration within the council.

Staffing, financial and legal implications: Delivery internally of this grant relies on existing staffing capacity within individual teams to deliver their schemes or where required, full funding is provided using Crisis and Resilience Fund. Engagement and Partnerships provide administration of this grant.

All external schemes are administered through a grant agreement or procured contract, provided through legal services.

The assessment of any associated risks in accordance with the Council’s risk management strategy: NA

Involvement of appropriate statutory officers and/or corporate directors and directors: Corporate Director of Place and Corporate Director of Resources

Regional or national guidance from other bodies where relevant: Decisions on the allocation of the Crisis and Resilience Fund were made in line with the Department for Work and Pensions Guidance and grant citation. Crisis and Resilience Fund: Guidance for local authorities in England (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029) - GOV.UK

The council’s constitution, including the Procurement and Contract Rules (Part 10) and the Financial Regulations and Procedure Rules (Part 9), all relevant guidance, legislation, codes of practice, and protocols: Where required, legal and procurement involvement and advice will be sought and followed.

Alternative options considered

NA