Purpose

The Government has announced an extension of the Household Support Fund from April 2025. Currently, the HSF is distributed by selected community partners across the Borough via a one-off £150 payment to residents. This report will review our approach so far, drawing on outcomes from an evaluation carried out by the University of West England.

Decision

AGREED: That cabinet noted the report and:

i)                 Approved the proposed approach and spend of the allocation of Tranche 7 of the DWP Household Support Fund. It was recommended that the HSF is allocated through two separate schemes as per previous tranches, noting that the ringfenced funding is expected to end in March 2026.