Household Support Fund extension – distribution details

The grant was awarded to Hartlepool Borough Council following the extension of the national Household Support Fund (HSF).

The Council received an identical amount last year in a first tranche of funding.

Members of the authority’s Finance and Policy Committee heard that that at least one third of the new HSF money has to be spent on families with children and at least one third on pensioners, with the remainder being available to help other vulnerable households.

The expectation is that it will be used in a similar way to the original HSF funding, but with greater emphasis on supporting households with energy bills. Food and water bills also remain priorities.

Councillors approved a one-off payment of £70 per households to all Local Council Tax Support-eligible pensioner households at a total cost of £317,000. Payments are expected to be made in late July/early August.

They also agreed to spend £480,000 on the provision of pre-loaded £60 supermarket cards to all children aged 2-18 who meet the eligibility criteria for free school meals. The cards will be distributed in time for the six-week school summer holidays.

Other measures include:

• Hartlepool Local Welfare Support Scheme, £20,000 - to increase the scheme to provide support for food, fuel and household goods. Awards will be based on personal circumstances and will not be means-tested.

• West View Advice and Resource Centre, £10,000 – a discretionary fund for household essentials.

• Hartlepool Food Bank and The Bread and Butter Thing, £10,000 each - to provide food parcels/bags of shopping through their respective schemes.

• Citizens Advice Bureau and Advice at Hart, £40,000 each – for the provision of Fuel Bank vouchers.

• Anglian Water, £15,000 – to provide assistance to households in debt and water poverty through the Anglian Water Assistance Fund.

Sally Robinson, Director of Children’s and Joint Commissioning Services at Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “Hopefully, this package of proposals will go some way to easing the hardship that many hard-pressed local residents are facing as the cost of living soars.

“A lot of work has been carried out by council officers in a very short space to put this package of support together and I’d like to thank them for their efforts.

“I’d also like to express my gratitude to those partner organisations that have agreed to work with us to provide vital help to local residents. Their support really is appreciated.”

For more information go to www.hartlepool.gov.uk/household-support-fund