Decision details

(Report of Director of Finance and Transformation)

Approval was sought for the Borough Council’s approach in the use of the current grant of Household Support Fund.  Tonbridge and Malling had been allocated £139,263.24 to provide support to vulnerable households struggling with the cost of living.    This grant allocation had to be used by 31 March 2023 and any unspent monies could not be rolled over into April, beyond honouring any expenditure committed to before the end of the financial year.

A number of options had been considered, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance,  Innovation and Property, and proposals were set out in the draft Household Support Fund Scheme October – March 2022/23 (attached at Annex 2).

In summary, it was proposed that funding should be used to support:

·        food banks (funding allocation of £45,000);

·        fuel voucher schemes (funding allocation of £20,000); and

·        households facing a disproportionate impact of cost of living increase or exceptional needs (contingency balance of £25,000);

In addition, it was proposed that the balance of funding be targeted at those identified as most in need when the Scheme was evaluated in late January 2023.

Careful consideration was given to the proposals set out in the Household Support Fund Scheme October – March 2022/23 (as set out in Annex 2), together with the Kent County Council plan to assist vulnerable households (as set out in Annex 1) and the legal, financial and value for money implications.  Cabinet recognised the role and importance of foodbanks in the Borough, considered alternative solutions for the use of the Household Support Fund and supported the need to help those struggling to afford food, energy and water bills and other related essentials in the current cost of living crisis.  In particular, Cabinet supported the distribution of funding as soon as possible as the recent extreme cold weather increased the pressure on family’s use of heating.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)             the Household Support Fund Scheme October – March 2022/23 (attached at Annex 2) be approved; and

(2)             delegated authority be granted to the Director of Finance and Transformation to establish an effective operational scheme to disburse funds in accordance with the detail in the approved Policy.

[In accordance with Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 15 (i) this decision is not subject to call-in since in the opinion of the Cabinet it is urgent and any delay would seriously prejudice the Council's or the public's interest.]