35 Household Support Fund 2025/26 amendment PDF 597 KB
Report for Decision.
Additional documents:
Decision:
ORDERED that Executive approve the proposed changes,
listed below, to the Household Support Fund (HSF) delivery plan for 2025/26
previously approved by Executive on 14 May 2025, which would be delivered
between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, as set out in Table 1 (paragraph 4.9)
of the report and that it continued to target the same main groups as before.
·
An increase of £10 per child for those in
receipt of income based free school meals, Council Tax Reduction (CTR),
Universal Credit (UC) or Housing Benefit (HB)
·
Widen the criteria for pensioner support to
include all on CTR (previously had to have Pension Credit Guarantee Credit as
well) and increase the payment from £50 to £100
·
Increase the amount provided to singles /
couples in receipt of benefits from £45/£55 to £75/£100
·
An additional £38,000 to Community Support to
assist with crisis applications
·
An additional £17,000 allocated to the
provision of third-party support
Minutes:
The Executive Member for Finance submitted a report for Executive consideration the purpose of which sought approval for changes required to the Household Support Fund (HSF scheme previously approved for the 2025/26 financial year).
On 30 October 2024, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced that the HSF would be extended for a further 12 months from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.
Each Local Authority was required to prepare a local scheme to determine how the funding would be provided and allocated. The grant amount allocated to Middlesbrough was £2,914,447.24.
Government guidance required Local Authorities to clearly advertise the scheme to residents, including publication on the Council website. The value of the individual awards was to be determined by Local Authorities in accordance with the parameters set out in the guidance.
The current scheme was approved by Executive on 14 May 2025 and was based on the Council’s previous successful HSF schemes. The original 2025/26 scheme included a payment amount for pensioners who were no longer eligible for the state Winter Fuel Payment under the changed criteria introduced in 2024. This would have meant that those in receipt of Council Tax Reduction (CTR) or Attendance Allowance who were not eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment from the Government could have received an equivalent amount to the Winter Fuel Payment in full from Middlesbrough Council’s HSF of £300 or £200 depending on age. £340,000 was allocated to enable this to happen.
On 9 June 2025 the Government amended the criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment again, meaning that pensioners with incomes of less than £35,000 would now be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment. This had reduced the number of pensioners ineligible to benefit from it with a consequent reduction in the number who would be eligible under the previously agreed scheme for the £300 or £200 HSF payment, depending on age. As a result, the HSF funding required in the Council’s scheme to meet the reduced need had been reviewed and the changes proposed to increase other expenditure by £330,000 were detailed in the report.
Those pensioners in receipt of CTR or Attendance Allowance who remained ineligible for the Winter Fuel Payment or were subject to clawback through HMRC would still be eligible for the same level of payment under HSF of £300 or £200, depending on age. Pensioners who were eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment and not subject to clawback may still have been eligible for a payment of £100 from HSF, depending on their circumstances, the rate having been increased from £50 under the amended scheme.
The scheme remained designed to support vulnerable residents and low-income households which include children, pensioners, people with disabilities and other households who may be experiencing financial difficulties brought about by the continuing economic challenges.
The Mayor queried how residents would be made aware of the revised scheme. It was clarified that in addition to press releases and wider communications those individuals whose details were known to the ... view the full minutes text for item 35