Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Accepted
Paragraph: 28
Whilst £1.5 billion for the Household Support Fund is welcome, we are concerned that there...
Recommendation
Whilst £1.5 billion for the Household Support Fund is welcome, we are concerned that there is no information available to indicate where this funding is going, The cost of living 37 and whether or not it is supporting the most vulnerable households effectively. Discretionary funding should not replace core funding. Where the Government continues to use discretionary funds, it should ensure councils are well supported to deliver the funding to the households who need it the most. We ask the Department to publish information on what local authorities have spent this funding on to date by the end of September 2022.
Government Response Summary
The government states that they are clear that Local Authorities are best placed to decide how best to support local people in need, within the clear expectations set out in the Household Support Fund guidance and they have published the Management Information (MI) for all completed discretionary schemes.
Paragraph Reference:
28
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We are clear that Local Authorities are best placed to decide how best to support local people in need, within the clear expectations set out in the Household Support Fund guidance. To support local authorities as much as possible to do this, each Local Authority has a designated DWP point of contact. DWP also provides specific data shares to help Local Authorities to target some customer groups. We have published the Management Information (MI) for all completed discretionary schemes, including the Covid Winter Grant Scheme, Covid Local Support Grant and the first Household Support Fund. We also expect to be publishing the MI for the current iteration of the Household Support Fund after the closure of that scheme.