Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
Maintain Household Support Fund, improve communication and application accessibility for vulnerable groups.
Recommendation
If the Government continues to issue cost of living support payments in the next financial year, it should maintain the Household Support Fund as it is an important safety net for those ineligible for these payments and other means tested benefits. In doing so, ahead of the next financial year, the Government should better communicate and advertise the fund to make sure that people are aware of its existence. The accessibility of the application process should be improved to enable people who may be disabled, do not speak English, do not have access to the internet, or may struggle to access support during working hours, to apply. (Paragraph 42) The impact of the cost of living support payments
Government Response Summary
The government states the Household Support Fund (HSF) is under review for future years and highlights existing measures, such as local authorities being required to provide application-based schemes and comply with the Equality Act to ensure accessible advertising and support.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The current Household Support Fund is in place until the end of March 2024. The Government continues to keep all of its existing programmes under review in the usual way. Since the third iteration of the Household Support Fund, local authorities have been required to provide an application-based scheme as part of their Household Support Fund offer. This is to ensure individuals can approach their local authority or a partner organisation for support if they need to. As part of their duties under the Equality Act, all public authorities must comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty. Local authorities are expected to consider inclusive and accessible ways in which they might advertise the availability of the Fund to their residents, for example by doing so in local family or community hubs and GP surgeries. We have set out our expectations for authorities to advertise the scheme, in particular the application- based element of their provision, through various channels and not just online. An authority’s Household Support Fund allocation includes reasonable administration costs to enable authorities to deliver the Fund. This can include costs towards ensuring the scheme remains accessible. We know that local authorities have adopted a range of methods to ensure their schemes remain accessible. This includes establishing call centres to support with applications, developing community outreach teams and working with third party organisations with existing relationships with hard-to-reach groups. The impact of the cost of living support payments