FOI release

Local Welfare Assistance Provisions (LWA) Scheme

Case reference FOI2023/00896

Published 16 June 2023

Request

These questions specifically pertain to your local welfare assistance/provision (LWA) scheme.

By LWA scheme, we mean a discretionary service which:

• provides grants to your residents when facing a crisis (these grants may take the form of cash, vouchers or the item itself, e.g. a cooker);

• has a claims process via which a member of the public can apply for support, that is, they are not targeted at specific cohorts.

Please do not include information about the Household Support Fund (HSF) unless you used HSF funds for your local welfare assistance scheme.

All questions are specifically referring to support provided via the LWA scheme which is set out on https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/family-support/support-emergency-welfare-support/3 and we require information from the period 1st April 2022 - 31st March 2023.

1. What was the total spend on your scheme in 2022/23?

2. How many applications did you receive to this scheme in 2022/23?

3. How many applications were successful in 2022/23?

4. How much was spent on the provision of furniture, white goods and furnishings (including flooring and window coverings) in 2022/23? This includes cash, vouchers and the provision of the item itself.

(a) What percentage was:

• Cash

• Vouchers

• Provision of the item itself

5. Please tick (or otherwise indicate) which furniture/appliance types you provide and tell us whether these are new or preloved (e.g. Y/N, New/Preloved):

• Cooker

• Fridge

• Freezer

• Fridge Freezer

• Washing Machine

• Sofa

• Bed

• Wardrobe

• Chest of Drawers

• Table and Chairs

• Flooring (Carpets or Lino)

• Window coverings (curtains or blinds)

6. Do you replace broken appliances or furniture items?

7. Can social housing tenants apply to the fund for support provided they meet the general application criteria?

8. What proportion of any furniture, appliances and furnishing spend went to social housing tenants?

9. What percentage of your 2022/23 spend was funded by your core spending power (as opposed to additional Govt. funding provided via Section 31 grants, such as the Household Support Fund)

a) If your scheme was not 100% core funded, how is the remaining budget funded?

10. What is your budget for 2023/24?

11. What percentage of your 2023/24 budget is funded by your core spending power?

If this budget is not 100% core funded, how is the remaining budget funded?

Response

These questions specifically pertain to your local welfare assistance/provision (LWA) scheme.

By LWA scheme, we mean a discretionary service which:

• provides grants to your residents when facing a crisis (these grants may take the form of cash, vouchers or the item itself, e.g. a cooker);

• has a claims process via which a member of the public can apply for support, that is, they are not targeted at specific cohorts.

Please do not include information about the Household Support Fund (HSF) unless you used HSF funds for your local welfare assistance scheme.

1. What was the total spend on your scheme in 2022/23?

£49,812 - (Local Welfare Provision)

£1,863 - (Household Support Fund)

2. How many applications did you receive to this scheme in 2022/23?

683 - (Local Welfare Provision)

108 - (Household Support Fund)

3. How many applications were successful in 2022/23?

504 - (Local Welfare Provision)

47 - (Household Support Fund)

(a) What percentage was:

• Cash

• Vouchers

• Provision of the item itself

Brown good - £2,512.00

Furniture and Fittings - £5,587.00

General Consumables - £169.00

Mobile Telephones - £79.00

White Goods - £12,790.00

TOTAL = £21,137.00

CASH - 0%

VOUCHERS - 0%

PROVISION OF THE ITEM ITSELF - 100%