Household Support Fund
Case reference FOI2023/00080
Published 10 February 2023
Request
I would be grateful if you could please provide the following information, with regards to the Household Support Fund (Tranche: 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023)
1. The total spend of the Household Support Fund as of 31st December 2022, as per the interim Management Information report
2. The total spend of the Household Support Fund on households with a disabled person as of 31st December 2022 as per the interim Management Information report
3. The total spend of the Household Support Fund on households with a disabled person that has gone directly to these households in the form of vouchers, item purchases or bank transfer (i.e. not provided to third parties to deliver services to support this group)
4. For Tranche 1: Has the local authority set an allocated expenditure for households with a disabled person and if so, what is the total figure for the expenditure?
5. What data is being used to identify households with disabled people who may benefit from the scheme (e.g. in receipt of disability benefits, being provided with a care package by your local authority)
6. What is the eligibility criteria for households with disabled people to be able to avail of support through the Household Support Fund?
7. What formats and communication channels (e.g. easy-read, audio) are being provided to ensure information about the Household Support Fund and the application process is accessible for disabled people?
For Qs 1-4 I would be grateful if the responses could be filled in and provided in the attached spreadsheet.
Response
I would be grateful if you could please provide the following information, with regards to the Household Support Fund (Tranche: 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023)
1. The total spend of the Household Support Fund as of 31st December 2022, as per the interim Management Information report
Please see attached spreadsheet.
2. The total spend of the Household Support Fund on households with a disabled person as of 31st December 2022 as per the interim Management Information report
Please see attached spreadsheet.
3. The total spend of the Household Support Fund on households with a disabled person that has gone directly to these households in the form of vouchers, item purchases or bank transfer (i.e. not provided to third parties to deliver services to support this group)
Please see attached spreadsheet.
4. For Tranche 1: Has the local authority set an allocated expenditure for households with a disabled person and if so, what is the total figure for the expenditure?
Please see attached spreadsheet.
5. What data is being used to identify households with disabled people who may benefit from the scheme (e.g. in receipt of disability benefits, being provided with a care package by your local authority)
Adult Social Care records including disability benefit entitlements and above average heating usage.
6. What is the eligibility criteria for households with disabled people to be able to avail of support through the Household Support Fund?
Not applicable.
7. What formats and communication channels (e.g. easy-read, audio) are being provided to ensure information about the Household Support Fund and the application process is accessible for disabled people?
Regarding the Household Support Fund, we have produced an accessible video, accessible social media posts, and our Talk Community website is designed to be compliant with the international standard (WCAG) 2.1 - Level AA.
If someone would rather speak to us directly to find out more, the homepage signposts to our Talk Community helpline number or email address.
There was no application process for the household support fund within Herefordshire Council for the period this FOI relates to.
For Qs 1-4 I would be grateful if the responses could be filled in and provided in the attached spreadsheet.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.