See answers to previous information requests

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 a LWA scheme which is set out on https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/benefits/local-welfare-provision/ and we require information from the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024.

1. What was the total spend on your scheme in 2023/24?
£15,500

2. How many applications did you receive to this scheme in 2023/24?
65

3. How many applications were successful in 2023/24?
57

4. What percentage of your entire scheme (including food, fuel and furniture support) was delivered via:
• Cash: 0%
• Vouchers: 0%
• In-kind provision of goods: 0%
Goods were purchased via a corporate credit card

5. How much was spent on the provision of furniture, white goods and furnishings (including flooring and window coverings) in 2023/24? This includes cash, vouchers and the provision of the item itself.
£15,500

6. What percentage of your furniture and appliance spend only was:
• Cash: 0%
• Vouchers: 0%
• Provision of the item itself: 0%
Goods were purchased via a corporate credit card

7.
a) What percentage of your 2023/24 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): 100%
b) What percentage of your 2023/24 spend came from the Household Support Fund: N/A
c) What other sources did you use to fund your LWA scheme in 2023/24 and what percentage of the scheme did each source make up respectively: N/A

8. What is your budget for 2024/25?
£16,000

9. What percentage of your 2024/25 budget is funded by your core spending power? 100%
If this budget is not 100% core funded, how is the remaining budget funded?

10. If your LWA budget for 2024/25 is smaller than in 2023/24, what percentage of the reduction is due to the expectation that the Household Support Fund would not be renewed?
N/A

The current tranche of the Household Support Fund is due to end on 31 September 2024. If no further funding is provided by central government after this date, how will this affect the funding for your Local Welfare Provision scheme from October 2024 to March 2025? Please select one of the below:
• We will spend more on our Local Welfare Scheme
• It will have no impact, spending will remain at the same level throughout the year: yes
• Our local welfare provision budget will be reduced by:
20% 40% 60% 80% 100% - Include an estimate of the reduction here: _______
• There will be no local welfare provision – we will close our scheme on 1 October 2024